Digital media pervades modern societies and relationships. The anniversary of the Council of Nicaea provides a fitting occasion to examine the enduring significance of early Christian theology for modern discussions of media, representation, and mediated presence. Placing fourth-century theology into conversation with contemporary media theories, including media as cognitive and social infrastructure, will demonstrate that the retrieval of Nicene theology is an important resource for reflection upon the nature of communication and media ecologies. Such interdisciplinary engagement will provide fresh insights into both the Nicene tradition and the importance of divine revelation in an era of rapidly evolving media landscapes.
God’s use of creaturely media—both linguistic and sensory—was a key element of fourth-century Trinitarian thought. The proposed paper will explore the theological implications of the discussion of God’s use of media in Nicene Christianity. Engaging with Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Hilary of Poitiers, I will argue that these theologians viewed God’s use of creaturely media as intentional self-representation that illuminates his presence to embodied human beings. As a purposeful means of making himself accessible, God’s self-representation is necessarily accommodated in anthropic media. The fourth-century vindication of the Son’s consubstantiality was interwoven with the question of how finite creatures can know the infinite God through the eternal Word and perfect Image.
Secondly, I will argue that fourth-century reflections upon God’s use of media provide a foundation for assessing media’s role in shaping human perceptions of reality, identity, and relationships. As such, I will examine the ways in which media shape the stories humans tell—to one another and themselves—by shaping conceptions of the world and the knowledge of God.
This project will highlight an under-treated dimension of Nicene theology. Much attention has been given to the ontological debates; less emphasis has been placed on how divine self-revelation functions within these theological frameworks. I will employ historical-theological analysis, engaging with key Nicene and post-Nicene texts that discuss the necessity of divine self-accommodation in media suitable to human cognition and embodiment. These theologians conceived of divine self-representation as Christocentric. I will, therefore, examine how each theologian framed their discussion of the Son as Word and Image in ways that responded to both scriptural testimony and contemporary philosophical concerns. The insights gleaned from Nicene theology will, lastly, be placed in conversation with select texts in the field of media ecology, including thought flowing from Marshall McLuhan and Harold Innis. I will highlight several ways in which Nicene theology converges with and challenges the anthropological and epistemological assumptions of contemporary theories and argue that Nicene theology offers a basis for the consideration of media, old and new.
If not placed in the Creedal Christianity category, please also consider this proposal for open sessions (Christianity and Culture) or general studies (systematic theology).