Recovery of the Divine Nature: Wesleyan Soteriology and Theosis Calmly Considered

Abstract

In the not-so-distant past, the language and theology expressed variously as theosis, deification, or divinization was relegated to Eastern Orthodoxy. Scholarship over the past fifty years, however, has moved deification from disgrace or quiet indifference to a place of active dialogue. Not only has theosis gained the attention of Protestant and Catholic theologians alike, it has also generated a host of literature exploring how figures in the West embody this once-considered Eastern concept. This dissertation adds clarity and specificity to how John Wesley’s theology reflects deification. Wesleyan theologians, in their exploration of John Wesley’s interest in the “primitive church” and Eastern tradition, frequently gesture to the similarities between Wesley and theosis. Yet these studies, while adding rich specificity to Wesleyan-patristic studies, are often focused on parallels between Wesley and a particular figure. While tracing the lines of direct attestation and probable influence, they are not focused on theosis in particular, and as a result can only gesture toward possible resonances with Wesleyan theology. Bypassing the question of Wesley’s sources and influences, this project focused instead on identifying the content of theosis within Wesley’s writings. By creating a “lens” of what constitutes the doctrine, as gleaned from recent scholarship, the way was paved to examine in detail what ways Wesley might reflect those core components of theosis in a large swarth of his writings, including the entirety of his sermon corpus. This adds meaningfully to Wesleyan scholarship in at least two ways: 1) it is both an explicit study of deification and John Wesley; and, 2) more than merely gesturing to parallels, it traces how those emphases are present throughout Wesley’s ministry by a close reading of a large representative selection of Wesley’s writings. The close study of what constitutes deification reveals at least three theological axes which must be firmly established for the doctrine to be intelligible: 1) an understanding of God as desiring true union with humanity; 2) a theological anthropology which sees the telos of humanity as true Godlikeness; and 3) a soteriological thrust that points to redeemed humanity as participating in the Godhead. There is a deeply Trinitarian structure to this understanding of soteriology, which has corresponding anthropological implications. With an understanding of God and humanity in place to support the doctrine of deification, the final core idea is the means by which one is deified, an area that touches upon ecclesial context, sacramentology, and grace-enabled ascetic practices such as fasting and prayer. When applying this lens to John Wesley’s theology, the results of my study overwhelmingly support not only the presence of deification within Wesley as a theological theme, but it has structural significance for understanding Wesley’s theology. The Trinitarian structure of Wesley’s soteriology is a rich interplay of both an understanding of God as desiring and empowering true union with humanity on the one hand, and a theological anthropology that sees the telos of humanity as true Godlikeness on the other.