World Christianity
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 61, No. 2 – Spring 2019
Managing Editor: W. Madison Grace II
By Hans Boersma. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2018. 467 pages. Hardcover, $55.00
To followers of Hans Boersma’s writings over recent years, Seeing God, Boersma’s recent ambitious opus tracing the doctrine of the beatific vision through the Christian tradition should not come as a surprise. Nor will Boersma’s readers be surprised as he attempts to view the beatific vision through his familiar lens of “sacramental ontology.” As Boersma puts it, “A sacramental understanding of the beatific vision takes seriously the teleological character of history … We usually deal with the topic of sacramental ontology by using vertical or spacial metaphors … [but] in connection with the beatific vision, however, we have to think in horizontal or temporal categories. We anticipate seeing God at the end of history” (10).
In Seeing God, Boersma attempts to trace the doctrine of the beatific vision through Christian history and tradition in order to articulate a holistic and catholic doctrine of the beatific vision. In doing so, Boersma acts as a historical theologian, tracking the beatific vision throughout Christian history, breaking the book into five parts: introduction/beatific vision in modernity, the beatific vision in the early church, the beatific vision in the medieval church, the beatific vision in Protestant thought, and concluding with a dogmatic appraisal of the beatific vision. Examining the pieces and the work as a whole, this reviewer was particularly impressed with Boersma’s strong work in the early church and medieval fathers, in particular Gregory of Nyssa, Symeon the New Theologian, John of the Cross, Bonaventure, and Nicholas of Cusa. With regards to patristic thought, Boersma has worked on Gregory of Nyssa for years, and in Seeing God, his work with Nyssa continues to add to our modern understanding of this underappreciated Cappadocian father. Boersma also helps the reader understand important aspects of medieval mysticism by highlighting the distinction between Symeon the New Theologian (the “theologian of light”) and John of the Cross (the “theologian of darkness”). Likewise, Boersma’s contrast of Bonaventure’s and Nicholas of Cusa’s views on mysticism show the sharp distinctives between affective mysticism and intellective mysticism respectively and is quite helpful in parsing out the distinctions that occur between the two even within the church today.
Boersma does an excellent job emphasizing the importance of the beatific vision to church doctrine throughout Christian history, as well as citing its decline in contemporary Protestant theology. Boersma cites several Reformed theologians as partially responsible for this decline, but specifically cites Hermann Bavink, who says, “A corollary vision of God in his essence would be the deification of humanity and the erasure of the boundary between the Creator and creature. That would be in keeping with the Neoplatonic mysticism adopted by Rome but not with the mysticism of the Reformation, at least not with that of the Reformed church and theology” (35).
However, while Seeing God is strong in many areas, there are a couple of places where this reviewer believes critiques are in order. In his section on the beatific vision within Protestant thought, Boersma spends most of his time examining the Reformed tradition, with the only exception being John Donne, who falls squarely within the Anglican tradition. Boersma fails to discuss the beatific vision as it manifests within either the Lutheran or the Anabaptist branches of Protestant thought, a correction that I believe would greatly enhance this work. Likewise, I believe that Boersma overstates his case with regards to some of the Reformed theologians supposedly high view of the doctrine of the beatific vision (most prominently seen with Boersma’s claims made in reference to John Calvin). Fortunately, even Boersma recognizes that his views on this issue are not mainstream, and instead tries to present an alternate case, saying, “So far, most Calvin scholarship has argued that Calvin simply abandoned the traditional doctrine of the beatific vision. This chapter will take issue with that view” (258). While he has not fully convinced this reviewer, he does bring up some excellent points for critical evaluation.
But perhaps the most important critique for Seeing God is Boersma’s somewhat vague definition of sacramental ontology. This is not a one-time issue, but Boersma’s lack of a concrete definition for sacramental ontology seems to be recurring throughout his recent works. While I think many readers would agree with Boersma that the beatific vision is ontologically holy and sacred, is that all that Boersma means by Christians needing to view it through a lens of “sacramental ontology?” Or does he intend for his reader to go further? Regrettably, Boersma does not say, leaving this reviewer in the dark as to how much of Boersma’s final conclusions he can ultimately agree with.
All in all, in creating a resource tracing the doctrine of the beatific vision through the ages, Boersma does an excellent job of tracing the beatific vision from the pre-Christian era with Plato and Plotinus through to the post-Reformation era with Jonathan Edwards. Seeing God is an excellent resource for those interested in the beatific vision. Additionally, despite the vagueness of “sacramental ontology,” Boersma arrives at a healthy and helpful hypothetical conclusion on the reality of the beatific vision. The reader may or may not agree with all of Boersma’s conclusions, but due to Boersma’s excellent scholarship, his readers will understand how and why this esteemed Christian scholar has arrived at his conclusions.
