The Divine Attribute of Mercy in Ioan Scotus Eriugena: Differences and Confluences with Jewish Kabbalah

This article undertakes a comparative theological and metaphysical analysis of the divine attribute of Mercy (Misericordia) as it is implicitly and explicitly understood in the Neoplatonic Christian philosophy of Ioan Scotus Eriugena and as it is systematically articulated by the Sefirah of Chesed (חסד) in Jewish Kabbalah, particularly within the Zoharic tradition. While separated by chronology, geography, and religious tradition, both Eriugena and the Kabbalists grappled with the fundamental paradox of a transcendent, unknowable God who is simultaneously an immanent, compassionate, and creative force. This study argues that Eriugena’s concept of Mercy is not a distinct, isolated attribute but is deeply embedded within his holistic vision of the divine nature (physis) as a process of creative self-manifestation, procession, and return (reditus). Mercy, for Eriugena, is the very dynamic of theophany—God’s act of creating, sustaining, and ultimately redeeming creation by becoming knowable within it. In Kabbalah, Chesed is a foundational Sefirah, the principle of unbounded love and grace, which must be balanced by Gevurah (Judgment) to ensure the stable manifestation of the cosmos. By juxtaposing Eriugena’s processional Mercy with Kabbalah’s emanational Chesed, this article illuminates profound confluences in their understanding of Mercy as the engine of creation and the promise of cosmic restoration. However, it also highlights crucial differences rooted in their respective Christological and Torah-centric frameworks, particularly concerning the means and finality of divine redemptive action. The analysis reveals a shared „grammar” of apophatic theology and emanationist metaphysics, suggesting a common heritage of Neoplatonic thought, while underscoring the unique theological syntheses achieved within Christian and Jewish mysticism.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.53438/KONL7110

Dialog 57-5 Benescu

Nostra Aetate et Dei Verbum : Vers une vision renouvelée dans la compréhension des textes fondateurs de l’Église et dans la définition de ses relations avec le peuple juif

This article was originally conceived as a conference held within the International Symposium entitled „Judeo-Christian Dialogue. Roots and Perspectives” organized by the „Congregation  of Notre Dame de Sion”, the „Office of Biblical Pastoral Care”, the „Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Theological Institute” in Iași” and the „Faculty of Catholic Theology of the A.I. Cuza University in Iași” and which took place on October 22, 2025, in the Aula Magna of the „Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Theological Institute” in Iași. This Symposium was occasioned by the 60th anniversary of the promulgation of the Council’s Declaration Nostra Aetate and of the Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum by the Second Vatican Council. The article aims at reconstructing the process of reflection that led the Fathers to the elaboration of these two documents that are the basis for a renewed vision of the founding texts (Sacred Scripture) of the Church and of its relationships with the Jewish people.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.53438/MQWI1556

Dialog 57-4 Șerban