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Seeing God: The Beatific Vision in Christian Tradition
Hans Boersma
Eerdmans (2018). 488 pp.
The goal of Hans Boersma’s Seeing God: The Beatific Vision in Christian Tradition is to trace this important theme throughout the Christian tradition, from the patristic era to Jonathan Edwards, in order to reclaim it for the modern church. As has been the case in many of his recent works, fundamental to Boersma’s project is the argument that patristic biblical interpretation—and for that matter, most of the Great Tradition—presupposes a “sacramental ontology.” That is to say, in a real and important sense, Christ is truly present in creation, in the Scriptures, and in the church. We will return to the importance of this point for his understanding of the beatific vision. It is important to note at the outset that this book is part of Boersma’s larger project on the sacramental ontology of the Fathers. Boersma argues that an important part of seeing God is seeing his real presence in his creation now.
Before he begins his historical overview, Boersma situates the beatific vision in current theological discussion. He reviews the place of the beatific vision (or lack thereof) in the works of Hans Urs von Balthasar and Herman Bavinck. While these two scholars diverged in many areas, the Roman Catholic Balthasar and Reformed Protestant Bavinck converged in their lack of emphasis on the beatific vision. This, Boersma argues, is endemic to modern conceptions of the new creation that emphasize “the social, dynamic, and active character of the eschaton.” Consequently, “both ended up with a remarkably this-worldly eschatology” (p. 41). Therefore, one of Boersma’s main aims in this volume is to reclaim the heavenly aspects of the eschaton, most fundamentally our glorious vision of God.
As he continues to set the stage, in chapter two Boersma summarizes the influence Plato and Plotinus, a third-century Platonist, on the Christian understanding of the beatific vision. For these philosophers, the ultimate aim of humankind is to see the Good or the Beautiful. This goal shares much with the biblical conception of the ultimate goal of God for his creatures; therefore, the Tradition has followed them in many areas. One key difference, however, is the emphasis on the disembodied nature of this ultimate vision in Neoplatonism (p. 75). Much of the discussion among subsequent Christian theologians has been the nature and possibility of an embodied vision of God, both in this life and in the one to come.
Following these introductory chapters, Boersma treats three major eras of church history (patristic, medieval, Reformation/Protestant). In the first section, he interacts with Gregory of Nyssa and Augustine. These two theologians set the stage for much of the rest of the Tradition. Gregory emphasizes the way the ultimate telos of humanity defines how we live in the present, including the concept of epektasis, or ever-increasing desire, that begins in this life. Throughout history, the larger question of whether and how we can begin to experience the beatific vision frequently emerges; Gregory suggests that the experiences of this life anticipate the greater vision yet to come. Augustine speaks of the real presence of Christ in the theophanies of the OT and beyond; this continues the emphasis on our experience of the beatific vision in this life while also raising the question of the role of Christ in the beatific vision.
The Christological question is more pointed in the section on medieval understandings of the beatific vision. Thomas Aquinas speaks of our present experience of the beatific vision, yet the final experience of this vision will ultimately move beyond Christology to a vision of the essence of God. Although he agrees with Thomas in many ways, Gregory Palamas argues that our experience of the beatific vision in Christ now is part of the ongoing progress (epektasis) that culminates when we will see Christ fully. That is to say, there is no non-Christological experience of the vision of God. The other chapters on the medieval interpretation of the beatific vision similarly consider the question of the continuity (or lack thereof) between the present and eschatological experience of the beatific vision. Saint Symeon emphasizes the present experience of the vision of God; Saint John of the Cross, the theologian of darkness, was looking for the vision of God in the age to come. Bonaventure concludes that our intellect must eventually be put aside to truly see God, thus emphasizing discontinuity; Nicholas of Cusa sees more continuity in that both our affections and intellect together are purified to experience the vision of God. In the final chapter on the medieval period, Boersma explores the beatific vision in Dante’s Paradiso. Through much poetic license, Dante describes the experience of epektasis through which we are transformed to behold the very essence of God.
In his treatment of the Protestant view of the beatific vision, Boersma interacts with John Calvin, John Donne, a number of Puritan and Reformed theologians, and finally Jonathan Edwards. While Calvin does not often emphasize the beatific vision, it is present in his commentaries in several places. Like earlier theologians, Calvin emphasizes the real presence of God in various theophanies as an anticipation of the beatific vision. However, like Thomas and many others in the Western tradition, Calvin indicates that in the age to come will we in some way truly see the essence of God. In the poems and sermons of John Donne, he laments the gap between heaven and earth that the early modern period was beginning to create; therefore, he highlights the heavenly nature of the Christian hope to counteract this tendency. Moreover, a key point in Donne is that the vision of God is first a subjective genitive; he first looks at us and this enables us to look at him. In his consideration of Puritan and Dutch Reformed views (chapter eleven), Boersma’s primary aim is to demonstrate that Abraham Kuyper, who is often credited (or blamed) for the this-worldly eschatology in the modern Reformed world, affirms the beatific vision; not only does he affirm it, but he shares the Thomistic view that our ultimate vision of God will move beyond Christology to see the very essence of God. In contrast, many Puritans had a much more Christologically robust view of the final beatific vision. Similarly, in the final historical chapter, Boersma demonstrates that Edwards, while following Thomas in many ways, is very similar to patristic and Eastern conceptions of the vision. Christ is always the “grand medium” of the vision of God. Thus, “a sacramental understanding of the beatific vision acknowledges that everything we see with the eyes of the body today is a theophany of God in Jesus Christ, and that everything we will ever see with the eyes of the soul is also a theophany of God in Jesus Christ” (p. 384). From beginning to end, our vision of God is Christological.
In the last part of the book, Boersma offers his own dogmatic account of the beatific vision. His proposal is based on the concept of divine apprenticeship, with God as our teacher. This “divine pedagogy” has four components: God’s providential care; the implied completion of the teaching process; the Christological nature of his pedagogy; and finally, the transformative nature of God’s teaching. He then explains this proposal in more detail by drawing together several historical figures along with his own careful observations from Scripture. Boersma concludes with a summary of the transformative, Christological nature of the beatific vision that moves toward our own participation in an eternal progress in “the infinite being of God” (p. 429).
There is much to commend about this volume. The book displays significant learning in Boersma’s ability to interact with figures from across church history (not to mention his literary knowledge in the discussions of Dante and Donne), yet theological acumen that does not prevent the devotional quality of this doctrine to fade away. One is left longing for more of the vision of God. To that end, Boersma has succeeded in his goal of retrieving and reemphasizing this important doctrine.
We have no space in a review of this length to raise critical questions; however, the one question I was left with is whether Boersma may be guilty of over-harmonizing at times. To be sure, he does not paper over disagreements about various aspects of the beatific vision, yet at times I was left wondering whether other scholars would share his views of some historical figures. For example, I wonder whether some interpreters of Kuyper might dispute Boersma’s understanding of the “mystical Kuyper” (pp. 339–50). Nonetheless, different readings are certainly to be expected, and I do not think a different interpretation of this section would damage the overall thesis of the book.
We might raise other issues or questions, but I would heartily commend this book to any pastor or student of Scripture. It not only a clearer understanding of the history of this great doctrine, but it also left me longing to see God in Christ. Any book that accomplishes this goal is worthy of serious attention.
Chris Bruno (PhD, Wheaton College) is the President of Oahu Theological Seminary where he also serves as Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology. He has written and contributed to many books, most recently The Divine Christology of the Apostle Paul (IVP, 2024, with John J. R. Lee and Thomas R. Schreiner). He is a member of the St. John Fellowship of the Center for Pastor Theologians.
