Religieuse ervaring: Aspoestertjie van teologiese besinning

D P Veldsman

doi:10.4102/hts.v46i3.2321

Abstract

Religious experience: Cinderella of theological Reflection How is the concept ‘experience’ to be understood, a concept frequently used but which defies clearcut definition? How is religious experience, which is not a terminus technicus, to be understood? These questions are addressed from a historic survey of developments in the interpretation of the nature and understanding of religious experience, spanning Aristotle to modern German theologians. Stressing the fundamental importance for theology of reflection on religious experience, this article describes religious experience as feeling plus a religious conceptual framework, constituted by recollection and embodied in hope.

Highlights

T oday the text we are to study is the book o f our own experience
How is the co n cep t ‘ex p erien ce’ to be u n d ersto o d, a concept frequently used but which defies clearcut definition? How is religious experience, which is not a terminus technicus, to be understood? These questions are addressed from a historic survey o f developm ents in the interpretation of the nature and understanding of religious experience, spanning A ristotle to m odern G erm an theologians
Stressing the fundam ental im portance for theology of reflection on religious experience, this article describes religious experience as feeling plus a religious conceptual framework, consti tuted by recollection and em bodied in hope

Summary

D P Veldsman Universiteit van Pretoria

How is the co n cep t ‘ex p erien ce’ to be u n d ersto o d , a concept frequently used but which defies clearcut definition? How is religious experience, which is not a terminus technicus, to be understood? These questions are addressed from a historic survey o f developm ents in the interpretation of the nature and understanding of religious experience, spanning A ristotle to m odern G erm an theologians. In hierdie uiteensetting van religieuse ervaring as A spoestertjie van teologiese besinning w ord ’n histo riese p e rsp e k tie f v o oropgestel. Rcligicusc crvaríiig tegem oetgetree word, spruit enersyds vanuit die inhoudelike onduidelikiiede en verw arring m et betrekking tot die verstaan van ervaring, andersyds vanuit die ontbreking of verbrokkelde karakter van sodanige oorsigteiike historiese perspektief. Sou vir die filosofie die w oorde van G adam er (1972:329) geld w aarin hy stel: ‘D er Begriff der Erfahrung scheint mir - so paradox es klingt - zu den unaufgeklartesten Begriffen zu gehoren, die wir besitzen’, dan soveel te m eer vir teologiese besinning o o r religieuse ervaring. Indien h ierd ie besinning ‘unfinished business’ (M artin 1987:330) is, is die vraag of hierdie onklaarheid en onduidelikheid m oet kulm ineer in ’n negatiewe kwalifisering van die status, rol en aard van religieuse ervaring

R E U G IE U S E ER V A R IN G

12.1 Die ervaringsbegrip by Aristoteles

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R E L IG IE USEERVAR IN G AS ASPOESTERT JIE VAN TEOLOG IE S E BESINNING