Self-emptying of Christ and the Christian: Three Essays on Kenosis

This collection wrestles with a profusion of questions about kenosis. What is the original meaning and purpose of the self-emptying of Jesus? How can todays Christians emulate it replacing our own selfish designs with the mind of Christ? How is the current interest in servant leadership as a model in the modern church related to the self-sacrificing servant of Philippians 2? Does this practice have any meaning in our present secular age? Does it imply deconstructing the content of Christian faith and morals in contemporary culture? Is it a possible bridge between Eastern and Western spiritual traditions? Using the key theme of Jesus emptying of himself in the Philippians hymn John Lounibos explores the mysteries of kenosis in three strikingly different essays. The first using extensive exegesis of the text opens up the poetic theological and spiritual depths of this Christian mystery. The second essay establishes a philosophical grounding for kenosis in the work of Paul Tillich on the estrangements of finite human freedom. The third enters into dialogue with the Buddhist tradition and its intriguing notions of nothingness and no-self. The attentive reader will be rewarded with a wealth of information and insights for further reflection and personal application. There is no text more critical for the churchs self-understanding than Pauls hymn of Christs kenosis in Philippians 2:5-11. In his Self-Emptying of Christ and the Christian John Lounibos guides readers into the riches of this passage repurposing and augmenting three previously written essays. What makes his work especially helpful and distinctive are its multiple interpretive horizons including exegesis theology and interreligious reflection. -Richard B. Gardner Professor Emeritus of New Testament Bethany Theological Seminary After a long career of distinguished scholarship and teaching John Lounibos has brought together three of his essays all related to the scriptural notion of kenosis and each of them an embodiment of a different initiative associated with Vatican II. The first focused on the famous hymn from Philippians reflects the renewed interest in scriptural studies that preceded the Council and found expression in so many of its decrees. The second explores the existential meaning of the concept in the writings of the great Paul Tillich and reflects the renewed ecumenism fostered by the Council. The third discusses similarities and differences between Christian emptying and Buddist detachment and is an authentic step toward mutual understanding with a non-Christian tradition also a Conciliar priority. -Edward L. Burke Clinical Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry Langley Porter Institute UC San Francisco In todays fractured world theology must address the likenesses and contrasts existing among the great religions. John Lounibos who has spent a lifetime exploring Scripture enlightens todays believer through his grasp of the significance of the hymn in Philippians 2 which sheds a beacon of light on the mystery of Jesus. Lounibos builds bridges between the hymns Christian humility and the Buddhist tradition of nothingness laying common ground for mutual understanding while recognizing real differences. -L. Patrick Carroll author of A Crooked Finger Beckons John Lounibos has written a scholarly work of the first order. His extensive research into the topic of kenosis has resulted in a work of profound importance. It deserves to be studied by those involved in biblical study and in the related work of renewing communities of faith as well as by those who focus on spiritual and philosophical renewal either within the Eastern or the Western traditions including those engaged by various disciplines sometimes grouped under the heading of depth psychology. -William J. Hurst Faculty member at the Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies Christian dialogue with Buddhism is today both interesting