Philosophical Theology Research Articles

Muṣṭafā Ṣabrī on Waḥdat al-Wuǧūd and its Philosophical Origins

Abstract This article studies the critique of waḥdat al-wuǧūd penned by Muṣṭafā Ṣabrī (d. 1954), one of the last Ottoman şeyhülislams. Ṣabrī’s critique echoes those written by previous theologians such as al-Taftāzānī while simultaneously criticising their shortcomings. In Ṣabrī’s view, waḥdat al-wuǧūd originates in what he calls “the divinization of existence”: the identification of God’s essence with his existence, a doctrine held by Muslim peripatetics and adopted by several philosophical theologians. It is just because they failed to locate such an origin that Ṣabrī believes previous critiques of the Akbarian doctrine were not adequate.

Countering Religious Violence with a Better Theory of Religion Following Nicholas of Cusa

Dissent within and among religions can provoke much violence. Nicholas of Cusa encountered this and countered it with a differentiated theory of religion, implicit in his De pace fidei from 1453. I propose four different levels of interpretation: the dominant philosophical approach, inspired by a high trust in the intellect and enlightened by a self-critical epistemology; the anthropological foundation of all religion in the desire for truth, goodness, salvation and peace, in conjunction with the character of the human mind as a living image of the divine mind; the rational hermeneutical interpretation of particular religious ideas and texts in view of a philosophical theology, and finally its reintegration in the perspective of a Christian. This is in line with Cusanus’s epistemological perspectivism and allows for interreligious dialogue from enlightened religious perspectives instead of violence.

Tense-Logic and the Revival of Philosophical Theology

The article discusses Nicholas Wolterstorff’s explanations for the flourishing of philosophical theology in analytic philosophy by taking Arthur Norman Prior’s (1914–1969) development of tense-logic into account. Prior’s work challenged the prevailing anti-metaphysical norms in analytic philosophy and introduced an alternative understanding of the relationship between logic and metaphysics. Prior’s application of tense-logic to an analysis of the concept of existence in quantified tense-logic and his exploration of future contingency in branching time semantics provide a strong reason for why analytic philosophy naturally incorporates philosophical theology. These considerations lead us to modify Wolterstorff’s emphasis on the importance of meta-epistemology for the resurgence of philosophical theology. A development in logic was necessary. Furthermore, Prior’s importance questions the assumption that philosophical theology was a consequence of theistic philosophers seeking ways to defend theistic beliefs in analytic philosophy. This is not true for Prior. His invention of tense-logic and discussion of omniscience was driven by an existential interest in finding answers to philosophical problems concerning divine foreknowledge and human freedom which ultimately led him to reject his Christian beliefs.

“Humbled onto Death”: Kenosis and Tsimtsum as the Two Models of Divine Self-Negation

This essay reflects on the concept of the death of God as part and parcel of modern philosophical theology: a genre of thinking that came into existence with Hegel’s announcement of the “speculative Good Friday” as the most natural expression of die Religion der neuen Zeiten, “the religion of modern times”. In my interpretation, the death of God not only does not spell the end of the era of atheism but, on the contrary, inaugurates a new era of characteristically modern theism that steers away from theological absolutism. The new theos is no longer conceived as the eternal omnipotent Absolute but as the Derridean diminished Infinite: contracted and self-negated—even “unto death”. Such God, however, although coming to the foremost visibly in modernity, is not completely new to the monotheistic religions, which from the beginning are engaged in the heated debate concerning the status of the divine power: is it absolute and unlimited or rather self-restricted and conditioned? I will enter this debate by conducting a comparison between the two traditional models of divine self-restriction—Christian kenosis and Jewish-kabbalistic tsimtsum—and then present their modernised philosophical variants, most of all in the thought of Hegel.

IMPLIKASI FILSAFAT HEGEL DALAM ETIKA PENDIDIKAN KRISTEN

It is undeniable that some philosophical sciences greatly influence Christian education today. In some universities, philosophy is combined with Christian theology and even produces scholars of philosophy of theology. Methods and philosophies of thinking in philosophy are often applied in scientific studies of Christian education today to find an objective truth. In this study, the researcher examines the implications of the thought of a famous modern philosopher, namely George W. F Hegel, on Christian education. Researchers find both in the study of literature that there are several contributions of Hegel's philosophy that have an impact on Christian education today. The religious philosophy of objectivity and subjectivity, the philosophy of process, the philosophy of dialectics, some of Hegel's philosophies found by researchers, have contributed greatly to Christian education today. The philosophies above can be applied by students in teaching education. For example, the implications of dialectical philosophy (thesis, antithesis, and synthesis) on teaching methods of Christian education. These methods and philosophies are often used by Christian education students to teach their students and often create questions and discussions by their students.

Hermeneutical Systematic Dimensions of the Debate on God as Timeless and/or Temporal

While the debate on God’s eternity as timeless and/or temporal is a fascinating topic in itself, especially in philosophical theology, the discussion of time and temporality has a hermeneutical systematic potential for the articulation of Christian theology. In this article, I explore the hermeneutical systematic dimensions of time and timelessness for Christian theology in Augustine’s Confessions (Book XI) in dialogue with contemporary articulations of divine timelessness and temporality, as delineated by Allan Padgett and William Craig. The study identifies how timelessness and temporality are hermeneutically and systematically shaped and serve as presuppositions for related concepts in anthropological and cosmological approaches that inform different views about the relationship of God with His creatures.

Ранний Джон Хик о теистической религии и его версия теодицеи

This paper discusses the most significant issues of John Hick’s philosophical theology in the early period of his work. In this study I trace the relationship between Hick’s personal religious experience and his philosophical intuitions, showing that it was both of these components, mutually influencing each other, that set him on the path of rejection of most of the Christian doctrines. In addition, the study shows that the specificity of Hick’s relationship with Christianity, as well as the principle of religious ambiguity arising from his religious epistemology, determined his further strategy within such a primary project of philosophical theology as theodicy. This conception, designed by early Hick as a Christian response to the problem of evil and named by him as “Irenaean theodicy”, from my point of view, was only partially successful, since the flaws and contradictions it contained were not resolved by him within the framework of the Christian religious paradigm, but only largely contributed to his further shift towards pluralistic worldview. Finally, Hick’s division of the Christian understanding of evil into “Augustinian” and “Irenaean” traditions and their further opposition, as this study demonstrates, is not sufficiently justified, nor is his naming of his own conception as “Irenaean”.

Pemahaman Perkembangan Filsafat Ilmu dan Teologi dalam Sejarah Pemikiran Manusia

Human thought has always evolved over time, especially in two very fundamental areas: philosophy of science and theology. Philosophy of science explores the nature of the mind and the methodology behind human knowledge, while theology seeks meaning and a relationship with transcendent forces. This article will discuss the evolution of these two fields throughout the history of human thought.

Desecularizing Santner’s Psychotheology

In this paper, Eric Santner’s theory of political flesh is appreciated in its relation to philosophy of religion and Christian theology. In the first part of the paper, Santner’s speculative concept is brought into conversation with the debate on embodiment, incarnation, and a hermeneutics of the flesh. Santner’s conception of the flesh is shown to follow a logic of excarnation, or rather disincorporation, and thus to be at odds with contemporary harmonistic theories of embodiment that attempt to think body and spirit together without rupture. In contrast, the relevance of Santner’s theory lies precisely in its antagonistic reading of the dynamics that constitute human embodied being – a dimension overlooked by most recent theories of embodiment. The second part of the article develops a reading of Protestantism as a “religion of the flesh” in line with Santner’s argument. In doing so, it is shown that the Protestant narrative of self-modernization and progress (Hegel’s “religion of freedom”) can be subverted by the conception of the flesh brought into play by Santner, revealing a much more ambivalent history of Protestantism. In a re-reading of the theologies of Karl Barth, Friedrich Schleiermacher, and John Calvin, it is shown that the Protestant understanding of the church can be made transparent to a figure of the undead that is virulent in it, namely the undead flesh of Jesus Christ. In the end, the question is raised whether this figure of an “undead” Christ might not be interpreted as a paradoxological intervention in the sense of Eric Santner.

Ayman Shihadeh, Jan Thiele, Philosophical Theology in Islam: Later Ashʿarism East and West

Ayman Shihadeh, Jan Thiele, Philosophical Theology in Islam: Later Ashʿarism East and West

The Recovery of the Natural Desire for Salvation:

Dynamic Theodicy (DT) is a broad concept we bring up to designate some modern Philosophical Theology attempts to reconcile the necessary and perfect existence of God with the contingent characteristics of human life. In this paper we analyze such approaches and discuss how they have become incomprehensible because the metaphysical assumptions implicit in these explanations have lost their intrinsic relation to the natural human desire for salvation. In the first part we show Charles Hartshorne's DT-model, arising from the modal logic of perfection, and the modern rational problems of this position in making infinite-necessary Being (God) and finite-contingent being (human) compatible. We note that at the heart of the contradictions in this DT account is a dialectical mode of thinking that makes it difficult to find a correct solution to this dichotomy, and to assume a human desire that could be considered related to lifelong goals. In the second part, supported by the proposal of Hans Urs von Balthasar's DT, we develop the concepts of bodily vulnerability, corporeal intentionality, and natural desire for salvation, which come from an Aristotelian-Thomistic thought. This theory is established in order to build an argument, following Alasdair MacIntyre’s ethical framework, on how to make possible the recovery of a metaphysical and anthropological desire that transcends natural aging and goes beyond death. We conclude that both human dependence and the virtues that arise naturally when human beings decide to seek the good of their transcendent condition, make it possible to recover the natural desire for salvation through divine and human love.

Images Above All: Richard Kroner and the Religious Imagination

AbstractThis essay returns to a largely forgotten achievement of mid-twentieth-century philosophical theology, Richard Kroner’s Culture and Faith (1951) and the “philosophy of faith” presented therein. It focuses on Kroner’s idea of religious imagination as the inspired medium of revelation. It considers implications of this idea with regard to religious epistemology and theological language. In doing so, it puts Kroner in conversation with John Caputo, Iain McGilchrist, and Kroner’s friend and colleague Paul Tillich.

A Comparative Analysis of the Phenomenology of Time in the Works of John McTaggart and John Mbiti

The issue of time remains a topic of ongoing discussion in both theological and philosophical literature. Currently, within the field of theology, there is a significant focus on the concept of time, which is the subject of disputes regarding the nature of God’s eternity. These discussions involve inquiries into whether God exists outside of time or within it. Philosophical discussions often centre around the ontology and metaphysics of time, exploring whether time is characterised by a static or dynamic nature. This paper did not delve into the controversies surrounding God’s eternity. However, it focused on the phenomenology of time as discussed by two contrasting theorists, namely John McTaggart (1866-1925) and John Mbiti (1931-2019). McTaggart, an English philosopher, contends that time is unreal. According to the African scholar Mbiti, time is indeed real, but it moves in a reverse direction instead of the forward direction generally perceived in Western tradition. Consequently, Mbiti refutes the existence of the future. As far as is known, there are no existing comparison studies on these two experts. Therefore, the objective of this paper was to address this vacuum. The paper utilised comparative lenses to assess the metaphysical claims of these two thinkers about the phenomenology of time, intending to gain a deeper comprehension of time from their respective viewpoints. The process was executed in three sequential stages. It first analysed McTaggart’s explanation of time, and then proceeded to investigate Mbiti’s notion of time. Finally, a comparative examination was conducted before concluding. The conclusion is that McTaggart and Mbiti neglect to consider the potential existence of objective time, which would be independent of events, change, and motion. This paper adds to the field of philosophical theology, specifically focusing on modern debates on God and time. Keywords: John Mbiti, John McTaggart, the Phenomenology of Time, Sasa, Zamani.

Grammatical thomism and how (not) to speak about God

ABSTRACT I argue that grammatical thomism helps to clarify certain problems in philosophical theology by focusing attention on the parameters of coherent God-talk. By drawing on figures like David Burrell, Brian Davies, Kathryn Tanner, and Denys Turner, I show that the first rule of theological grammar is to avoid talking about God as if God were some sort of thing existing alongside the world. In fact, Aquinas concedes that we cannot really know what God is at all. Nevertheless, Wittgenstein’s later emphasis on meaning as use helps us to see why we can still talk intelligibly about God by focusing on the use of the word more than its referent. I connect this with the work of Stephen Mulhall and Cora Diamond on the nature of riddles, and suggest that this genre is one way of illuminating the peculiar grammar of certain Christian doctrines: in particular, the doctrine of the incarnation and of creation out of nothing. Finally, I look outside Christian contexts to the Hindu tradition of Advaita Vedānta, and argue that the language and imageries of non-dualism can provoke us into reconsidering the essence of Christian grammar and alert us to some of the therapeutic possibilities of grammatical thomism.

Phenomenological Thomism: A Prooemium

AbstractThis paper introduces Phenomenological Thomism by accomplishing the three tasks Thomas Aquinas sets for every prooemium. First, to promote goodwill (beniuolus), it shows how fruitful Phenomenological Thomism promises to be by arguing that it unites the strengths of two complementary alternatives to the modern starting point. Second, to make teachable (docilis), it delineates the principal vectors of phenomenological engagement, including philosophy of nature, philosophical anthropology, ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, philosophical theology, and revealed theology. Third, to arouse attention (attentus), it focuses on the theme of manifestation to highlight the challenge of bringing the two traditions together. In this way, the prooemium encourages the further development of Phenomenological Thomism as a research program involving countless scholars and an infinity of tasks.

Irenaeus’ Theology in Second-Century Platonism and Christianity

Abstract As scholars have come to appreciate Irenaeus’ use of philosophy, emphasis has fallen on his use of pre-Socratic traditions. This emphasis stands in stark contrast to the typical emphasis scholars place on Platonic themes in second-century Christian theologies. This article argues that Platonic resources, the definition of God as simple and incomposite, the Platonic viae, and reasoning from ‘oneness’ to ‘unlimitedness’, play a key role in Irenaeus’ theology, governing his interpretation of pre-Socratic materials, including Irenaeus’ version of the well-known Xenophanes quotation (fr. 24) and materials Irenaeus apparently draws from Pseudo-Aristotle’s On Melissus, Xenophanes, and Gorgias. Irenaeus, furthermore, draws a logical connection between God’s simplicity and the doctrine that there is one God to the exclusion of others, as he says, thereby pressing Platonic doctrine into the service of his distinctly Christian theological convictions. The upshot of all this is a deeper appreciation first for the sophistication of Irenaeus’ own theology, and second for Irenaeus’ role in engaging and advancing Christian philosophical theology.

Mengenalkan Filsafat Teologi (Konsep Tentang Allah) pada Anak Usia Dini Melalui Metode Bernyanyi Islami di RA Masithoh Bantar

This research was motivated by the importance of introducing theological philosophy (the concept of God) to children from an early age. Recognition of the concept of God is very important to be developed in early childhood so that children do not grow and develop in a void of faith, moreover the recognition of the concept of God is as important as cognitive, social and other development. One of the efforts to introduce theological philosophy to early childhood in RA Masithoh Bantar is by learning through Islamic singing. The purpose of this article is to find out how the Islamic song method is applied in introducing theological philosophy in early childhood. The type of research used is qualitative research. Data collection techniques through observation, interviews, and documentation, so it is known that knowledge of the attributes of Allah Almighty in beings can be enhanced by the application of Islamic songs. Data analysis is carried out with stages of data reduction, data presentation, and conclusions. The results of this study found that with the implementation of learning using the Islamic singing method can increase knowledge about the attributes of God, God's creatures, how to love God's creatures and can introduce theological philosophy in early childhood in RA Masithoh Bantar

Giovanni Pico’s warning against pantheistic implications in Ficino’s Neoplatonism

ABSTRACT The famous controversy between Marsilio Ficino and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola is known to regard the proper use of Platonism in humanist and Christian context. With special attention to Pico’s Commentary on a Canzone, the point of disagreement with Ficino, which is not at all obvious, is examined through a close reading. The result is that Pico sees the temptation of a pantheistic and anthropocentric understanding of the relationship between the human realm and God. Whereas Ficino engaged in making pagan philosophy amenable to Christian theology, Pico was concerned with upholding the otherness of the divine. For the humanist agenda, Ficino made plausible that the human world is divinized, while Pico called for the ascent to God. In Pico’s view the Neoplatonists secularized the divine, as was evident in Ficino’s philosophical theology.

Renaissance magic as a step towards secularism: Agrippa, Bruno, Campanella

ABSTRACT Renaissance magic was an attempt to supply Platonism with a philosophy of nature that could compete with Aristotelian physics. It was expected to heal the increasing breach between science and faith. However, the basic presupposition of every magic worldview, the notion of a living universe, favors immanentism and arguably hastened the rise of secularism. Secularism, it should be noted, was not an identifiable set of theories but a process towards modernity with its correspondent philosophical theology. Three different stages in that development can be shown in the philosophical systems of three famous Renaissance magicians: Henry Cornelius Agrippa, Giordano Bruno, and Tommaso Campanella.

Francisco Suárez’s philosophical theology: An orgy of logical reason

The article examines the background and structure of Suárez’s philosophical theology as presented “Metaphysical Disputations”. The article begins with a general characterization of Suarez’s philosophical theology. It is characterized by the following features. First, Suárez understands philosophical theology as the best and most excellent part of metaphysics. Second, philosophical theology follows the principles and methodology of scholastic Aristotelianism and clearly adheres to this framework. Third, Suárez consistently adheres to the demonstrative method of presentation. The main part of the paper is an examination of the seventeen divine attributes, or perfections, as Suárez calls them. He divides all the attributes into two groups: absolute perfections, taken by analogy from the perfections peculiar to any created being, and relative perfections, taken from the individual properties of the created intellect and will and purified from creatureliness. The perfections of the first type are inherent in God formally, the perfections of the second type are inherent in him in a superior way, that is, eminently. Then all seventeen attributes delineated by Suárez are analyzed: infinity, pure actuality and simplicity of the divine being, etc. At the end of the article the whole consideration is summarized, its strong point is noted, but also the conclusion is made about the principal insufficiency, from the modern point of view, of Suarez’s purely metaphysical approach to the theme of natural God-knowledge.