John D. Caputo’s Concept of Divinity

The purpose of this article is to present the concept of Divinity developed by American philosopher and theologian John D. Caputo. It is worth noting that, for Caputo, Divinity is not so much a personal God as a Mystery that appears as a spectre. Caputo emphasises the pluralism of approaches to the divine Mystery and encourages openness to its various manifestations. The path to understanding it is not through metaphysics, but through phenomenology and hermeneutics. In each case, it is narrowed down to the intra-world dimension. Divinity is thus considered in terms of event, the depth of being, call and promise. These four fundamental aspects are the subject of the analyses, determining also their structure. The specific object of the promise is a new moral order of the world. Its expression is an ideal social order, identified with perfect democracy. Divinity would be its symbol.