Abstract

Northrop Frye’s exploration of kerygma, traditionally considered to be the Christian proclamation leading to salvation, is the linchpin of his study of biblical language. He situates kerygma within a range of interconnected theories beginning with a series of linguistic phases which determine our ability to achieve spiritual apotheosis. In this schema, kerygma is closest to poetic language and farthest from conceptual and descriptive expression which objectify the Divine and prevent authentic inter-subjective encounters. Ultimately, however, kerygma is argued to be from beyond the poetic since it has more spiritual potency than most secular literature which remains hypothetical. A true kerygmatic breakthrough engenders a cooperative creative vision involving the human and the Divine experienced in the human imagination. Frye considers such a breakthrough to be at least possible in non-sacred expression, exemplified by the work of Stéphane Mallarmé and Martin Buber. Frye’s schemata are typically worked out through his adaptation of the Hegelian Aufhebung. This is apparent in Frye’s modes of language and Phases of Revelation, where his typological perspective is also set out. The phases culminate with the Participating Apocalypse which ideally is the reader’s total and immediate apprehension of the entirety of biblical narrative and symbolism. The resulting elevation of consciousness is related to Frye’s concept of Interpenetration where all aspects of reality, including the Divine, are experienced simultaneously in a full flourishing of the Spirit. Frye’s theoria intersects tangentially several aspects of mainstream theology. His dialectical development of Dante’s adaptation of the four senses of Scripture informs his own views of polysemous meaning, and his rejection of Bultmann’s demythologization project is a stepping stone to his identification of myth as the foundation of all linguistic expression, including biblical texts. Frye also positions his theory of primary concerns in sympathetic contrast to Paul Tillich’s ultimate concern. Perhaps most significantly, he posits analogia visionis as a potential alternative to the orthodox analogia entis and analogia fidei. Here, as throughout, Frye’s views are profoundly influenced by the Romantic poet William Blake who rejects many aspects of traditional religious thought. In the end, Frye considers himself to be a pure critic unrestricted by the usual categories of theology and philosophy, and it is suggested that he should be read in that light.