The Theology of Louis Bouyer as Foundation for Catholic Ecological Theology

This dissertation performs a retrieval of the theology of Louis Bouyer (1913-2004) as a contribution to the foundations of Catholic ecological theology. Despite Bouyer’s significant influence in the twentieth century upon the Church and the academy, few studies of his work exist in English, and his theological project remains to be fully appreciated. The chapters of Part One of this dissertation treat, respectively, Bouyer’s theology of religion, of revelation, and of the Church’s Eucharistic knowledge of God. These chapters show how Bouyer’s Incarnational paradigm provides for recognition of the historical unfolding of the relationship of God and the world. From among Bouyer’s works, his six-volume doctrinal synthesis receives privileged consideration. The chapters of Part Two of this dissertation interpret Bouyer’s thought in relation to the thought of G. W. F. Hegel and to the ecological theological frameworks of Jürgen Moltmann and Catherine Keller. The dissertation thus demonstrates Bouyer’s importance as a major Catholic figure who represents an alternative to the paradigms of Moltmann and Keller in terms of grounding ecological theology.