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Prodigal Christ: The Parable of the Prodigal Son in the Theologies of Julian of Norwich and Karl Barth2330 views
Author
Cox, Kendall, Religious Studies - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia
Advisors
Hart, Kevin, Department of Religious Studies, University of Virginia
Abstract
This dissertation sets Karl Barth’s exegesis of Luke 15:11-32 in conversation with Julian of Norwich’s Example of the Lord and Servant. I present Julian’s story as a gloss on the Parable of the Prodigal Son that prefigures Barth’s later Christological interpretation in which he identifies Jesus Christ with the younger son. Drawing on Paul Ricoeur’s account of intertextuality, I demonstrate the coherence of such an identification and argue that Julian and Barth discern an overlooked interpretive trajectory arising from the Lukan text itself. Finally, I assess the radical doctrinal implications of their interpretations and consider the significance of parable as a mode of theology that is particularly well suited for Christological and Trinitarian reflection.
Degree
PHD (Doctor of Philosophy)
Keywords
Julian of Norwich; Karl Barth; Luke 15; Parable of the Prodigal Son; Paul Ricoeur; Phenomenology of Parable; Theology; Doctrine of Election
Language
English
Rights
All rights reserved (no additional license for public reuse)
Cox, Kendall. Prodigal Christ: The Parable of the Prodigal Son in the Theologies of Julian of Norwich and Karl Barth. University of Virginia, Religious Studies - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, PHD (Doctor of Philosophy), 2014-07-01, https://doi.org/10.18130/V35G12.
