The meaning of Christ

About this book

The Meaning of Christ reinterprets Christian tradition in the light of Mahāyāna Buddhist philosophy. Mahāyāna theology declares Christ to be "empty of essence," defined only in the "dependently co-arisen" course of his life, death, and resurrection. Kenan uses Buddhist thought to unveil "facets of meaning in Christ not focused on in western thinking," and to enable western Christians to reclaim their mystic tradition. Part I examines the meaning of Christ as developed in the early church. Through primary sources, Keenan brings to lifht the cumulative research, interpretations and historical understanding of a broad host of Christian scholars. He argues that the Christian West has failed to relate its own mystic thinkers to its doctrinal, theoretical thinking. Part II outlines Indian Buddhist thought from the early Nikāyas through the Abhidharma theorists, the Prajn̄āpāramitaā and Mādhyanuja thinkers, to the development of critical theory in Yogācāra. Keenan then develops the Yogācāra concept of consciousness, addresses some of the objections to the adoption of Mahāyāna philosophy in Christian theology, and applies the Mahāyāna approach to the doctrines of Incarnation and Trinity.