Salvation History Research Articles

The Incarcerated Christ: Crime and Prison in Karl Barth’s Life and Theology

Abstract This article argues that Karl Barth is a justice-involved theologian, someone whose own criminal record and experience in prisons have shaped his core theological commitments. The article serves as a detailed overview of Barth’s personal and professional experience in courts and prisons, but it presses beyond that treatment to show how these experiences shaped his doctrine. The article begins with how Barth’s own arrest and conviction in Germany in 1934–5 inform his concept of Jesus the Judged Judge. It turns to Barth’s decade of engagement at Basel Prison as both a relief preacher and a volunteer prison chaplain and the ways in which that engagement shaped his Christology and soteriology. The article then explores Barth’s holidays and sacramental life in prison, his development of an ethics for prison chaplains, and his tour of American prisons as a deepening of his own discipleship of a criminalized Christ. Finally, the essay concludes with an analysis of the last paragraphs of Church Dogmatics IV/4. In Barth’s final published words, he witnesses to Jesus as a convicted and incarcerated God who accomplishes salvation history in prison.

Judah and Tamar: A missiological study of Genesis 38 in its redemptive-historical context

In this article, Genesis 38 was researched with missiological interests in mind. Using the redemptive-historical reading strategy, the importance of the Bible, and especially of the Old Testament, for missions has been stressed, based on the analysis of Genesis 38. Attention was paid to the literary framework in which Genesis 38 appears, constructed around the 11 toledōth statements in Genesis. The results of this literary analysis were used for a thematic reading of Genesis 38, focusing on some central issues such as the theocentric character of redemptive history, the interconnectedness of the editorial and divine communicative intentions with the inclusion of Genesis 38 in the established literary tradition of Genesis 37–50, the significance of the three-fold promise of God to Abraham (Gn 12:1–3)1 for the interpretation of Genesis 38, and the impact of Judah and Tamar on Israel’s ancient history. Next, the redemptive-historical analysed text was missionally re-read to show the present Christian community of faith how important this narrative could be for its missiological reflections and missional praxis, with attention paid to three central missiological issues: the missio Dei, the missiones ecclesiae, and corporate worship for missions.Contribution: This article, based on the redemptive-historical reading of Genesis 38 as an example, shows that the Old Testament, in its own right, is missionally relevant for the present Christian community of faith.

Valuables in the Names of the Mother of God (Based on ‘125 Litanies of the Virgin Mary’ by J. Kumala)

The invocations and descriptors, which are analyzed in this text, are excerpted from a collection of litanies. They have two sources: Revelation and folk piety. There are some references to precious items in the imagery of Mary contained in these litanies. They indicate that she is seen more as a Mother and Mediatrix interceding with Christ for people than as a Queen. We find mainly poetic and individualized terms, probably the authors’ own personal constructions. They usually have the dual function of honoring Mary and expressing her high dignity. The litany invocations and Marian expressions resound with admiration for the unique role of the Mother of God in the history of salvation and with gratitude for her participation in the life and mission of Christ. Above all, they image Mary as a model for women and mothers

Staunen ohne Gott

Abstract The article differentiates between two meanings and functions of wonder in the horizon of faith in progress around 1900. The topos of (modern) wonders of technology proves to be more than just a rhetorical and didactic device to generate astonishment and admiration; rather, it illustrates technical works as a crucial part in a modernized concept of the history of salvation in the sense of revealing a higher truth.

Asymmetrische Gegenbegriffe in Laktanz’ ‚Politischer Theologie‘

Abstract Lactantius’ theology is a ‚political theology‘ containing numerous asymmetrical counter-concepts. These are used to establish contradictory group constellations in whose negative part the negative others – the ‚out-group‘ – cannot necessarily recognise themselves. Among these counter-concepts, the moral-anthropological opposition of ‚the good‘ (boni) and ‚the evil‘ (mali) is of particular importance. Lactantius’ counter-concepts are politicised because they convey extremely polarised determinations of the degree of association and dissociation of human beings. These counter-concepts are also religious, because they are related to aspects of salvation history, natural law, soteriology, and eschatology. Due to their references to salvation history, Lactantius’ political group terminologies fit into the history of the radicalisation of asymmetrical counter-concepts, which stretches from antiquity to modernity and was identified by Reinhart Koselleck. Lactantius’ ‘political theology’, however, plays a special role in this history of radicalisation and violence, because, on the one hand, it marks the point at which distinctive political semantics became theologically charged. On the other hand, Lactantius did not unchain the potential for violence that was inherent in the counter-concepts. Therefore, his ‘political theology’ did not contain any praxeology or justification of violence from the Christian side.

The Doctrine of Memory in Origen of Alexandria: Intersecting the Theory of Divine Names, Platonic Recollection, and Feminine Perspectives

Abstract Posing as the first attempt to study systematically Origen’s doctrine of memory, this article pieces together the sparse references to memory in the Origenian literature. While no systematic attempt to investigate memory is traceable in Origen’s thought, the psychological function of memory does present itself as a minor but significant element in his theology. First, I clear the way from unnecessary connections to the Platonic doctrine of recollection suggested by the few scholars who have tackled the issue. Then, I frame Origen’s understanding of memory within his “doctrines of names.” Memory is shown as the result of the nature of names and their ontological capacity to evoke the power of the named object and make it present in the mind of the utterer even before reaching a full intellectual understanding of it. Secondly I analyse biblical characters, especially Zechariah, Mary, and Elizabeth, showing how Origen turned the function of memory into a step of the human ascensive path toward God. The act of seeking God in one’s memory is overcome when his presence occurs in contemplation, shifting from an economy of memory/imagination/manifestation to one of presence/contemplation. In the doctrines of divine names, the “memory” is opposed to the “voice,” which is the distinctive trait of the new economy. Thirdly I show that, not only men, but also women are presented by Origen as examples of how to overcome the economy of memory, thus becoming “voice” of God. In fact, women represent the shift from memory to voice even better than men. They embody literally the path from “memory” to “voice,” as the image that Origen uses to represent this shift is pregnancy, which thus metaphorically expresses the whole history of salvation as a process of spiritual transformation towards God.

God Fights to Save the Nation of Israel: A Historical-Critical Review of Exodus 15:1-21

In the context of Israel’s liberation from Egyptian slavery, God is depicted as the victor who defeats Pharaoh through the drowning of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea. God's power, surpassing that of Egypt, underscores that this deliverance was entirely the result of His might, without direct intervention from the people of Israel. Through the narrative of Exodus 15:1-21, the author highlights the relationship between the song of salvation sung by Moses and Miriam and the destruction experienced by Egypt. This song is an expression of gratitude for the victory granted by God, showing His favor towards the Israelites. The author hypothesizes that the destruction of the enemy is a manifestation of God’s glory as a Divine Warrior, who fights against sin and brings salvation to His people. The theoretical framework includes an etymological and terminological analysis of the concepts of warfare, salvation, and song in the biblical context. Warfare is seen as a divine act to display God's glory through victory over enemies. Salvation is understood as liberation from both physical and spiritual oppression, ultimately fulfilled in the name of Jesus Christ. Song, as an expression of thanksgiving, reinforces the theme of salvation in the Exodus narrative, where the Israelites celebrate their deliverance by praising God. Overall, this study affirms that the event of Israel’s liberation is central to the Old Testament’s salvation history, with God serving as the Savior and Warrior who brings victory to His people.

The Christocentrism of Marian Homilies

The aim of this article is to show the Christocentrism of Marian homilies. The starting point is to recall the fundamental function of the homily, which is to introduce the mystery of Christ, “always present and at work in us, especially in liturgical rites” (SC 35,2). This definition was applied to Marian homilies, revealing their three content areas: the proclamation of the mystery of Christ and Mary attested in the Word of God; the leading to participation in the grace of the mystery manifested in Mary and available in the liturgy; the call to conform oneself to Christ in imitation of Mary, his most faithful disciple. Those issues are explained and justified on the basis of Marian teaching of the Church and theological reflection. The analyses were also illustrated with the example of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The analysis carried out in the study showed that the main axes around which the content of Marian homilies should be organised are the Christological, soteriological, liturgical and ecclesiological perspectives. The emphasis should be placed on ecclesiotypical rather than Christotypical Mariology. Such an approach to the Marian homily allows an organic view of Mary’s presence and modality in the history of salvation. It is at the same time an example of a liturgy-mystery-life synthesis integrating what is believed with what is celebrated and what is lived.

Towards Theology of Parenthood: Mother Mary as the Role Model for Sensitive and Secure Christian Parenting

Mother Mary’s intimate and confidential relationship with God has inspired Christians around the world for the last two millennia. Her role in salvation history has already been discussed in detail in various church documents and scholarly literature. However, from an interdisciplinary point of view, her maternal role has not yet been fully evaluated from a psychological and child-rearing perspective. Therefore, in this article, we conduct a psychological analysis of the Gospel passages that talk about her maternal role and we evaluate these passages through the prism of the well-established attachment theory. Despite temporal and cultural differences, Mary’s maternal attitude is found to be highly consistent with the key findings in research on quality parenting and interpersonal relationships. As we show, her “maternal genius” is revealed through the following fundamental characteristics of attachment-focused parenting: unconditional acceptance, sensitive guidance, compassionate accompaniment and continuous emotional regulation. These characteristics of Mary’s motherhood come to the fore especially in the key moments of salvation history. The psychological analysis of Mary’s motherhood brings an important contribution to the “aggiornamento” of Mariology and enables some new opportunities for pastoral theology. With new scientifically supported insights, the Church will be better equipped to help parents to discover the beauty and depth of the mission of parenthood, following Mary’s example. The findings of our research therefore also represent an important foundation for the emerging theology of parenthood.

Linear, Cyclical, and Spiral? History in Fourth-Century Greek Catechists

This article delves into the previously underexplored conceptualizations of history articulated in the initiatory homilies of late fourth-century Greek catechists Cyril of Jerusalem and John Chrysostom. Grounded in their interpretation of the (Judeo-)Christian tradition, both authors conceive history as a divine narrative, constituting a coherent “history of salvation”. Metaphorically, their historical understanding can be illustrated as a spatial entity characterized through geometric imagery. A systematic analysis of their catecheses reveals that, fundamentally, both authors maintain a linear perspective on history, emphasizing divine beginning in creation and continuing through the present toward an eschatological consummation. Nonetheless, Cyril introduces more nuanced models, including cyclical depictions, notably a four-staged vision of paradise intertwined with a spiral-like conception of history. Owing seemingly to their primary objective of guiding audiences toward robust engagement with the Christian tradition and ecclesial participation, both authors refrain from addressing themes that might provoke unwarranted speculation. By presenting these insights, this article offers a novel contribution to the scholarship on late fourth-century theology of history, concurrently paving the way for historiographical exploration in modern scholarship of late antique Christian sources.

When God Doesn't Heal: Receiving God's Formative Grace Through Bodily Pain

In this article, I attempt to make theological sense of the following attitude towards Divine healing: although followers of Jesus should hope for, pray for, contend for, and seek Divine healing with the expectation that in all things God is enacting his good purposes, they should not be surprised when Divinely caused healing does not come about. To “not be surprised” is not, in this case, a lack of faith in God’s desire or power to heal. We can have complete faith in God’s power and his intention to do good while recognizing God has other purposes that make Divinely caused healing the exception rather than the rule. To not be surprised that healing hasn’t yet come is to hold steady in our minds that God is powerfully active in salvation history in ways that do not always include immediate elimination of pain and suffering.

Gli exempla della memoria. Pier Damiani fra ricordo e argomentazione

The sermons of Pier Damiani (1007-1072), generally little investigated by scholars, can offer interesting insights also to those who read them from a philosophical (since they contain some argumentative structures, beginning with the comparatio) and rhetorical point of view. In particular, references to memoria can be detected in many of them: for example, the entire Sermo II de translatione sancti Hilarii is structured around the theme of remembrance. In general, it can be observed that the evocation of a biblical character, and his actions, is an occasion for a connection with the saint and the events being discussed in the homily. In this way Pier Damiani emphasizes the continuity of salvation history, which is operative in the remote Old Testament past as well as in his contemporary, and from this he draws basic moral lessons.

‘Divine deceit’ or the ‘devil's delusion’? Gregory of Nazianzus on Christ's defeat of the devil

AbstractThis essay considers Gregory of Nazianzus’ allusion to ‘divine deceit’, a motif related to the so-called ‘Christus Victor’ theory of atonement. This allusion is curious when we recall that for Gregory, the devil, not God, is the master of deception. When we treat On the Lights (Or. 39) as a literary unit – which commentators have yet to do – we see that Gregory makes several doctrinal affirmations before alluding to what is known as ‘divine deceit’. In this doctrinal discussion, Gregory draws upon the Platonic distinction between the orders of being and becoming as described in the Timaeus. He then alludes to ‘divine deceit’ with respect to the order of ‘becoming’, which bears the possibility of being misapprehended because it is ‘grasped by opinion’. The devil's ‘opinion’ of himself and of Christ, therefore, is suspect. Death – or rather, Christ's vanquishment of it – is the moment of reckoning. Since God alone can defeat death, Christ's putting death to death is the only certain way for the devil to recognise that the ‘Son of Man’ is, after all, the ‘Son of God’. The ‘devil's delusion’, then – not ‘divine deceit’ – best summarises Gregory's understanding of this moment in the history of salvation.

Zum Problem der ‚Heilsgeschichte‘: Raumzeitliche Situierungen der Alexanderfigur in deutschen und französischen Texten des 12. Jahrhunderts

Abstract This essay takes as its starting point the tension between the biblical role of Alexander the Great and his status as a non-Christian, and explores how medieval texts deal with this tension. Working outwards from selected theories of the secular that establish the term as a representative construct and describe its (modern) functions, the essay analyses the semantics of time and space in two twelfth-century Alexander romances: the German Vorauer Alexander and its manuscript transmission, and the French Roman d’Alexandre in the version of Alexandre de Paris. Through detailed analysis the essay tests the concept of ‘Heilsgeschichte’ (‘salvation history’), which emerges as both a productive yet also highly problematic critical terminology and interpretive matrix. The analysis also demonstrates that Alexander narratives (or episodes within them) defy straightforward categorisation as either religious or secular/worldly; the semantics of time and space in the texts create forms of meaning that cannot be grasped through idealised binaries of Christian and ‘worldly’ signification.

예수 부활과 초대교회의 해석

This paper examines the issue of the historicity of Jesus' resurrection and discusses the early church's interpretation of the resurrection. The core controversy surrounding the historicity of Jesus' resurrection is whether Jesus was truly resurrected in the flesh. While in Galilee the disciples experienced an apparition of Jesus, in Jerusalem women discovered an empty tomb and experienced an apparition. When the disciples returned to Jerusalem and heard about the empty tomb, the apparitions and the empty tomb complemented each other and solidified the belief in resurrection. However, as Paul said (1 Cor 15,16), without the Jewish faith in the resurrection, Jesus would not have been resurrected. Since Jesus himself shared the Jewish faith in the resurrection, his death did not end in vain and he could predict God's victory. The issue of bodily resurrection raises questions about the steps prior to resurrection. Jesus taught that people live in spirit form even after death (Q 12,4-5). Jesus taught that humans are always before God, whether alive in body or alive in spirit after death (cf. Mk 12,27). The Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom of God being both future and present is based on his conviction that everything is alive before God. Therefore everything is already in a continuous process toward the eschatological goal. The intermediate state between individual death and resurrection is seen as a continuous process toward eschatological resurrection. Jesus and the early Christians believed in an intermediate state of survival of the spirit after death. The reason the early church was able to solve the problem of delaying the Second Coming (Mk 13,32; 2Peter 3,4) was also due to the belief in the intermediate stage of being with Christ even after individual death (cf. Lk 23:43; Phil 1:23). The early Christians understood the period before the Second Coming as a time for the church to prepare for eschatological restoration (Acts 3:20-21) and actively carried out missionary activities to participate in the process of salvation history (Acts 1:8). Luke gives a narrative of birth of the church through the resurrection, ascension, and sending of the Holy Spirit. Mark and Matthew, who do not mention the ascension, emphasize that the crucified Jesus was resurrected and is still with his disciples. The early Christians who have experienced the resurrection and apparitions of Jesus as a force for leading history proclaimed the gospel of resurrection. Therefore, they were able to further commit themselves to the historical process toward the new creation for the final restoration of the whole world.

Иудейская тема в позднеантичной галльской литературной традиции

The article examines the question of how and why the topic of Jews was raised in the Gallic Christian literature of the VI–VII centuries, what image of Jews in the minds of readers was formed by stories whose heroes were Jews, what forms of relations between Christians and Jewish people were consolidated on the basis of literary examples. The main sources are the works of Gregory of Tours, Venantius Fortunatus, as well as anonymous hagiographic works of the VII century. The article is written within the framework of intellectual and new cultural history, in order to obtain adequate conclusions, the authors analyze the language and textual features of narratives. The article shows that the Jewish theme was not independent in either the historical or hagiographic literature of late Antique Gaul, while addressing it allowed late Antique authors to give the reader an understanding of what place Jews occupy in Christian society, and what are the boundaries of relations with them. In particular, it is shown that the Jews were perceived within the framework of the history of Salvation as "sheep of another fold", a source of tension. The sense of danger emanating from them was reinforced in the minds of readers thanks to the anti-Jewish rhetoric. Jews in the eyes of the reader of late Antiquity should have been associated with unbelief, deception, disobedience; they should have caused physical rejection and disgust, they are associated with darkness, blood, and a stench emanates from them. At the same time, since these "others" within the framework of the history of Salvation should become part of the Lord's fold, late Antique literature actively uses the image of a worthy shepherd who devotes himself to preaching the Gospel to Jews and who, by the power of words or miracles, brings them into the bosom of the Church.

Continuity of God’s Salvation History from the Perspective of the Early Church : Focusing on the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles

Continuity of God’s Salvation History from the Perspective of the Early Church : Focusing on the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles

Strategi Gereja Dalam Membangun Persekutuan Umat Allah

Etymologically, the Greek Church “Ekklesia” means “ called out”. The Churh is often also defined as “a community of believers” (Andreas, 2010, p. 21). The Church is living community of everyone. The Church is a community formed by Christ, intended to illuminate the word to become His salt. The Church is also a collection of believers who believe in Christ as the head of the Church. The pastor in a Church is the hope or foundation for all members of the congregation, with a great influence on the dynamics and success of the congregation. The Church must have a friendly attitude and embrace all individuals. Judging from its journey, the Church is similar to the attitude of Jesus who welcomed everyone regardless of their status or background. It is necessary to build a community that makes a pilgrimage together to achieve the common goal of building a communion Church, the Church is the people of God, the Church needs to embrace all in brotherhood. Thus the Church is a communion (Communio). Communion in scripture is something very special and broad in the view of Christians. Fellowship is the basis of life from God, the faith of every Christian teaches the infinite unity of God. This view is on a biblical basis, in the Old and New Testaments. The from of the Church of God’s people is the fruit of reflection on salvation history. This reflecation is the fellowship of the Old Testament people.

References to Scripture in the Old Polish History of the Three Kings. Quotations, Allusions, Echoes

The article analyzes the references to Scripture in Historyja trzech kroli (History of the Three Kings), an Old Polish apocryphal work preserved in a copy from 1544. The references to the Bible are divided into quotations, allusions and echoes. Quotations were introduced either by reference to a particular location or author of the biblical text, or to an unspecified “prophet” or “evangelist.” Sometimes they were not signaled in any way. Then the quotation could only be identified by recognizing the passage to which it refers. Allusions to the Old and New Testaments mostly consisted of references to characters, places, and events, without quoting the text of Scripture itself. The featured echoes most often consisted of narrative parallelisms between the story of the Wise Men from the East and the first Church. References to Scripture in the apocryphal work served to emphasize typology and create parallelisms between biblical history and the story of the three kings. The text emphasizes the role of the Gentiles in salvation history while belittling the role of Israelites.

Troska kardynała Karola Wojtyły o godne uczczenie jubileuszu św. Stanisława (1972-1979)

“Polish Christian tradition linked two bishops and martyrs - witnesses, so to speak, of our Christening and Confirmation. From the point of view of the history of redemption - a spiritual process progressing through the history of a nation - it is still verytelling. And it does not cease to be telling, just like in the life of each of us the dates of Christening and Confirmation do not cease to be telling, though we drift further and further apart from them with the passing away of the days of our life. We constantly realise that the dates of Christening and Confirmation were decisive for the coming of Christ into our life. That is why we come back to them. This is the reason why we will soon have to come back to the date 1079, remembering not only the day of the martyr’s death, but the whole seven years of the pastoral work of bishop Stanislaus (1072-1079) in Cracow. (...) If the meaning of St. Stanislaus in the history of redemption on our soil may be understood by analogy with developing of faith which takes place in man as well as in a given community or society, then the most adequate way of referring to the great personage after nine centuries would be working on such enrichment and deepening of faith as is required by our times.” In this way in 1970 Cracow Metropolitan, Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, justified the necessity of solemn celebrations in honour of St. Stanislaus and showed their ecclesiastical and pastoral character. In the history of the Cracow diocese there has never been a celebration more carefully prepared than the one in worship of St. Stanislaus. No other celebration has been so deeply set in the theological, historical and pastoral context. It is not easy to find other events whose general outline would be so meticulously thought over. Preparations started two years prior to the main ceremonies, thus allowing many initiatives which enabled not only experiencing the jubilee year in a proper way, but most of all, a spiritual revitalisation of the faithful. Reading the addresses and sermons of Cardinal Karol Wojtyła we come across many trains of thoughts of St. Stanislaus. The patron saint was always present in the addresses of the Metropolitan. For the future generations it is important that owing to the initiatives of the Cardinal the cult of St. Stanislaus was revitalised.