"While studying theology at Hastings, Teilhard [de Chardin] was exposed to two strands of thought that influenced him profoundly," writes today's columnist Kathleen Duffy, SSJ, in the first of her three-part series: The Texture of the Evolutionary Cosmos: Matter and Spirit in Teilhard de Chardin.

According to Duffy, "The first [strand of influence] was the theory of evolution which he encountered in Bergson's Creative Evolution. The second strand was a scripture passage from Colossians referring to Christ: 'All things hold together in him' (1:17b). Presented at the time as a summation statement for all of Christian theology (Lyons, 149), this passage, along with several others from Paul's letters, suggested a way to integrate the theory of evolution with his religious tradition; it helped him to visualize the unity of matter and spirit; and, eventually, it reversed his focus from the texture of rocks to the texture of Spirit. The theory of evolution helped him to visualize the threads that make up the cosmic tapestry; the passage from Colossians, the loom on which these threads are weaving. A new understanding of the consistence of matter for which he had been searching from his boyhood (HM, 20) gradually began to develop in him. However, Teilhard would not be satisfied until he experienced a true synthesis of matter and spirit and was able to articulate it clearly. This would become his lifelong task."

Such an undertaking could be nothing less than a life long task, combining as it did both source and goal. It is a hard thing to puzzle out, this interrelation, this intercourse, between matter and spirit. Consider for example, the first verse of the first chapter of the Gospel of John (verses 1-3), where it states:

"[1]In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2]He was with God in the beginning. [3]*Through* him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." (NIV)

Sectarian interpretations aside, what does this mean? One little word, {di}, here translated as through, has the following meanings in New Testament Greek:

1) through 1a) of place 1a1) with 1a2) in 1b) of time 1b1) throughout 1b2) during 1c) of means 1c1) by 1c2) by the means of 2) through 2a) the ground or reason by which something is or is not done 2a1) by reason of 2a2) on account of 2a3) because of for this reason 2a4) therefore 2a5) on this account

These possibilities being the case(s), we can see just how difficult Teilhard's task to achieve "a true synthesis of matter and spirit" was. Since even in the above-mentioned pivotal verse from Colossians, the word {en}, here translated as "in", may also mean by or with. Moreover, the word translated "hold together", from the Greek word {sunistao}, in Colossians 1;17b can also mean:

to place together, to set in the same place, to bring or band together a. to stand with (or near) 2. to set one with another a. by way of presenting or introducing him b. to comprehend 3. to put together by way of composition or combination, to teach by combining and comparing a. to show, prove, establish, exhibit 4. to put together, unite parts into one whole a. to be composed of, consist

Indeed, to make matters even more interesting, the King James Version most often translates {sunistao} as "commend". Only in this verse in Colossians is it translated as "consist" or, as the NIV has it, "hold together."

With such possibilities and difficulties, it is no wonder that Teilhard responded by working so hard to weave together a picture of the existing universe as and with a creative and creating texture.

Read on to explore his vision.

Kathleen Duffy, SSJ, received her PhD in Physics from Drexel University. Currently, she is professor of physics at Chestnut Hill College where she chairs the physics department. Formerly, she has also taught physics at Drexel University, Brun Mawr College, Ateneo de Manila University, and University of the Philippines. She has published research in atomic and molecular physics and in chaos theory in journals such as Physics Review Letters, Journal of Chemical Physics and Chemical Physics Letters, as well as Philippines journals and bulletins. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Metanexus Institute for Religion and Science and a regular participant in Cosmos and Creation.

This article can be found in Teilhard Studies Number 43, Fall 2001. Teilhard Studies is a monograph series concerned with the future of the human in light of the writings of Teilhard de Chardin. It is published by the American Teilhard Association for the Future of Man, Inc.

-- Stacey E. Ake

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Subject: The Texture of the Evolutionary Cosmos: Matter and Spirit in Teilhard de Chardin, Part 1/3 From: Kathleen Duffy, SSJ Email: < kduffy@chc.edu >

A. INTRODUCTION

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was born in 1881 in central France. After becoming a Jesuit, he practiced geology and paleontology in Europe, Asia and Africa and wrote a series of essays in which he attempted to integrate his scientific understanding of the evolutionary world with his religious beliefs. But due to the controversial nature of his work at the time, he died without having received permission from his Jesuit superiors to publish these essays. Since his death in 1955, however, they have all appeared in print and have been studied extensively.

Teilhard's imagery is vivid, even sensuous, attractive even when, at times, his precise meaning is difficult to grasp. Stored within his imagery are a depth and a richness that will take many more decades to plumb. Although Teilhard relied heavily on images from physics, he often refers to the texture of things. In an early lecture, for instance, he muses about "the ultimate texture of the world" (S, 25) and writes later about analyzing the "texture" of the stuff of the universe (AE, 24). He also ventures into the realm of spirit, stating that the "pattern . . . in which our experience unfolds [things] may very well disclose to us the fundamental texture of Spirit" (W, 162). Moreover, a careful reading of his works reveals a pervasion of textural images such as weaving and spinning, looms and tapestries, fibers and threads.[i] Teilhard extends the concept of texture to the realm of biology, physics and mathematics referring to evolutionary landscapes, topological surfaces and space-time diagrams.

In this essay, I weave together some of Teilhard's many textural references, especially those dealing with fibers and threads, and show how this particular strand of imagery elucidates his view of the relationship between matter and spirit. I begin by investigating how he conceptualizes the texture of Matter and explore what he means by the texture of Spirit. Then, after a short introduction to chaos and complexity theories, I point out the concepts, vocabulary and purpose that Teilhard holds in common with the complexity scientists and show how his synthesis would be enhanced by including these modern scientific theories.

B. TEXTURE IN TEILHARD'S EARLY LIFE

In "The Heart of Matter," Teilhard describes his spiritual journey as a tapestry and recounts how his view of the cosmic texture developed over the years. In this biographical essay, he tells his "complicated story in which . . . the various threads were formed and began to be woven together into what was one day to become for [him] the fabric of the Stuff of the Universe" (HM, 21). These reflections on his own story give insight into the forces at work in his life.

Still, it is difficult to pinpoint the source of Teilhard's fascination with texture. An early childhood experience might have catalyzed his interest. He tells how one day, while sitting by the fire, he watched a lock of his hair that his mother had just clipped fall into the fire and burn to ash. This traumatic experience of texture change affected him deeply (HM, 42, 78). He was disheartened to realize that part of his body could so easily be destroyed. From that moment, he began a lifelong search for the "Durable." At first he looked for it "in its most closely-defined and concentrated, and heaviest forms" (HM, 20). To the young Teilhard, these were first metal and then rock. In the hard and dense, he sensed something more durable than the threads of his perishable hair, something deeper than its external texture. As a young adult, volcanic rock and continental shelves allured him into the study of geology, a study that deepened his desire to be fused with the Earth that he loved and one that allowed him to deepen his relationship with what he describes as "a sort of universal root or matrix of beings." Even at the peak of his spiritual trajectory, he continued to feel most at home when "immersed in an Ocean of Matter" (HM, 20).

As a young Jesuit, Teilhard was greatly puzzled by what seemed competing loves: his love for God and his love for the 'Science of Rocks.' He shared his dilemma with his novice master, expecting to be told to relinquish his interest in geology. Luckily, good advice prevented him from abandoning either love, and although he continued to experience and wonder at what seemed opposing tugs (HM, 46), he continued his work in geology and pursued the study of paleontology. Perhaps his sensitivity as geologist and paleontologist to the shape of the arrowhead and the print of the fossil[ii] also heightened his sensitivity to the texture of matter and led him to conjecture about the texture of Spirit.

While studying theology at Hastings, Teilhard was exposed to two strands of thought that influenced him profoundly. The first was the theory of evolution which he encountered in Bergson's Creative Evolution. The second strand was a scripture passage from Colossians referring to Christ: "All things hold together in him" (1:17b). Presented at the time as a summation statement for all of Christian theology (Lyons, 149), this passage, along with several others from Paul's letters, suggested a way to integrate the theory of evolution with his religious tradition; it helped him to visualize the unity of matter and spirit; and, eventually, it reversed his focus from the texture of rocks to the texture of Spirit. The theory of evolution helped him to visualize the threads that make up the cosmic tapestry; the passage from Colossians, the loom on which these threads are weaving. A new understanding of the consistence of matter for which he had been searching from his boyhood (HM, 20) gradually began to develop in him. However, Teilhard would not be satisfied until he experienced a true synthesis of matter and spirit and was able to articulate it clearly. This would become his lifelong task.

Teilhard began writing essays to describe his amazing vision while he worked as a stretcher-bearer in the trenches during World War I. It was during the lulls between battles that he had the leisure to explore his ideas and to try to articulate, in a set of essays, the profound insights that resulted from his personal struggle.

Teilhard traveled widely during his lifetime. Many of the letters sent to his friends during these voyages are rich with sensuous details describing Earth's texture. He tells of an "atmosphere heavy with the smell of orange trees in bloom," the "hot desert regions of Arabia, all perfumed with incense and coffee" (LTF, 24) ; "large black butterflies with metallic-green reflections and long tails" (LTF, 39); "metamorphosed schist and granite running from north to south following the great fold axes" (LTF, 27). He notes that "the sea often becomes sleek and oily . . . its surface looks white and opaque, like milk" and that "the storms that break over the mountain of Africa form thick clouds which the setting sun paints glorious colors" (LTF, 24). In one of these wartime essays, he confesses, "I have contemplated nature for so long and have so loved her countenance, recognized unmistakably as her" (W, 32). His senses seem to be attuned to the slightest nuance within what he calls "the crimson gleams of Matter" (HM, 16).

However, on his way to China in 1926, he wrote to a friend that "'nature' is almost dead for me. I used to be passionately fond of the outward apparel of the Earth. Now it seems to me that I love only the Life which is at the bottom of its heart" (LTF, 24). Yet, despite this reversal, his letters continue to be full of the rich detail that bespeaks his love and reverence for Earth's texture and his need for prolonged contact with nature. While contemplating Earth's beauty during a passage through the Red Sea he says, "All this is magnificent, because it provides a kind of new and constantly renewed expression of the aspirations and expectations of the spirit and the heart, so that it is something that you pass through and that passes through you" (LTF, 24). It is the profound interplay of matter and spirit as they weave an intricate texture that moves Teilhard so deeply.

NOTES:

[i] See p. xxvii of The Human Phenomenon for a brief but beautiful allusion to this theme. Sarah Appleton-Weber's recent translation seems to capture Teilhard's energy more fully than the earlier translation, The Phenomenon of Man.

[ii ]According to those who knew him, Teilhard had a marvelous talent for observation. He was "never without his geologist's hammer, his magnifying glass, and his notebook" (Cuenot, 129). "His quick eye would catch any chipped or chiselled stone that lay on the ground. George Le Febre, for example, noted . . . that 'His downcast eyes would spot the smallest bit of cut stone betraying itself by its redness on the bare greyness of the wind-swept soil'" (Cuenot, 91). His co-worker, George Barbour describes him as "gifted with very sharp sight. He could spot a single Palaeolithic implement in a bed of gravel three metres away without dismounting" (Cuenot, 156). His friend, Helmut de Terra, says that he "recognized Palaeolithic artifacts with an uncanny sort of instinct. Often he would pick one of these from the ground, look at it briefly from all sides, and hand it to me, saying: 'It is suspicious; we must find more to be absolutely sure' (Cuenot, 190).

*Work by Other Authors Cited in this Essay*

Albright, John R. "Order, Disorder, and the Image of a Complex God." Presented at ESSSAT, April 2000.

Casti, John L. COMPLEXification: Explaining a Paradoxical World Through the Science of Surprise. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1995.

Cohen, Jack and Ian Stewart. The Collapse of Chaos: Discovering Simplicity in a Complex World. New York: The Penguin Group, 1994.

Cuenot, C. Teilhard de Chardin: A Biographical Study. (V. Colimore, Trans.) London: Burns & Oates, 1965.

Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York: Viking Penguin Inc., 1987.

Goodwin, Brian. How the Leopard Changed its Spots: The Evolution of Complexity. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994.

Kauffman, Stuart. At Home in the Universe: The Search for the Laws of Self-Organization and Complexity. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.

King, Thomas M. Teilhard's Mysticism of Knowing. New York: The Seabury Press, 1981.

Lewin, Roger. Complexity: Life at the Edge of Chaos. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992.

Lyons, J. A. The Cosmic Christ in Origen and Teilhard de Chardin. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982.

Nicolis, Gregoire and Ilya Prigogine. Exploring Complexity: An Introduction. New York: W. H. Freeman and Company, 1989.

Pickover, Clifford A. The Loom of God: Mathematical Tapestries at the Edge of Time. New York: Plenum Publishing Corporation, 1997.

Prigogine, Ilya and Isabelle Stengers. Order out of Chaos: Man's New Dialogue with Nature. New York: Bantam Books, Inc., 1984.

Waldrop, M. Mitchell. Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992.

Ward, A. G. The Quest for Theseus. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1970.

*List of Abbreviations for the Works of Teilhard Cited in This Essay*

AE Activation of Energy. (Rene Hague, Trans.) New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1970.

CE Christianity and Evolution. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1969.

D The Divine Milieu. (Bernard Wall, Trans.) New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1960.

HM The Heart of Matter. (Rene Hague, Trans.) New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1978.

HP The Human Phenomenon. (Sarah Appleton-Weber, Trans.). Portland, OR: Sussex Academic Press, 1999.

LTF Letters to Two Friends 1926-1952. (Helen Weaver, Trans.; Ruth Nanda Anshen, Ed.) New York: The New American Library, 1967.

S Science and Christ. (Rene Hague, Trans.) New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1968.

T Toward the Future. (Rene Hague, Trans.) New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1975.

V The Vision of the Past. (J. M. Cohen, Trans.) New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1966.

W Writings in Time of War. (Rene Hague, Trans.) New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1967.

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Published   2002.06.12