Panel: CONTOURS OF TRANSFORMATION: PHILOSOPHICAL-THEOLOGICAL AND ECCLESIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES



855.1 - METAMORPHOSIS, INCARNATION AND CROSSING THE SELF-OTHER DYNAMIC: TOWARD A THEOLOGY OF TRANSFORMATION WITH EMMANUEL FALQUE.

AUTHORS:
Abraham R. (KU Leuven ~ Leuven ~ Belgium)
Text:
This paper examines 'metamorphosis' as a transformative process within the incarnational philosophy and theology of Emmanuel Falque. For Falque, transformation is rooted in the Incarnation, understood not merely as a historical or doctrinal event but as the central moment in which human existence is redefined through the encounter with the divine. He situates the Incarnation as a theological locus where human finitude meets divine transcendence, opening a space for metamorphosis as a reconfiguration of being itself. Falque's emphasis on the existential significance of the Incarnation critiques static dualisms like the opposition between self and other, and instead proposes a dynamic reframing. Drawing on corporeality, he argues that embodiment is not only a limit to transformation but also is a condition of possibility. The Incarnation reveals the body as the site of relational depth where transformation unfolds—neither dissolving the self into the other nor isolating the other as irreducibly alien. Instead, transformation occurs through the encounter that respects difference while fostering mutual openness. Falque's approach insists on crossing between philosophy and theology which is itself transformative, reframing phenomenology to accommodate the transcendent horizon offered by theology. Metamorphosis also involves co-transformation of theology and philosophy as each informs the other to address questions of finitude, transcendence, and relationality. Finally, the paper engages Falque's eschatological vision, which reorients transformation as not merely an ontological event but one imbued with hope. Beyond Heidegger's being-toward-death, Falque proposes being-toward-resurrection, reorienting being toward hope and renewal. Integrating embodiment, relationality, and eschatology, Falque presents metamorphosis as both deeply existential and theological, offering a vision of transformation that redefines both intersubjectivity and the human encounter with the divine.