ABSTRACT
Henry’s relationship to theology goes back to his early tome, L’essence de manifestation, most evident in his constructive analysis of the figure of Meister Eckhart. In the 1970s and 1980s, theological topics recede altogether from Henry’s oeuvre, presumably so that he may focus on other disciplines such as politics, art, psychology, modern culture, and phenomenological method. Henry’s focus on theological anthropology is reflective of a trend born of the decades-long climate in phenomenology. Henry confirms how close he may come to classical Valentinian Gnosticism by picking out arguments in Irenaeus that appear to challenge Irenaeus’ proto-phenomenology of life. Henry echoes much of the Christian tradition concerning the fundamental importance of the incarnation. Henry, without question, accepts the incarnation as an indispensable article of faith. He observes it is the Gnostics who question the reality of the flesh Christ assumed in the incarnation.
