Earthing the Cosmic Christ of Ephesians--The Universe, Trinity, and Zhiyi's Threefold Truth, Volume 5: Commentary on Ephesians 4:1--5:10
This series reads Ephesians within its post-Paul trajectory but considers it also in light of a Mahāyāna Buddhist hermeneutic that is likely unfamiliar to most New Testament scholars. New Testament specialists rarely stray into theological issues outside the Jewish-Christian context, although that context itself is more and more distant from readers today. Academicians are prone to make universal affirmations and claims, and yet it seems that few scholars of Christianity consider the theological universe that exists beyond the bounds of their own familiar guild. And the rare attempts to look East beyond those bounds often result in caricatures of Buddhists and their teachings, much as early New Testament scholars caricatured "the Jews." Even more commonly, such distant, foreign traditions and their theologies are simply ignored, as though the history of the Christian presence in the eastern Mediterranean basin were coterminous with the entire world of meaning. Certainly, one is no more likely to make a name in New Testament scholarship by pondering Chinese Buddhism than to become famous in the field of Buddhology by engaging with a Greek New Testament text. Nevertheless, it is good fun. —John P. Keenan
1147604192
Earthing the Cosmic Christ of Ephesians--The Universe, Trinity, and Zhiyi's Threefold Truth, Volume 5: Commentary on Ephesians 4:1--5:10
This series reads Ephesians within its post-Paul trajectory but considers it also in light of a Mahāyāna Buddhist hermeneutic that is likely unfamiliar to most New Testament scholars. New Testament specialists rarely stray into theological issues outside the Jewish-Christian context, although that context itself is more and more distant from readers today. Academicians are prone to make universal affirmations and claims, and yet it seems that few scholars of Christianity consider the theological universe that exists beyond the bounds of their own familiar guild. And the rare attempts to look East beyond those bounds often result in caricatures of Buddhists and their teachings, much as early New Testament scholars caricatured "the Jews." Even more commonly, such distant, foreign traditions and their theologies are simply ignored, as though the history of the Christian presence in the eastern Mediterranean basin were coterminous with the entire world of meaning. Certainly, one is no more likely to make a name in New Testament scholarship by pondering Chinese Buddhism than to become famous in the field of Buddhology by engaging with a Greek New Testament text. Nevertheless, it is good fun. —John P. Keenan
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Earthing the Cosmic Christ of Ephesians--The Universe, Trinity, and Zhiyi's Threefold Truth, Volume 5: Commentary on Ephesians 4:1--5:10

Earthing the Cosmic Christ of Ephesians--The Universe, Trinity, and Zhiyi's Threefold Truth, Volume 5: Commentary on Ephesians 4:1--5:10

Earthing the Cosmic Christ of Ephesians--The Universe, Trinity, and Zhiyi's Threefold Truth, Volume 5: Commentary on Ephesians 4:1--5:10

Earthing the Cosmic Christ of Ephesians--The Universe, Trinity, and Zhiyi's Threefold Truth, Volume 5: Commentary on Ephesians 4:1--5:10

Overview

This series reads Ephesians within its post-Paul trajectory but considers it also in light of a Mahāyāna Buddhist hermeneutic that is likely unfamiliar to most New Testament scholars. New Testament specialists rarely stray into theological issues outside the Jewish-Christian context, although that context itself is more and more distant from readers today. Academicians are prone to make universal affirmations and claims, and yet it seems that few scholars of Christianity consider the theological universe that exists beyond the bounds of their own familiar guild. And the rare attempts to look East beyond those bounds often result in caricatures of Buddhists and their teachings, much as early New Testament scholars caricatured "the Jews." Even more commonly, such distant, foreign traditions and their theologies are simply ignored, as though the history of the Christian presence in the eastern Mediterranean basin were coterminous with the entire world of meaning. Certainly, one is no more likely to make a name in New Testament scholarship by pondering Chinese Buddhism than to become famous in the field of Buddhology by engaging with a Greek New Testament text. Nevertheless, it is good fun. —John P. Keenan

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781666708622
Publisher: Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date: 06/12/2025
Pages: 296
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

John P. Keenan was Professor of Religion at Middlebury College and a priest of the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont. His works include The Emptied Christ of Philippians: Mahāyāna Meditations; The Meaning of Christ: A Mahāyāna Theology; The Gospel of Mark: A Mahāyāna Reading; A Study of the Buddhabhūmyupadésa: The Doctrinal Development of the Notion of Wisdom in Yogācāra Thought; Grounding Our Faith in a Pluralist World—With a Little Help from Nāgārjuna; as well as the multivolume set Earthing the Cosmic Christ of Ephesians.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“John Keenan was one of a kind. His goal was a simple one: to take a fresh look at the core doctrines of Christian faith through the lens of Buddhist scriptures. His methods were at once scholarly and unconventional, and the demands he made on his readers were so dizzying that the audience for his work was only just beginning to take shape when he was taken from us. His questions have left theologians with no place to hide from the challenge of Buddhist faith.”

—James W. Heisig, Retired Faculty, Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture



“Keenan continues his monumental interreligious dialogue as only one with his unique expertise—in both Christian theology, biblical exegesis, and Buddhist studies—can produce. It is especially encouraging to see how he incorporates the insights of the threefold truth of emptiness, conventionality, and the middle way exemplified by Zhiyi, the greatest philosopher and theologian of East Asian Buddhism.”

—Paul L. Swanson, author of Clear Serenity, Quiet Insight



“Reading Christian scriptures with a Buddhist lens, applying a hermeneutic of emptiness, brings forth new horizons and untold riches in understanding the meaning of Christ, revealing the cosmic dimensions and the triune mystery underlying our bodily life on this Earth.”

—Ruben L.F. Habito, author of Healing Breath: Zen for Christians and Buddhists in a Wounded World



“For Keenan, the boundary between the wordless Mystery of God and our mortal existence is delicate and transparent. Mindfully dancing across this veil with intellectual vigor and spiritual humility, Keenan invites Buddhist wisdom to the celebration, suggesting that the Buddhist practice of ‘emptiness’ (Sanskrit: úûnyatâ) resonates beautifully with Christ’s self-emptying (Greek: kenosis) in Phil 2:6–7. As our global community meanders and stumbles into a future that is often characterized by division, negative judgements, and fear of others, Dr. Keenan shines light on a pathway to an emerging world of mutual respect and understanding, and the personal and community peace that both Buddha and Christ envisioned.”

—Robert A. Jonas author of My Dear Far-Nearness: The Holy Trinity as Spiritual Practice

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