Also called revelation

Definition

God’s adaptation of the manner in which God reveals Godself to humanity. God is revealed through the adaptation of language, narrative and content, making God’s purpose known. The most significant form of accommodation in Christian theology focuses on the Incarnation. Herein God reveals Godself in the human form of Jesus Christ allowing humans to grasp and experience the love of God.

Significance

Accommodation can be viewed in a historical way when God is revealed to God’s people in the Hebrew text by appearing to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; Moses encounters God in a burning bush; Solomon is visited by God in a dream; and God is revealed in the New Testament through the incarnation of Christ. Human experience engages accommodation in the analysis of Biblical analogy, where language is accommodated to facilitate human understanding, drawing on Biblical texts in manner and context other than its original intention. It does not require a complete alteration of original meaning, but refocuses an idea to better accommodate a different community of recipients. This use of accommodation is seen in the New Testament in reference to Hebrew texts (Mt. 2:15, Hos. 11:1). Divine accommodation is foundational in Calvin's explanation of both the transcendence and incomprehensibility of God where Godself is disclosed in Christ, as well as through God’s works.

Recent Articles and Books

1. Balserak, Jon. "'The Accommodating Act Par Excellence?': an Inquiry into the Incarnation and Calvin's Understanding of Accommodation," in Scottish Journal of Theology, 55 No. 4 2002, p 408-423. Balserak examines Calvin's use of accommodation and concludes that Calvin goes beyond the Incarnation as accomodation 'par excellence'and uses diverse examples of God's accommodation to humanity in his theology.
2. Finke, Roger. "Innovative Returns to Tradition: Using Core Teachings as the Foundation for Innovative Accommodation," in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 43 No. 1 Mr 2004, p 19-34. Finke argues that religious groups sustain organizational vitality by preserving core teachings while simultaneously promoting adaptive innovations. This article gives historical examples of accommodation in communities that have striven to maintain a connection to their tradition but also recontextualize that tradition for their own audiences.

Related Terms

Analogy, Condescension, Deus absconditus/revelatus, Natural Theology, Revelation.