5 - Functions of the divine body in Rāmānuja and Teilhard de Chardin

Summary

In this chapter I shall begin to compare the functions of the body of Brahman in Rāmānuja's works with those of the body of Christ in the writings of Teilhard de Chardin. At first glance it may appear extraordinary to place the thinking of a twentieth-century Frenchman next to that of a twelfth-century Indian. They came from totally different cultures, and the theological contexts in which they lived and wrote could hardly be less similar. Yet they shared a theological task: to expand and recreate the theological worldviews of their time. This task emerged from their spiritual commitment, and it seems remarkable that they both used a particular notion to underpin their respective visions: the body of the divine.

I suggest that the level at which we can best compare the respective ‘divine bodies’ is to consider, first of all, the functions of the term in each writer's work. I shall take for consideration two hypotheses: firstly, that the function of the divine body in each writer is metaphorical; and secondly, that it becomes a conceptual model for the way each theologian believes things to be. In this chapter I shall begin to look at these hypotheses.

What does it mean to speak of the divine body as a metaphor? By metaphor I mean a figure of speech which refers to something in terms of something else, thereby creating a new mode of perception.