Steven J. Duby, God in Himself

 

Steven J. Duby, God in Himself: Scripture, Metaphysics, and the Task of Christian Theology Studies in Christian Doctrine and Scripture (IVP Academic, 2019) 334pp

 

Many of the concerns of this book are methodological (what should theology proper be, what are its sources, methods and aims etc.). But this book is not just prolegomena. There is plenty of God, his revelation, the Christian tradition and indeed of Christ here, sometimes in mind-stretching and heart-warming ways. The learning and scope here are impressive. Sometimes the treatment is pretty technical and the footnotes sometimes risk taking over the body of the page, but no less worthwhile and interesting for that.

 

Chapters cover theology (God in himself) and the economy (God’s action and revelation), natural theology, the role of Christology and the incarnation in theology, theology and metaphysics and analogy in theology (similarity and difference between Creator and creation and in our language about God).

 

Duby argues that, by God’s gracious self-revelation and in limited ways, it is possible for pilgrim theologians this side of glory to know God in himself, not merely as he appears to us in the incarnation or in his other external works. Our knowledge of God is true if not complete.

 

Natural knowledge of God plays a positive role in this, as special revelation shows. It need not be seen as epistemological Pelagianism. It “provides traction for the reception of supernatural revelation, but its insufficiency and suppression by sinners underscores the need for it to be corrected and augmented by the gospel.” (p293)  

 

Christ is the centre and climax of divine revelation but our access to him is mediated by Holy Scripture. God’s revelation and not just the incarnation is the starting point and formal authority of theology.

 

There are wrong forms of curiosity or metaphysical speculation, but these should not paralyse us. Strictly historically speaking, it is best to see metaphysics as the study of created being. It is not therefore part of theology proper as such, but some metaphysical concepts can be usefully deployed as we speak of God.  

 

Some of us need to get over some aspects of Barth! He “can be an insightful and thought-provoking dialogue partner without being allowed to dictate the conditions under which theology proper must be done today. Protestants can and should be catholic and avail themselves of the work of Athanasius, Augustine, Boethius, John of Damascus, Peter Lombard, Thomas Aquinas, and many other pre-Reformation theologians” as well as the Reformed and Post-Reformation Scholastics (p295).

 

That theology "is not immediately practical and certainly not oriented to questions of technique and efficiency is in fact one of its salutary aspects. Contemporary preoccupation ... with "mission statements," "measurable outcomes," and the like needs to be relativized by the joy of knowing the triune God. It needs to be relativized by a strong sense of the fact that the greatest thing a minister of the gospel ... can do for others is to communicate faithfully about the rich wisdom and goodness and holiness and love of the triune God - and their free and gracious exercise in the economy." (p295)

Even if you don’t want to get into every footnote, this book is well worth a look and the content of each chapter is well signposted if you find yourself inclined to a bit of skimming.