The Metaphysics of the Incarnation

The growth of both philosophy of mind and cognitive science has developed our understanding of the human mind in ways that just a few decades ago were unthinkable. As ideas from philosophy of mind begin to cross over into philosophy of religion, there is renewed interest in questions about the divine mind, about how it might relate to a human body, and about whether incarnation itself might be articulated with the conceptual tools offered by the current research developments in the philosophy of mind. This book offers original essays by leading philosophers of religion representing these new approaches to theological problems such as incarnation.

The doctrine of incarnation -- that Jesus Christ was God become human -- has always been one of the most central and distinctive features of Christianity. Similar doctrines about divine humans can be found in other religions, from the claims to divinity made by ancient kings and emperors to the concept of avatars in Hinduism. But many people regard the notion that a human being could also be divine as unjustifiable or incoherent, and none of the many attempts to articulate it philosophically has earned general acceptance.

The authors explore, from a variety of different viewpoints, whether any metaphysically rigorous and coherent model of incarnation can be defended today. Their aim is to give readers a clearer sense not only of the problems and possible new solutions associated with incarnation itself, but of how the notion of incarnation may be fitted in to wider current debates in philosophy.

Author: Anna Marmadoro,Jonathan Hill,Anna Marmodoro
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Published: 04/01/2011
Pages: 262
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.63d
ISBN: 9780199583164

About the Author
Anna Marmodoro is Postdoctoral Fellow in Philosophy at the University of Oxford.

Jonathan Hill is Postdoctoral Researcher in Philosophy at the University of Oxford.

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