In-person
For Alumni
For Clergy
For Lay Leaders
For Prospective Students
For Students
General Audience
Lecture Description
Traditional Christian theology affirms that God has become human in Jesus of Nazareth. What can this even mean? Can we rightly say, as the ancient Christian church taught, that God suffered and died by human crucifixion? In turn, how does the bodily resurrection of Christ reveal God to the world? Fr. Thomas Joseph White, OP, will examine answers to these questions put forth by Thomas Aquinas and John of Damascus. Together, they present a comprehensive and insightful introduction to the mystery of the Incarnation.
Schedule:
5:00 p.m. – Reception with hors d’oeuvres and refreshments
5:45 p.m. – Lecture + Q&A
7:00 p.m. – End
This event is free and open to the public. RSVP for the reception requested.
The Alumni Memorial Common Room (AMCR) is located on the top floor of the Langford building of Duke Divinity School. The closest parking garage is the Bryan Center Garage, which offers $2.00/hour parking for guests of the university.
Fr. Thomas Joseph White, OP
Rector Magnificus of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas (Angelicum), Rome
Originally a native of southeastern Georgia in the United States, Fr. White studied at Brown University, where he converted to Catholicism. He did his doctoral studies in theology at Oxford University and is the author of various books and articles including, Wisdom in the Face of Modernity, A Thomistic Study in Natural Theology (Sapientia Press, 2016), The Incarnate Lord, A Thomistic Study in Christology (The Catholic University of America Press, 2015), The Trinity: On the Nature and Mystery of the One God (Catholic University of America Press, 2022), and Contemplation and the Cross (The Catholic University of America Press, 2025).
With Matthew Levering, he is the co-editor of the academic journal Nova et Vetera. In 2011 he was appointed an ordinary member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas and in 2019 was named a Distinguished Scholar of the McDonald Agape Foundation. He held the 2018-2019 McInnes Chair for theological inquiry at the Angelicum. In 2022, he was granted an honorary doctorate from the Catholic University of America, and in 2023 he was elected President of the Academy of Catholic Theology. In 2023, Fr. White was also awarded the title Master of Sacred Theology, one of the highest academic awards in the Dominican Order.