Christ our healer : a constructive dialogue between John Calvin and Gregory of Nazianzus.

Metaphors of disease and healing for sin and salvation have not received much attention in contemporary confessional Reformed circles. This dissertation takes a preliminary step towards a Reformed catholic understanding of these metaphors by evaluating their use by John Calvin and Gregory of Nazianzus. I do not attempt a full systematic account but offer these readings of Calvin and Gregory as a first exploratory step toward a Reformed catholic account of salvation as healing. Study of these figures reveals that the motifs of disease and healing provide a mode of speaking about salvation that holds together forgiveness and transformation while also recognizing the seriousness of sin and the need for divine action. I show that Calvin regularly uses disease as a metaphor for original sin and its impact, enabling him to indicate the pervasive, yet metaphysically accidental, corruption of sin while allowing for continued human action. Calvin uses healing as a metaphor in a much more limited fashion, but he uses healing language to speak organically about the twofold grace of justification and sanctification. Calvin uses healing language to highlight the transformative work of God, and particularly the Holy Spirit, as ongoing in the Christian life and received through the Lord's Supper. Gregory of Nazianzus provides a helpful (and more extensive) account for comparison, especially the use of healing as a metaphor for salvation. Gregory uses disease as a metaphor for sin to push the physical healthy to care for the physically ill and paradoxically describes sin as a chosen disease. Gregory offers a robustly Christological account of salvation as healing, wherein Jesus transformatively heals us by serving as both physician and cure. This healing is received by the Christian through multiple channels, including the ministrations of the pastor, baptism, and loving care for others. This dissertation concludes with a consideration of the possible benefits and drawbacks of using such imagery for salvation in contemporary constructive theology.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Little, J. Caleb (James Caleb), 1994-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Carnes, Natalie.

• Healing.
• Disease.
• Salvation.
• John Calvin.
• Gregory of Nazianzus.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/13124

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/13124