Inaugural Society of Christian Philosophers, UK Workshop: The Beatific Vision

Beatific Vision

‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God’ (Matthew 5.8) so says Christ at the beginning of his greatest sermon, the Sermon on the Mount. But just what it is to be pure in heart and what it is to see God, he never explains. Following this beatitude, Christian writers in Scripture, and in the subsequent Christian tradition, have developed the doctrine of the beatific vision, according to which a person who has been justified and sanctified, that is, who is pure in heart, beholds God face to face in an act of complete mutual self-revelation, where she comes to know God fully, even as God has fully known her (1 Corinthians 13.11-12). While this doctrine has exerted considerable influence on the Christian tradition, thereby shaping our understanding of the Christian life and faith, it has received scant philosophical attention. This workshop will address aspects of the philosophy of the beatific vision and their implications for Christian theology.

Speakers:

• Prof. Christina Van Dyke, Professor of Philosophy, Calvin College
• Dr. György Geréby, Associate Professor of Medieval Studies, Central European University
• Dr. Andrew Pinsent, Research Director, Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, University of Oxford
• Dr. Simon Gaine, Regent of Studies, Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford
• Dr. Joseph Stenberg, Postdoctoral Humboldt Research Fellowship, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Lunch and refreshments provided, with a wine reception afterwards.

Space is limited, so please reserve your place on this workshop by RSVP to David Worsley.