Phenomenology or Gnosis? The Phenomenological Limit of the Access to the Religious Relationship in M. Henry's Philosophy of Christianity

Abstract

The article attempts to draw the line between phenomenology and gnosis in Michel Henry’s phenomenology of christianity. With this purpose, it analyzes the problem of the Arch-Son in C’est moi la vérité, of the Arch-Flesh in Encarnation, and of the legitimation of the words that Christ delivers about Himself in Paroles du Christ. The analysis shows first how the treatment of these issues surpases the strictly phenomenological limits of thought and refers to a gnosis or the experience of a particular faith. Secondly, the article explains how, independently of this gnosis, Henry’s intuition of the structure of life opens a genuine phenomenological access to the religious relationship.