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
