CHRISTIANITY – A CHRISTOPHANY

What is Christianity? Christianity is a simple term with a -well-defined meaning. This meaning is in fact the ‘concept of Christianity; many go no further than this and confuse ‘Christianity’ with the ‘concept of Christianity. However accurate, correct and, at least to a certain extent, true this concept of Christianity is, to these people it will always be just a concept, an idea (even an ideal, if you like), an ‘essence’. They are never, in any case, able to penetrate this concept to the very heart of the thing, of the res significata (as St. Thomas Aquinas tells us). And so they fail to grasp that vital, mysterious reality – a reality that is always transcendent and which, consequently, is mystery – that lies at the heart of the concept itself. To them, Christianity is a doctrine, a Creed, conceived precisely as a series of formulations which they generally call dogmas and interpret as intellectual statements regarding specific aspects.
By this we certainly do not mean to say that Christianity does not ‘have’ its own doctrine, we merely wish to emphasise the fact that it ‘is’ much more than all this, much more than a concept, an essence or a series of formulas or dogmas. (from the author’s introduction).
The large volume III, Christianity, the central theme of the author’s rich production, consists of two parts. The first part deals mainly with the Christian tradition. It begins with a book dating back to 1963 (Humanismo y Cruz), in which the author presents the Cross as the centre of the Christian message. Despite the language being old-fashioned, Panikkar believed it was worth including the book in his Opera Omnia because it expresses the form of spirituality he was developing in that period, of which it remains an important testimony. Following in chronological order are writings from the first period of his priesthood, which cover the years up to 1977, while the second part consists of those written up to the author’s full maturity, representing the evolution of his spiritual journey and the testimony of faith, which finds full expression in The Fullness of Man. A Christophany.

INDEX OF ORIGINAL TEXTS IN VOLUME III. Part 2

(Books in bold and italic)

“Introduction: Christendom, Christianity, Christianness.” Jeevadhara 21, no. 124 (1991): 324–30 .

“The Jordan, The Tiber, and the Ganges: Three Kairological Moments of Christic Self-Consciousness.” In The Myth of Christian Uniqueness . Toward a Plural- istic Theology of Religions, ed. J. Hick and P. F. Knitter, 89–116. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1987.

“The Cosmic Christ: A Neglected Aspect of Modern Catholicism.” (Original text: “El Crist Còsmic: un aspecte negligit del catolicisme modern.”) Serra d’Or 340 (1988): 32–33; in Italian: in La nuova innocenza. Innocenza cosciente. Sotto il Monte-Bergamo: Servitium, 2003; rev. ed. 2005. Translated into English by Geraldine Clarkson.

“The New Role of Christian Universities in Asia.” Vidyajyoti 54 (1990): 561–82. Also in M. Uozumi and M. Kasai, eds., Religious Consciousness and Modern World, Asian Cultural Studies, Special Issue no. 4, 169–85. Tokyo: International Christian University, 1993. Opening lecture at ACUCA (Association of Christian Universities and Colleges in Asia) held at Assumption University, Thailand, 1989.

“Universal Responsibility: A Christian Consideration.” In R. Ch. Tewari and Krishna Nath, eds. Universal Responsibility: A Felicitation Volume in Honour of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, on His Sixtieth Birthday, 51–62. New Delhi: ANB Publishers.

“Towards a Phenomenology of Interculturation: The Case of India.” Original text: “Verso una fenomenologia dell’interculturazione: Il caso dell’India.” Testimonianze 4–5 (1996): 83–90. Translated by Geraldine Clarkson.

“On Christian Identity: Who Is a Christian?” In Many Mansions? Multiple Religious Belonging and Christian Identity, ed. C. Cornille, 121–44. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2002.

Christophany: The Fullness of Man. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1987. Original text: La pienezza dell’uomo. Una cristofania. Milan: Jaca Book, 1999, 2002.

Appendix: excerpts of the many letters written to the bishop of Varanasi, Rev. Patrick D’Souza

All original texts have been partially revised by the author.