Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-2024
Publisher
Cambridge University Press on behalf of Provincial Council of the English Province of the Order of Preachers
Abstract
This essay endeavors a correlation between Bernard Lonergan’s ‘four-point hypothesis’ – a theological proposal integrating trinitarian theology and the supernatural order of ‘created grace’ – and the sacraments of initiation. The same formal structure that Lonergan discerned in the experience of grace, itself a means of participation in the life of the Trinity, is replicated in the sacramental reception of that grace in those ritual acts whereby one is made a Christian. This at once serves as a ‘proof of concept’, lending credence to the Lonerganian proposal, and provides a speculative framework for understanding how it is that the sacraments introduce Christians into the divine life.
Recommended Citation
Schlesinger, E. R. (2024). The Sacraments of Initiation as ‘Proof of Concept’ for Bernard Lonergan’s ‘Four-Point Hypothesis.’ New Blackfriars, 105(5), 530–544. https://doi.org/10.1017/nbf.2024.57
Comments
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0), which permits re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that no alterations are made and the original article is properly cited.
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Provincial Council of the English Province of the Order of Preachers.