Friday 30 October 2009
Age of Spirit: An Interview with Harvey Cox ☀
- NS: The book describes Christian history in terms of an “Age of Faith,” an “Age of Belief,” and, now, an “Age of Spirit.” How neatly do these categories fit?
- HC: Joachim of Fiore used that term “Age of Spirit” back in the 12th century. It is a term that is not without troublesome qualities. Joachim used it in a very immanentist, eschatological way: this would be the culminating age, and we wouldn’t need any priests, any hierarchies, or any doctrines; no mediation would be necessary, and all the pagans and heretics would unite with the Christians. He had a creative interpretation of the Trinity: that the Old Testament was the age of the Father, and then came the age of the Son, and then came the age of the Spirit. Some of his followers even started setting dates for the end of the world, and he was eventually declared a heretic after his death. Still, he was on to something. He recognized that society goes through transitional periods. Human beings need labels, but you have to be aware that the labels are always just that. You can stick them on, but you can peel them off as well. They help to organize thinking, which is why, after some hesitation, I chose to use that periodization, realizing that it would be problematic.
