Relation-in-distinction : aspects of the God-creature relation in the theology of John Webster

Abstract

In this thesis, I offer the first full-length treatment of John Webster’s theology through an analysis of his account of the God-creature relation. Chapter 1 maps the material and architectural developments in Webster’s theology that shape his understanding of the God- creature relation. I argue that Webster’s development can be viewed in terms of three phases – Christocentric, Trinitarian, and Theocentric – whereby the ‘material centre’ that governs his theology shifts from Christology to the economic Trinity, and finally, to the immanent perfection of God. Then I offer a conceptual analysis of three aspects of Webster’s mature theology – doctrine of divine perfection, theory of mixed relations, and concept of dual causality – that are pivotal to his mature way of framing and characterising the relation-in- distinction between God and creatures. In this way, chapter 1 proposes a heuristic framework for interpreting Webster’s theology, the defence of which is the purview of chapters 2-5.

Chapters 2-5 explore different aspects of Webster’s account of the God-creature relation: Christology (hypostatic relation), ecclesiology (redemptive relation), bibliology (communicative relation), and theological theology (rational relation). Chapter 2 argues that Webster’s understanding of the relation between the divine and human natures of Christ evolves from an emphasis on indivisibility and identity to an emphasis on distinction and asymmetry. Chapter 3 argues that his understanding of the relation between God and the church evolves from an emphasis on coinherence and continuity to an emphasis on distinction and asymmetry. Chapter 4 traces key developments in Webster’s attempt to articulate a non-competitive account of the relation between God’s self-revealing activity and the creaturely realities of text and reader. Finally, chapter 5 examines key developments in his account of theological reason, particularly the way he seeks to register the ontological and epistemological priority of God in relation to the activities of the knowing subject.