Cyril J. O'Regan (born 1952) is an Irish theologian writer with particular expertise in mystical theology.

Career

O'Regan studied at

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

gaining a BA and MA. He studied at Yale University earning an MA, MLitt and PhD. He was appointed Catherine F. Huisking Professor of Theology at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

. O'Regan was awarded the Ratzinger Prize in 2024, alongside Japanese sculptor Etsuro Sotoo.

Research

He specialises in

systematic theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topics ...

and

historical theology Historical theology is the study of the history of Christian doctrine. Alister McGrath defines historical theology as 'the branch of theological inquiry which aims to explore the historical development of Christian doctrines, and identify the fa ...

, with a specific interest in

continental philosophy Continental philosophy is a group of philosophies prominent in 20th-century continental Europe that derive from a broadly Kantianism, Kantian tradition.Continental philosophers usually identify such conditions with the transcendental subject or ...

, religious literature, mystical theology and post-modern thought. He is best known for his multi-volume

gnosticism Gnosticism (from Ancient Greek language, Ancient Greek: , Romanization of Ancient Greek, romanized: ''gnōstikós'', Koine Greek: Help:IPA/Greek, �nostiˈkos 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems that coalesced ...

series. This series began with ''Gnostic Return in Modernity'' and continued in ''Gnostic Apocalypse: Jacob Boehme's Haunted Narrative.'' Discussing a project attempted in the nineteenth century by a leader of the Tübingen school of theology, Ferdinand Christian Baur, O'Regan attempts to identify a gnostic structure or "grammar" that can be traced through sources and authors as diverse as

Valentinianism Valentinianism was one of the major Gnostic Christian movements. Founded by Valentinus ( CE – CE) in the 2nd century, its influence spread widely, not just within the Roman Empire but also from northwest Africa to Egypt through to Asia Minor ...

and

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of the Roma ...

. By identifying this grammar, he hoped to find a way to distinguish works of gnosticism from other types with superficial resemblances, such as writings in

Neoplatonism Neoplatonism is a version of Platonic philosophy that emerged in the 3rd century AD against the background of Hellenistic philosophy and religion. The term does not encapsulate a set of ideas as much as a series of thinkers. Among the common id ...

. As a Christian theologian, he also hopes to equip theologians to avoid gnosticism, which he sees as an alternative contrary to genuine Christian faith yet, by its nature, one that is present in every era. This project is in some ways similar to that of Eric Voegelin, who in his ''Science, Politics and Gnosticism'' (1968) attempted to identify some core features of gnosticism that he viewed as dangerous, though the two thinkers disagree about how to define gnosticism and why it should be rejected. Upon the completion of the von Balthasar series with the second ''Anatomy of Misremembering'' volume, O'Regan will focus his attention on two further volumes in his gnosticism series. The next volume, the third in the series, will focus on German Idealism (chiefly,

G. W. F. Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a 19th-century German idealism, German idealist. His influence extends across a wide range of topics from metaphysical issues in epistemology and ontology, to political phi ...

, F. W. J. Schelling, and

Johann Gottlieb Fichte Johann Gottlieb Fichte (; ; 19 May 1762 – 29 January 1814) was a German philosopher who became a founding figure of the philosophical movement known as German idealism, which developed from the theoretical and ethical writings of Immanuel Ka ...

), with a later, fourth volume covering German and English Romanticism (chiefly, William Blake, Johann Christian Friedrich Hölderlin and Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg (

Novalis Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg (2 May 1772 – 25 March 1801), pen name Novalis (; ), was a German nobility, German aristocrat and polymath, who was a poet, novelist, philosopher and Mysticism, mystic. He is regarded as an inf ...

). In advocating for new ways of recognizing gnosticism, O'Regan draws on categories such as metalepsis that he developed in his earlier work, ''The Heterodox Hegel.'' O'Regan has also written widely in monographs and reviews on the concept of the apocalyptic. O'Regan strives at "showing how Boehme's

discourse Discourse is a generalization of the notion of a conversation to any form of communication. Discourse is a major topic in social theory, with work spanning fields such as sociology, anthropology, continental philosophy, and discourse analysis. F ...

is Valentinian"''Gnostic Apocalypse: Jacob Boehme's Haunted Narrative'' and " Philadelphian Society and

William Law William Law (16869 April 1761) was a Church of England priest who lost his position at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, when his conscience would not allow him to take the required oath of allegiance to the first Hanoverian monarch, George I of Grea ...

in England,

Pietism Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christianity, Christian life. Although the movement is ali ...

in Germany, Louis Claude de St. Martin in France, and

Swedenborg Emanuel Swedenborg (; ; born Emanuel Swedberg; (29 January 168829 March 1772) was a Swedish polymath; scientist, engineer, astronomer, anatomist, Christian theologian, philosopher, and mystic. He became best known for his book on the afterlife, ...

in Sweden, and the theosophy societies of the twentieth century" had "repeat Boehme's discourse in a very determinate way" O'Regan states that "The redemptive activity of Christ in Luther obviously presupposes a fallen humanity, which in turn points back to creatureliness and createdness." O'Regan in ''Gnostic Apocalypse'' asserts his "conversation with not only with David Walsh and the Voegelin school of interpretation, but also with the radically different kind of

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

Michel Foucault Paul-Michel Foucault ( , ; ; 15 October 192625 June 1984) was a French History of ideas, historian of ideas and Philosophy, philosopher who was also an author, Literary criticism, literary critic, Activism, political activist, and teacher. Fo ...

". O'Regan countered the Gnostic response to the problem of evil in ''Gnostic Apocalypse: Jacob Boehme's Haunted Narrative.'' O'Regan remarks, He has discussed Slavoj Zizek

Bibliography

* O'Regan, Cyril, 1994, ''The Heterodox Hegel.'' Albany: State University of New York (SUNY) Press. * O'Regan, Cyril, 2001, ''Gnostic Return in Modernity.'' Albany: SUNY Press. * O'Regan, Cyril, 2002, ''Gnostic Apocalypse: Jacob Boehme's Haunted Narrative.'' Albany: SUNY Press. * O'Regan, Cyril, 2004, "Countermimesis and Simone Weil's Christian Platonism." In E. Jane Doering and Eric O. Springsted, eds., ''The Christian Platonism of Simone Weil.'' Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 181–208. * O'Regan, Cyril, 2009, ''Theology and the Spaces of Apocalyptic.'' Milwaukee: Marquette University Press. * O'Regan, Cyril, 2013, Foreword in Sarah Morice-Brubaker, ''The Place of the Spirit: Toward a Trinitarian Theology of Location.'' Eugene: Pickwick, ix–xiii. * O'Regan, Cyril, 2014, ''The Anatomy of Misremembering: Von Balthasar’s Response to Philosophical Modernity, Volume 1: Hegel.'' Chestnut Ridge: Crossroad Publishing. * O'Regan, Cyril, forthcoming, ''The Anatomy of Misremembering: Von Balthasar's Response to Philosophical Modernity, Volume 2: Heidegger.'' Chestnut Ridge: Crossroad Publishing.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oregan, Cyril 20th-century Irish Roman Catholic theologians University of Notre Dame faculty Living people Irish emigrants to the United States 1952 births Alumni of University College Dublin Yale University alumni 21st-century Irish Roman Catholic theologians Christian anti-Gnosticism Systematic theologians Hegel scholars Historians of Gnosticism Continental philosophers Ratzinger Prize laureates