We have not arrived : the meaning of divine and human rest in the works of Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, and Barth

This dissertation examines the meaning of divine and human rest in the Western Christian tradition. What does it mean for the concept of rest to be applied to God’s being and act? Moreover, it considers how the concept of human rest has been defined relative to divine rest. For most theologians in the Christian tradition, the hope of rest for humanity corresponds to a promise of an eschatological participation in God’s own rest. In light of the theological definition of human rest, we will also consider the secondary questions of when and how rest is attained. Given the location of rest in its fullest sense in the eschaton, what are the possibilities of rest in the present life? The Sabbath is obviously important for shaping the theological account of divine and human rest as well as Christian practice. Yet, this is not a dissertation on Sabbath observance per se nor is it primarily an exercise in practical theology. The project unfolds through a comparative reading of the use of the rest motif by four key theologians: Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, and Karl Barth. Each makes extensive use of the concept of rest, and each has significant influence on later interpretation of the concept. In this project, Augustine serves as a foundational figure. His writings establish the lines upon which later interpreters in the West will build or respond to. The hope is that this survey of the history of interpretation of rest can fund a constructive reflection on the distinctly Christian hope of rest in light of God’s revelation in Christ.