The Incarnate Lord: A Thomistic Study in Christology (Thomistic Ressourcement) - Softcover

"Provides excellent insight into how Christology would be manifest through the lenses of Thomas Aquinas. He does this by looking at central themes in Christology, giving particular attention to the hypostatic union, the two natures of Christ, the knowledge and obedience of Jesus, the passion and death of Christ, Christ's descent into hell, and the resurrection. In each of these sections, White provides excellent analysis and synthesis enabling the reader to understand how Thomas Aquinas might view them." - Catholic Library World "A masterful and coherent vindication of Aquinas's Christology in the context of the diverse claims of modern christologies... The immense importance of this work lies principally in the fact that it can benefit not only Thomists, but anyone committed to serious theological reflection on the Scriptural witness to Jesus Christ." - New Blackfriars "A significant piece of systematic theology. White demonstrates his outstanding credentials as an interpreter of Thomas in particular and of the Catholic tradition as a whole, and makes for a useful dialogue partner for Protestant theologians who may find certain modern critiques less problematic than White, and who prefer to engage the deconstructive efforts of Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment thought by means other than the retrieval of another era." - Modern Theology "This ambitious and spirited book presents Thomist Christology as a universal panacea for a cluster of what its author takes to be debilitating weaknesses in recent Christology." - Theology "This closely reasoned and clearly written collection of essays presents an invaluable perspective upon many of the crucial issues debated in contemporary Christology. As one would expect, White shows an intimate familiarity with the thought of Aquinas. But he has also read carefully and deeply in modern and contemporary Christologies." - Theological Studies "Clear, receptive, unhurried, irenic, and encyclopedic...uniquely valuable and pleasurable to read. White gives us a complete and definitive treatment of the issues concerned; his book will become the standard reference for decades to come." - The Heythrop Journal

In recent years, Thomistic thought has seen a noteworthy revival, especially in the domain of systematic and historical theology. This resurgence of interest in Aquinas' thought is beginning to significantly affect the shape of academic theology as well as ecumenical theology. Yet there exists no serious study of Thomistic Christology, especially in dialogue with major themes in modern Christology. The Incarnate Lord, then, considers central themes in Christology from a metaphysical perspective. Particular attention is given to the hypostatic union, the two natures of Christ, the knowledge and obedience of Jesus, the passion and death of Christ, his descent into hell, and resurrection. A central concern of the book is to argue for the perennial importance of ontological principles of Christology inherited from patristic and scholastic authors. However, the book also seeks to advance an interpretation of Thomistic Christology in a modern context. The teaching Aquinas, then, is central to the study, but it is placed in conversation with various modern theologians, such as Karl Barth, Karl Rahner and Hans Urs von Balthasar. Ultimately the goal of the work is to suggest how traditional Catholic theology might thrive under modern conditions, and also develop fruitfully from engaging in contemporary controversies. The first part of the book, then, examines the ontology of the hypostatic union, the grace and human nature of Christ, the analogical similitude of the human and divine natures of Jesus, and the human knowledge and obedience of Christ. The second part of the book considers the obedient self-offering of Christ, his cry of dereliction, suffering and death, as well as his descent into hell, and physical resurrection. The conclusion of the book provides a systematic reflection on the nature of Christology as a theoretical and historical discipline.