Recapitulation

2003 The Problem of Evil: Anglican and Baptist Perspectives: MPhil thesis, Bangor University 

2010 Theodicy and Practical Theology: PhD thesis, the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, Lampeter 

From 2003 MPhil

Question B 

Is it still valid to claim that Christ’s death, resurrection, and culminated Kingdom of God are the only ultimate practical remedies for human suffering? 

Jesus Christ and his work, and the culminated Kingdom of God is the only hope of recapitulation for creation. If Christ’s work was ever effective, this would not change over time. Christ was either God incarnate, and capable of completing the work required to save souls, or he was not.

A theology which tries to keep in touch with modern thinking by denying the exclusivity of Christ’s saving work for humanity will find that it cannot deal with those wanting to perpetrate evil. Christ is the ultimate remedy to the problem of evil and suffering because he is ultimate God.

A problem for humanity is that the wait for this complete healing within a culminated Kingdom of God is very painful. Every person on this planet suffers and dies, and this can lead to bitterness against God as this temporal life can be full of disappointments. An everlasting perspective is thus vital.

Irenaeus stated with regard to Christ’s work defeating death:

For it behoved Him who was to destroy sin, and redeem man under the power of death, that He should Himself be made that very same thing which He was, that is, man; who had been drawn by sin into bondage, but was held by death so that sin should be destroyed by man, and man should go forth from death. Irenaeus. (ca. 130-200 AD) Book III, Chapter 18, Section 7.

(Note: There does not seem to be a historical date to indicate when Irenaeus wrote this work. It is estimated that he wrote the work near the end of the second century.)

July 19, 2019 

From Atkinson

Recapitulation is the Latin equivalent of anacephalaiosis (486); this is defined as summing up or summary. (486). The term occurs in Ephesians 1: 10 where it is stated that God summed up (anakefalaiwsasqai) all things in Jesus Christ. Recapitulation was embraced by Irenaeus and by (some, my add) Church Fathers as meaning that God through Jesus Christ sums up human redemption.(486).

This recapitulation includes humanity and creation and therefore problems of evil and suffering are remedied, in a sense, via recapitulation.

ATKINSON, JAMES (1999) ‘Recapitulation’, in Alan Richardson and John Bowden (eds.), A New Dictionary of Christian Theology, Kent, SCM Press Ltd.

IRENAEUS. (c 175-185)(1998) ‘Against Heresies’, in The Catholic Encyclopedia, Denver, The Catholic Encyclopedia.

IRENAEUS. (c 175-185)(2005) Against Heresies, in The Catholic Encyclopedia, Denver, The Catholic Encyclopedia.

IRENAEUS (c 185)(2005) Proof of Apostolic Preaching, Translated by J. Armitage Robinson, London, The Macmillan CO.

The original links with the Irenaeus sources are now 'dead', so I deleted them.