History Of Theology Research Articles

Synchronic Contingency

Abstract Since the concept of synchronic contingency has received attention in historical theology in recent decades, I want to argue in this article that the concept has value for systematic theology as well. I explore the broader consistency of the concept with Reformed theology by relating it to a number of Reformed doctrines, and I check its consistency with Reformed theology by discussing the relevant criticisms and questions raised by Paul Helm.

Troeltsch liest Semler (und Lessing). Exemplarische Beobachtungen zur problemgeschichtlichen Fundierung der europäischen Kultursynthese in den Rezensionen und Kritiken

Abstract The study examines for the first time Ernst Troeltsch’s discussion of Johann Salomo Semler and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing in the reviews and criticisms and thus makes a contribution to the historicization of his Enlightenment interpretation and his reflective historicism. The analyzed reviews show Troeltsch as an intimate connoisseur of the 18th century history of theology, who did not let his differentiated concept of modernity become one-sided in contemporary diagnostic interest, but developed it in a critical examination of cultural-historical Enlightenment research. The analysis shows in an exemplary way how Troeltsch critically and in his own language makes historical sources and literary studies his own, in order to locate himself in the analyzed cultural-historical overall picture with this appropriation. An in-depth section highlights the reflection of his review work in the different text versions of his Kant and Protestantism studies, including insightful handwritten notes.

Cannibal Maria in the Siege of Jerusalem: New approaches

AbstractThis essay traces the far‐reaching legend of Maria/Miriam of Bethezuba, sometimes called Mary, Marie, or Marion, a starving Jewish woman who (according to Flavius Josephus's The Jewish War) ate her own baby during the 70 CE Roman Siege of Jerusalem. This episode of maternal infanticide and cannibalism under occupation is the culmination of Biblical curses and prophecies, a complicated reference to the Eucharist, and an emblem of Jewish (women's) suffering and culpability across time. It is also a key to Jewish‐Christian arguments about futurity and the writing of history. Scholarly developments in the past decade prompt a new look at this episode. These include research on Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Arabic and other translations of Josephus that demonstrate complex relationships among Jewish, Christian, and Muslim readerships and modern English translations of key Hebrew, Arabic, Ge'ez (Ethiopic), and Middle English versions of the story. This essay provides a brief literary and theological history of Maria's story informed by the new scholarship, with particular attention to medieval Jewish‐Christian relations, and suggests additional directions for research.

Doing practical theology ‘from the place where it hurts’: the significance of trauma theology in renewing a practical theology of suffering

ABSTRACT Questions of suffering provoke deep challenges to our theological thinking. Despite being an intrinsic part of the human condition, suffering has occupied a problematic space in our theological history. Whilst traditional theologies have leaned on theodicy to account for the presence of suffering, these tend to concentrate the focus on the why of suffering, rather than the who, and the how. Yet questions of suffering are inextricable from the lived experience of suffering bodies. Theologies which neglect the suffering body, I propose, leave it silenced. This article looks to explore how trauma theologies might inform a practical theological response to suffering which takes the suffering body seriously; a response which is necessarily embodied, witnessed, and disruptive.

“Add Teresa of Avila and Stir”—Why Adding Women Does Not End Exclusion Mechanisms in (Theological) Science

Knowledge production is by no means neutral; it perpetuates existing presuppositions and exclusions. Within Catholic theology, this is accentuated by particular structures and institutions. In this article, I will show that exclusions are not changed by simply ‘adding women’. I will proceed in four steps: First, I will examine the epistemic preconditions of knowledge production. Second, I will highlight concrete examples that show how several factors can change our reconstruction of theological history. This section will be organized around gender understandings in the premodern/Reformation era. Third, I argue for a specific understanding of theology which can be understood as a commentary on the respective context. Finally, I will summarize the conclusions with a concrete example. This article is situated in the context of the theological debates in the German-speaking world, which has a particular set of conditions for academic theology, such as the inclusion of theological faculties at state universities. However, it can certainly offer epistemic insights into postcolonial and gender-critical debates on theological contexts that are relevant beyond this specific context. Moreover, the article makes the current debate accessible to non-German-speaking audiences and in this way seeks to close ‘data gaps’ in international scholarship.

On the concept, scope, history of Christian archeology and the significance of monumental studies for historical theology. Inauguration speech, given by taking the tenured chair on the of church history at the University of Freiburg-im-Breisgau of Prof. Dr. Franz Xaver Kraus. Freiburg-im-Breisgau, 1879

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Negative Theology as an Expression of God’s Freedom in the Torah of the Book of Deuteronomy and Wisdom Literature of the Hebrew Bible

This paper traces the history of the negative theology of YHWH from the beginning of the integration of YHWH into the Canaanite pantheon to the post-exilic period in the Torah through the interpretation of the Shema’ Israel from its mono-Yahwistic understanding to monotheism as an expression of God’s freedom. In the second step, the development of negative theology is traced from the pre-exilic proverbs, which understand God as a limit of knowledge, to negative theology in the Book of Job and Qohelet, as well as the overcoming of negative theology in the paradise-narrative in Genesis 2–3 through the freedom of choice granted to man by God.

Bringing Out Old Treasures: The Function of Christian History for a Pedagogy of Spiritual Formation

Why might the domains of Christian history and spiritual formation need to overlap in pedagogical contexts? By exploring this question, this article contends for a renewed dialogue between the study of Christian formation and Christian history in, particularly, the classroom. The centering of history—in both biblical and theological history—has played a functional role in spurring Christ-followers not only toward a deepened understanding of their own sanctification and formation; but also in awakening possible means of embodying faithfulness in their given age and context. The author proposes a renewal of this dialogue can and will bear visible fruit in the church’s maturity in a post-Christian, Western world.

The Cosmos and Human Beings from an Interdisciplinary Perspective. “Paradigmatické zmeny v chápaní kozmologickej a antropologickej problematiky. Minulosť a súčasnosť,” [“Paradigmatic Changes in the Understanding of Cosmological and Anthropological Issues. Past and Present”] edited by Zlatica Plašienková, Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave, Bratislava 2021, pp. 308 (rev.)

This book presents a complex picture of the universe and man from historical and contemporary perspectives, including philosophical, theological, and scientific perspectives. It consists of several papers by authors from various fields, and it is divided into three main parts. The first part addresses some interesting questions from the history of philosophy and theology; the second part focuses on contemporary astrophysics and astrobiology and the question of extraterrestrial life; the third part considers the ethical and environmental dimensions of these questions.
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 Received: 19/02/2023. Reviewed: 17/03/2023. Accepted: 30/03/2022.

Law and moral theology in Christian Europe: the limits of sacralization in the late works of Paolo Prodi

ABSTRACT This essay analyzes the work of Paolo Prodi (1932–2016), which is characterised by a constant reflection on secularisation. As a democratic Catholic, he explored the relationship between the Roman Church and the modern world starting from the Council of Trent and from the dual figure of the pope as a temporal ruler and spiritual guide. His original contribution concerned the conflict between law and conscience: a problem that led him to design a triptych of books on the foundations of the western world. He was influenced not only by Verfassungsgeschichte (German constitutional history), but also by Harold Berman. If for Weber the modern world was born from the Reformation, for Berman it was the ‘Gregorian revolution’ that changed the fate of Latin Europe. For Prodi, too, the medieval conflict between canon and civil law introduced a peculiar structure in Europe that would last until the triumph of the nation states and the so-called ‘political religions’. In his three books (the first dedicated to the oath, the second to justice, the last to economics), Prodi placed at the centre of his analysis the notion of forum; the history of moral theology and casuistry and the relationship between penitence and justice.

Kierkegaard and Religionswissenschaft: A Source- and Reception-Historical Survey (Part 2)

Abstract This second part of a two-part article (the first part of which appeared in the Kierkegaard Studies Yearbook 2022) surveys the varying uses made of Kierkegaard’s writings by four twentieth- and, in two of their cases, also twenty-first-century contributors to Religionswissenschaft: Joachim Wach, Mircea Eliade, Wendy Doniger, and Bruce Lincoln, all four of whom happen to have taught at the University of Chicago Divinity School. Far from being irrelevant or being regarded as a theologically-inclined persona non grata by comparatists of religion, Kierkegaard was embraced in three main capacities by these influential contributors to the field: as a datum (mostly in the history of theology and/or philosophy), as a theorist, and, in one case, as an existential soulmate. In Lincoln’s case, the reduction to memes—the memeification—of certain ideas ascribed to Kierkegaard comes under consideration.

Несторианствующий мелькит: об особенностях христологии Сулеймана Газского

The article examines the Christological doctrine of the Melkite writer Suleiman of Gaza, who occupies a special place in the history of Arabic-speaking Orthodox theology: for the Melkite tradition, it is with Suleiman that the era of the so-called “Arabic scholasticism” begins. The Bishop of Gaza is an example of a rather rare author among the Arab-Christian apologists, who freely borrowed theological ideas from heterodox sources. Thus, he borrowed his rational Trinitarian apologetics from his contemporary, the Nestorian Metropolitan Elijah of Nisibin. In this regard, it seems very interesting to check for such borrowings and the Christological teaching of Suleiman. Formally, his Christology is undoubtedly Orthodox, he teaches about two natures in Christ, professes the unity of His Hypostasis, affirms the personal identity of God the Word before and after incarnation. At the same time, his teaching on the unity of Christ is very reminiscent of the Nestorian concept of the “person of unity”. In general, Suleiman avoids using Christological terms and formulas that are normative for Orthodox theology, but at the same time unacceptable for Nestorianism. In particular, he does not use the name “Theotokos” in relation to the Virgin Mary. In addition, the Bishop of Gaza does not regard Christ’s humanity as own humanity of God the Word, and does not use theopaschitic expressions. In the doctrine of salvation, he is characterized, on the one hand, by an emphasis on the special role of Christ’s humanity, that is uncharacteristic for Orthodox soteriology, and, on the other hand, by a complete absence of the concept of deification. Analysis of the Christology of Suleiman of Gaza gives serious grounds to assume that in his Christological teaching he was also under the influence of Nestorian theology.

'Единородный Бог’ (Ин 1.18) ― ошибка переписчика или формула исповедания?

The article is devoted to the famous alternative readings in the Gospel text ― the Only Begotten Son/Only Begotten God (John 1:18), which has a rich history in ancient theology. In the history of biblical studies, this verse is an interesting case of interaction between various types of Scripture ― Alexandrian and Byzantine. The reading under consideration ― the Only Begotten God ― refers to the ancient Alexandrian text, which has high characteristics and deservedly enjoys great confidence in biblical studies. A review and analysis of manuscript evidence based on the most recent and authoritative critical editions of the text of the New Testament Scripture, involving the latest special scientific literature. The internal expressive features of the New Testament theology and the theological language of St. John the Theologian, supporting the argument in favor of evidence of the unity of the Son and the Father. Opinions and conclusions are drawn regarding the considered phrase between the most outstanding and contemporary bibleists, including native scientists. Finally, an extensive patristic tradition of using the term Only Begotten God is attracted, which is localized in Alexandrian theology and in the adjacent individual theologians and calls for an extensive period of time of a quarter millennium from Clement to Cyril of Alexandria. On the example of this phrase, an assumption is put forward about the relationship between the Alexandrian type of the text of the New Testament and the Alexandrian theological school and tradition. The oldest cases of the use of the expression Only Begotten God in patristics also reveal another feature, possibly related to his appearance, namely, his primary circulation in the Gnostic script of Alexandrian origin (Valentine, Ptolemy, Heraclion), where, however, this name was endowed with very peculiar meanings. The most intensive period of use of the expression falls on the time of Trinitarian disputes of the fourth century, moreover, for all three conditional periods ― Arian, Omiousian and Eunomian. Relevant historical evidence is attracted and considered and a certain dynamics of use in heterodox theology is traced. Finally, the most important Orthodox theologian who widely used the name Only Begotten God turns out to be St. Gregory of Nyssa, who significantly enriched his initially Trinitarian sound by identifying Christological shades in it. For the theological interpretation of the material, the latest development of the Orthodox patristic scholar and theologian father John Behr ― the distinction of "high Christology" and "low Christology"

The Transformations of ‘Renaissance Aristotelianisms’: The Case of Johannes Eck’s Commentary on the Corpus Aristotelicum

ABSTRACT Interdisciplinary research into the history of philosophy and theology has shown that ‘Renaissance Aristotelianism’ is a complex, variegated, and contradictory phenomenon. One should rather speak of ‘Renaissance Aristotelianisms.’ In this article, I analyze Johannes Eck’s commentaries to the Corpus Aristotelicum. I show how Eck absorbs and reinterprets the transformations, which occurred in the Peripatetic tradition throughout the fifteenth century. The harmonization of Platonism and Aristotelianism and the belief that central aspects of Christian doctrine such as the immortality of the soul and creation ex nihilo can be demonstrated through philosophy emerge as distinctive features of these texts.

Teologi Inkulturasi dalam Sejarah Gereja dan Dewasa Ini di Flores, Indonesia

<p>This article is based on a book by Emanuel Martasudjita on Inculturation Theology. The author of this article supports the<br />statement of E. Martasudjita that inculturation of theology is not a new reality, but has been known and practiced<br />throughout the history of the Church. By expanding on the description given by Martasudjita regarding the stages in the<br />development of history, the author of the article draws on the basic insight from that history that inculturated theology is not<br />constructed, but must grow in the reflections made by the faithful about their Christian faith, where they use the way of<br />thinking, they have according to the culture they live in.<br />From the research on history, it is learned that changes in form in theology often occur based on different favorite ideas<br />held by different cultures, besides that there has also been the formation of new theology, where people with certain cultural<br />backgrounds learn theology from other cultures. In this case it is easy to misunderstand which can trigger a long discussion<br />that results in a new form of expression of the Christian faith.<br />By taking the results of this historical research, the author highlights the situation of practice of faith and reflection of faith<br />in the Flores island in South East Indonesia.</p><p><br /><strong>Keywords:</strong> Inculturation, history of theology, local culture in Flores, Basic Ecclesial Communities</p>

Bevans Revisited: Reflections on Stephen Bevans’s Models of Contextual Theology

Stephen Bevans’s six models of contextual theology have been helpful in sorting out different styles of understanding and practicing both historical theology and contemporary contextual theology. While briefly addressing the models themselves, the primary focus of this article is to update the original spectrum utilized by Bevans. Specifically, it seeks to clarify the primary axis to indicate the level of contextualization to a given local context. Second, it adds an additional axis, dividing the models based on relationship to the status quo of the given cultural assumptions, whether of the host culture or established church tradition.

Kitâbu’t-Tahrîş ve Kitâbu’l-Makâlât’ın Tahkikinde Esas Alınan El Yazmaları Üzerine

With this study, it is aimed to clarify some ambiguities about the origin of the manuscripts that the edition of Kitāb al-Tahrīsh and Kitāb al-Maqālāt, which we published recently, rest on. Those editions which we expect to open new horizons in terms of the history of Islamic theology and hadith criticism, have reached today via Yemeni libraries, like other Muʿtazila cultural heritage items. Due to the political instability caused by the long-term civil wars in the country, a detailed inventory of private or official libraries in Yemen, which has rich collections of manuscripts on Islamic culture, has not been made until now. Although some of these manuscripts were collected in the Sanaa Library (Maktabat al-Awqāf), most of them are still preserved in mosques’ libraries or private collections under inappropriate conditions. Since there are no reliable records or indexes of these manuscripts, it is not possible to give reliable information about the origin of each item especially the status of those found in private collections or family libraries as called Buyūt alʿilm. Today, most of the Yemeni manuscripts found in the libraries of Europe, America and Islamic countries have been purchased by manuscript collectors, merchants, foreign researchers, or other illegal ways. The ones that have been published so far are either based on these manuscripts or similarly on copies from Yemen. This ambiguity about the origin of the manuscripts can sometimes lead to unjust accusations that target the editors of them, as if they used illegal copies on purpose. In this article, we tried to clarify the ambiguities and controversial points related to those manuscripts which our edition is based on by giving information about the obtaining manuscripts and edition processes.

Grace and conformity. The Reformed conformist tradition and the early Stuart Church of England. By Stephen Hampton. (Studies in Historical Theology.) Pp. x + 412. Oxford–New York: Oxford University Press, 2021. £64. 978 0 19 008433 2

Grace and conformity. The Reformed conformist tradition and the early Stuart Church of England. By Stephen Hampton. (Studies in Historical Theology.) Pp. x + 412. Oxford–New York: Oxford University Press, 2021. £64. 978 0 19 008433 2 - Volume 74 Issue 2

Hellenic Theology of the Epoch of High Classics

The conceptual basis of Hellenic theology was theoretical reflection on the essence of myth, the philosophy of mythology. Several stages can be distinguished in the history of Hellenic theology. The subject of this article is the Hellenic theology of the epoch of the high classics (Vt. half of the V century BC). The cultural roots of the High Classics go back to the ancient Enlightenment, which formed the rational attitude of the ancient consciousness to the world. The main event of the era of High Classics is the Peloponnesian War, which accelerated the crisis of the polis system, its way of life, and cultural ideals. The war led to the rupture of social ties, accelerated the individualization of the consciousness of the individual, forced to seek new social and spiritual supports. Serious shifts have taken place in the existential foundations of Hellenic religion, the understanding of man's dependence on the will of the Olympian gods and the measure of human influence on them has changed. If at the beginning of the epoch of the High Classics there was a semantic harmony of the relations between the human and the divine, then by the end of the epoch it was replaced by the confrontation and alienation of the sacred and profane. Ideas about the dependence of man on the world of the gods and the possible influence on the sacred have "blurred", have become extremely uncertain. This tendency manifested itself in various forms - in the strengthening of the influence of sophistry with its skepticism, the opposition of Chthonic and Olympic mythologies, the actualization of the motive of the birth of new gods (while the old ones do not die at all), stories about the deification of bright personalities, etc. Including in the theology of the Hellenic religion, concentrated expressed by the plots and images of the ancient drama (Sophocles, Euripides). The juxtaposition of the sacred and the profane made Hellenic religion meaningless, led it to self-denial. Under these conditions, Hellenic theology was faced with the need to transform the image of the sacred world. Firstly, by giving the otherworldly reality an abstract-conceptual transcendence. Secondly, through the ultimate generalization of mythological images of the gods, up to monotheism. These tasks were solved by the next epoch - the late classics.

The Dialectical Questions: Erotemata dialectices, by Philip Melanchthon, trans. and with an introduction by Jeanne Fahnestock

The Dialectical Questions: Erotemata dialectices, by Philip Melanchthon, trans. and with an introduction by Jeanne Fahnestock