Logos Theology Research Articles

The Longer Theology of Aristotle, Book X.14–17a: a Critical Edition and Translation

Abstract The Longer Theology of Aristotle (LThA) is an interpolated version of the Theology of Aristotle (the latter being an Arabic adaptation of Plotinus’ Enneads IV–VI). LThA is preserved mainly in Judeo-Arabic manuscripts and a sixteenth-century Latin translation. Its importance lies in the fact that some non-Plotinian interpolations contained therein may be witnesses to lost Arabic philosophical sources (such as “Ibn Ḥasdāy’s Neoplatonist” postulated by Stern). The present study offers a critical edition and translation of LThA, Book X.14–17a. This passage contains several significant non-Plotinian interpolations. In particular, it exhibits a unique “Logos theology,” i.e., the idea that the divine “Logos” or “Word” (in Arabic: al-Kalima) constitutes an intermediary hypostasis between the Creator and His first creation, the Intellect. LThA shares this Logos theology with several Ismāʿīlī thinkers, notably the tenth-century Ismāʿīlī theologian Abū Yaʿqūb al-Sijistānī; in fact, the passage edited and translated herein (as well as the immediately preceding section: LThA, X.6–13) contains nearly-verbatim parallels to al-Sijistānī’s Kitāb al-Maqālīd. These parallels are presented in the Appendix.

Does Justin Argue with Jews? Reconsidering the Relevance of Philo

Abstract Several recent studies on Justin’s Dialogue with Trypho the Jew have argued that the Dialogue should not be read as a witness to the state of theological debate between Jews and Christ-followers in the second century. Such arguments conclude that Justin does not engage with actual Jewish perspectives, but rather reconstructs a hypothetical Judaism from second-hand, polemical sources, or merely uses Trypho’s “Judaism” as a stand-in for what are actually (in Justin’s view) heterodox Christian interpretations. This article challenges this claim by returning to an older debate in Justin scholarship: the question of his relationship with Philo of Alexandria. By attending particularly to the role of the Logos in each author’s exegesis of Pentateuchal theophanic texts, the article argues that Justin’s interpretations in the Dialogue carefully avoid a kind of Logos theology that is well represented in the writings of Philo. This rhetorical distancing supports the conclusion that, in the Dialogue, Justin is in fact responding to exegetical traditions which he knows from the writings of Hellenized Judaism.

The Jewish Targums and John’s Logos Theology, written by Ronning, John

The Jewish Targums and John’s Logos Theology, written by Ronning, John

“The Final Word”?: The Qur?an and Karl Rahner in Dialogue

Muslim-Christian conversation has historically broken down over three Qur’anic objections to Christian doctrine. The Trinity, the Incarnation, and the Crucifixion all seem to be repudiated in Islamic scripture. Karl Rahner, one of the Catholic scholars who drove Vatican II’s theological agenda, did not comment much on Islam, so putting him in dialogue with a tradition about which he was relatively uniformed might initially seem strange. Nevertheless, and perhaps because of his distance from Islam, his thought might allow fresh angles with which to approach these core difficulties. In particular, his concept of divine modalities—which for him render Christianity “radically” monotheistic—makes him a useful dialogue partner for Islam, one of whose primary tenants is that God is one and not three. His focus on Logos theology gives him an inroad to the Qur’anic explanation of Christ as “the word of God.” Finally, his “theology from below” allows for an experiential rather than metaphysical understanding of God’s presence amongst humanity. This paper offers a Rahnerian grounding from which to approach the doctrine of God in Muslim-Christian dialogue.

‘Divine Offspring’: Richard Hooker’s Neoplatonic Account of Law and Causality

Abstract Richard Hooker’s (1554-1600) adaptation of classical logos theology is exceptional and indeed quite original for its extended application of the principles of Neoplatonic apophatic theology to the concrete institutional issues of a particular time and place-the aftermath of the Elizabethan Religious Settlement of 1559. Indeed, his sustained effort to explore the underlying connections of urgent political and constitutional concerns with the highest discourse of hidden divine realities-the knitting together of Neoplatonic theology and Reformation politics-is perhaps the defining characteristic of Hooker’s distinction mode of thought. Hooker’s ontology adheres to a Proclean logic of procession and reversion (processio and redditus) mediated by Aquinas’s formulation of the so-called lex divinitatis whereby the originative principle of law remains simple and self-identical as an Eternal Law while it emanates manifold, derivative and dependent species of law, preeminently in the Natural Law accessible to human reason and Divine Law revealed through the Sacred Oracles of Scripture. For Hooker, therefore, ‘all thinges’-including even the Elizabethan constitution in Church and Commonwealth, are God’s offspring: ‘they are in him as effects in their highest cause, he likewise actuallie is in them, the assistance and influence of his deitie is theire life.’

Book review: The Jewish Targums and John’s Logos Theology, written by John Ronning

Book review: The Jewish Targums and John’s Logos Theology, written by John Ronning

Ideality, Divine Reality, and Realism

Ideality, Divine Reality, and Realism

The Jewish Targums and John's Logos Theology. By JohnRonning. Pp. xx, 315, Peabody, MA, Hendrickson Publishers, 2010, £19.99.

The Heythrop JournalVolume 53, Issue 2 p. 344-345 BOOK REVIEW The Jewish Targums and John's Logos Theology. By John Ronning. Pp. xx, 315, Peabody, MA, Hendrickson Publishers, 2010, £19.99. Patrick Madigan, Patrick Madigan Heythrop CollegeSearch for more papers by this author Patrick Madigan, Patrick Madigan Heythrop CollegeSearch for more papers by this author First published: 27 February 2012 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2265.2011.00726_71.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Volume53, Issue2March 2012Pages 344-345 RelatedInformation

The Jewish Targums and John's Logos Theology. By JOHN RONNING.

The Jewish Targums and John's Logos Theology. By JOHN RONNING.

Irenaeus as Logos Theologian

Abstract Despite the prevalence of “Logos” as a christological title in his works, Irenaeus of Lyons has not been considered a Logos theologian due to an untenable presupposition that the Greek doctrine of the Logos has no place in the biblical thought of Irenaeus. The purpose of this article is to study Irenaeus’ use of “Logos” in explaining the nature and work of the Second Person, particularly in his pre-incarnational state. Furthermore, I read Irenaeus in conjunction with Justin’s Logos theology to demonstrate that Irenaeus alters the dominant understanding of Logos theology in the second century. In Irenaeus’ works, the title “Logos” functions to unite the Father and Son in one, equal divine nature, allowing the Son to work on behalf of the Father in creation as an agent of creation and revelation.

The Jewish Targums and John's Logos Theology

The Jewish Targums and John's Logos Theology

Book Review: The Jewish Targums and John's Logos Theology

Book Review: The Jewish Targums and John's Logos Theology

What is Christian orthodoxy according to Justin'sDialogue?

AbstractThis article suggests that Christian orthodoxy according to Justin'sDialoguecan be understood if one considers Justin's christology as stemming not merely from an opposition to Judaism (as Boyarin argues), but rather from the recognition of inadequate soteriology according to rabbinic teachings of Justin's time. This is most clearly delineated in Trypho's response as well as Justin's emphasis on the inclusive salvific efficacy of the crucifixion. Trypho's most enduring objection is not that there is another god explicated by Justin through Logos theology, nor that the Messiah is divine. Trypho resists the Christian message because he is most troubled by Justin's assertion that this Messiah died the death cursed by the Law of Moses.

Faith in the Classroom: The Perspective of a Pastor Called to College Teaching

Abstract. Can one uphold a call from an ecclesiastical body while teaching in a college classroom? This paper will argue that the dual roles of pastor and professor can be integrated by the adoption of faith development as a learning goal. This goal seems to stand at odds with three important aspects of academic teaching: the demographic reality of religious pluralism, the ethical requirement to preserve student autonomy, and the overarching goal of a university education to promote critical thinking. My argument will be that, far from violating these three areas, faith development as a broad learning goal can actually provide a valuable deepening of pluralism, autonomy, and critical thought in the educational experience of students. The method of exploration will be autobiographical. I will show how it is that in my dual roles as an ELCA pastor called to a faculty post I articulate and use faith development as an overarching learning goal in the context of (1) a theological pedagogy based on an interfaith logos theology, (2) a value‐laden pedagogy vis‐à‐vis consumerist self‐formation, and (3) an adaptation of stages of faith development to the classroom.

Word of God or Dialog with Science? Overcoming a False Dilemma Through Missional Encounter

Abstract: Why would a theology grounded in God's word engage with the sciences? After laying out two alternative approaches to revelation—constructive theology (general revelation) and Logos theology (special revelation)—I advocate an evangel theology grounded in mission, worship and the gospel of Jesus Christ. This approach engages both culture (including science and technology) and God's word from a critical missional basis. An evangel theology engages the sciences through apologetics, cultural critique, hermeneutics, and the cooperative task of developing a Christian worldview.

Border Lines: The Partition of Judaeo-Christianity (review)

Reviewed by: Border Lines: The Partition of Judaeo-Christianity Joshua Kulp Border Lines: The Partition of Judaeo-Christianity, by Daniel Boyarin. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004. 374 pp. $38.50. In his latest book, Daniel Boyarin proposes that by constructing the categories of religious orthodoxy and heresy second-century Gentile Christians created the concept of religion which pervades the western world to this day. Rabbis of the same period shared these constructions of religion, working in response and in a certain sense in tandem with their Christian counterparts. These reciprocal definitions of orthodoxy and heresy revolved around the acceptance or denial of Logos theology, the idea of a "second divine entity . . . who mediates between the fully transcendent Godhead and the material world" (p. 30). Later in antiquity, by anathematizing perceived "hybrids" between the two religions the Church tacitly sanctioned and even defined Jewish orthodoxy. In contrast, later Babylonian rabbis denied such constructions of religion, preferring a complex of genealogy, practice, belief, and ethnicity as Jewish identity markers. The end result was that according to rabbinic Judaism a Jew cannot stop being a Jew, an idea encapsulated by the late amoraic principle, "an Israelite, even though he sinned, remains an Israelite" (bSan 44a). The book begins by focusing on the nearly simultaneous creation of the categories of orthodoxy and heresy by second-century Christian heresiologists, specifically Justin Martyr, and the rabbis of the Mishnah. The fact that some Jews in an earlier period followed Jesus and some did not would not have been a salient enough difference to fully distinguish between these groups, as other practices and beliefs cut across the groups. Rather than speak of an alleged "parting of the ways" as a separation between groups which were growing to be fundamentally distinct, we would do better to consider the construction by Gentile Christians and by Rabbis of borders which would carve out the [End Page 148] identity of groups that may have looked (in their eyes and in those of the larger populace) all too similar. Boyarin notes an epistemic shift from the sectarianism of the Second Temple period to the orthodoxy/heresy constructs of "Christian and non-Christian Jews" (Boyarin's preferred terminology) of the second century. While the sectarian presents his group as having separated from the larger group due to the latter's corruption, or as a result of a new revelation offered only to the separating sect, the orthodox church/rabbis present apostolic succession to prove their antiquity and legitimacy. Boyarin also notes the shift in arena of dispute. For the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls the minutiae of halakhah caused their rift with the remainder of Judaism. In contrast, the Mishnah notes that despite deep halakhic differences the Houses of Shammai and Hillel continued to intermarry. At the same time the Mishnah excludes from Israel those with improper theological views, terming them "minim," which according to Boyarin need not refer to any specific group. This effort is mirrored by those of Christian heresiologists who define and label heresies. The picture which Boyarin paints of the legendary gathering in Yavneh contrasts with the prevalent conception that Yavneh was a pluralistic attempt to end the pervasive sectarianism which had previously plagued Judaism. In Boyarin's portrayal, Yavneh (as constructed in the second century) was an attempt by the rabbis to invent an idea of "orthodox" Judaism defined by theological beliefs. While Boyarin succeeds in bringing considerable textual evidence to question Shaye Cohen's characterization of the Yavnean period, he is somewhat less successful in determining whether rabbis were responding to the ground-breaking Christian religious foundation of orthodoxy/heresy or whether shared cultural forces (Greco-Roman influence) and historical circumstances (loss of Temple) were operating on both sides. After demonstrating that the twin notions of heresy and orthodoxy were used in identity construction by both rabbis and Gentile Christians, the second half of the book examines the pivotal orthodoxy/heresy, Logos theology, out of which these two "religions" were created. A believer in Logos theology, usually termed by the rabbis as the heresy of "Two Powers in Heaven," was deemed a "min" and excluded. Christians defined themselves as binitarians, deeming anyone who did not...

Border lines: the partition of Judaeo-Christianity

Preface: Interrogate My Love List of Abbreviations Chapter 1. Introduction PART I. MAKING A DIFFERENCE: THE HERESIOLOGICAL BEGINNINGS OF CHRISTIANITY AND JUDAISM Chapter 2. Justin's Dialogue with the Jews: The Beginnings of Orthodoxy Chapter 3. Naturalizing the Border: Apostolic Succession in the Mishna PART II. THE CRUCIFIXION OF THE LOGOS: HOW LOGOS THEOLOGY BECAME CHRISTIAN Chapter 4. The Intertextual Birth of the Logos: The Prologue to John as a Jewish Midrash Chapter 5. The Jewish Life of the Logos: Logos Theology in Pre- and Pararabbinic Judaism Chapter 6. The Crucifixion of the Memra: How the Logos Became Christian PART III. SPARKS OF THE LOGOS: HISTORICIZING RABBINIC RELIGION Chapter 7. The Yavneh Legend of the Stammaim: On the Invention of the Rabbis in the Sixth Century Chapter 8. When the Kingdom Turned to Minut: The Christian Empire and the Rabbinic Refusal of Religion Concluding Political Postscript: A Fragment Notes Bibliography Index Acknowledgments

Gnostic Truth and Christian Heresy. A Study in the History of Gnosticism by Alastair H. B. Logan

742book reviews book has three parts. Part I consists of four chapters which provide a historical sketch of first-century Christianity and aspects ofJewish-Christian relations, together with an extended discussion of the poUtical, phUosophical, educational, and religious context of Greco-Roman paganism during the first and second centuries after Christ. Part II consists of five chapters each of¦which focuses on one of the five chaUenges to Christianity and surveys the various answers proposed by Judaism and early Christianity. Part III consists of six chapters, five of which summarize the responses to each ofthe five chaUenges by the five Christian leaders mentioned above, and the sixth provides a concluding general overview of the views of each of the five leaders, including an assessment of where they agree and disagree. On the problem of the creator and the creation, aU five thinkers held that the Supreme Deity made the world and wiUed it to be good.The issue of human nature and destiny is more complex, but aU generaUy agreed that human beings are linked both to the physical world and the celestial realm, that humans have a degree of free wUl, and that the disorder and evU in the world originated with angelic corruption supported by human beings. On the identities ofJesus,Wagner argues that each leader based his christology on the logos theology of the Fourth Gospel, though some (Justin and Clement) held that he was the supreme angel, while TertuUian and Irenaeus taught that the Logos was the mamfestation of the Supreme God. On the roles for the Church, aU five agreed that the Church was essential in God's plan of salvation for humans and the cosmos, and that it was the continuation of the people of God in the OldTestament. On Christians and society, some emphasized the positive (the Logos could enUghten humans and lead them to salvation) while others the negative (the world was under the influence of Satan and the Logos affected salvation by taking on the roles ofvictim and liberator).The discussion, of course, is far richer than this short summary can hope to capture. This book is a carefuUy structured exercise in historical theology in which the five focal theological issues selected by the author are meticulously placed within appropriate historical and social contexts of the second-century world. This is an exceUent textbook which should provide a convenient framework for discussion in courses focusing on the earUer phases of Christian historical theology when used in conjunction with the actual texts of each of the five Christian thinkers. David E.Aune Loyola University ofChicago Gnostic Truth and Christian Heresy. A Study in the History of Gnosticism. By Alastair H. B. Logan. (Edinburgh: T & T Clark. Order from Books International , Inc., Herndon,Virginia. 1996. Pp. xxiv, 373; 2 plates. $49.95.) Historical criticism ofthe Gnostic Uterature was at first revived and then perhaps a bit confused by the find of the Nag Hammadi materials. Alastair Logan's book reviews743 study brings it to the fore again by using patristics as weU as a very thorough analysis of the Apocryphon ofJohn and defending Irenaeus by urging that "any blatant misrepresentation would surely have triggered Gnostic protests" (p. 1). His use of the Fathers gives depth to his work—and raises problems; e.g., Irenaeus I.3O.9 contradicts 1.30.6 (p. 210, n. 99) on the formation and nature of man,while there are "doublets" in Irenaeus' accounts of the earliest Gnostics. In addition, Gnostics did criticize his accounts at least of their Uturgical texts, according to Hippolytus (Refutation 6.4Z). Logan clearly states his three "hypotheses." (1) "The form or forms of Gnosticism found in the so-caUed 'Sethian' texts cannot be understood apart from Christianity." (2) "One is justified in seeking both a central core ofideas, a myth or myths based on and concretely expressed in a rite of initiation as a projection of Gnostic experiences, and in treating it as a vaUd form (or forms) of interpreting Christianity." (3) "Irenaeus' summary inAdv. haer. 1.29 is closest to the original form of the Christian Gnostic myth of Father, Mother, and Son, and it underwent progressive development mcludmg'Setiuanization'"(pp.xviii...

The new Logos Theology of Heraclitus and its influence on later philosophical and Christian thought

Although Plato introduced the word θεολογία in die Republic, where he wanted to set up certain philosophical standards and criteria for poetry, and Aristotle developed it further in his writings to indicate a special complex of problems and a particular intellectual attitude, prominent traces of theological thought can be found amongst the presocratic philosophers. One of them is Heraclitus.It could be said that Plato systematises Heraclitus' thoughts on the relationship between Аνθρωτος. θεóς and Аóγος when he refers to theology (θεο-λóγος). This is to be distinguished from what could be called θεο-σοϕóς, man's thoughts (often imposed) concerning God prevalent in modern and contemporary theology. Regardless to say, this distinction only holds as far as the boundaries of man's abstract thought is concerned.In this paper, a study will be undertaken of the unsystematised theology of Heraclitus, as can be deduced from selected fragments, although they were used by secondary sources such as commentators. to exemplify their own efforts.The hypothesis that will be tested is that σοϕóς is used in a human context and Λóϕος in a theotic context. This will hopefully substantiate the primary Heraclitian philosophy of opposites, the accompanying Theory of Being and the generative nature of the primal stuff, fire.

Logos and Mystical Theology in Philo of Alexandria

Logos and Mystical Theology in Philo of Alexandria