Renewal Of Theology Research Articles

The Main Proposals for the Content of Moral Theology in the Light of the Documents of the Council’s Renewal

In the analyses to date only the conciliar guidelines concerning the basic issuesof moral theology have been considered. %is does not mean at all that in thedocuments of the Council’s renewal there are no indications on many issuesthat are simply discussed in the detailed part of moral theology. Such a subjectis the issue of religious freedom, which is linked to the treaty on faith. %eCouncil’s postulate is also to discuss the problem of the priesthood of the faithfulin connection with the treatise on the honour of God (de religione). Moralissues of dialogue and ecumenism, including the participation of Catholicsin the religious life of other faiths (communicatio in sacris), are awaiting elaboration.%e Council’s guidelines for the moralistic theologian also refer to theissue of contemporary social life, which has become the subject of the secondpart of the Gaudium et spes Constitution and were developed by Paul VI in theencyclical Populorum progressio.It seems superfluous to give a complete list of conciliar indications in thearea of moral theology which relate to detailed topics of this theological discipline.In the Council’s renewal of theology, it is not a question of seeking newcontent, but of showing the “old” truths and principles in a living relationshipwith the revealed word of God, taking into account the needs of the humanrace of our time.

The Need and Ways of Integration in Christology

&. e need for multiple integration in Christology as well as the Christologicalcorrelation of all theology must not raise any doubts nowadays. As we haveseen, this is supported by the clear indications of the last Council as well as bythe multiple tendencies that can be seen in the post-conciliar renewal of theology.e Christological correlation of theology profoundly corresponds notonly to its unity, but also to its return to biblical sources, to apostolic traditionand its kerygmatic character, the proclamation of the mystery of salvation andthe call to faith. Similarly, the systematic integration of Christology itself, thegreater link between biblical and speculative Christology and the mystery of theIncarnation and the mystery of Redemption allow it be possible to make fromthe mystery of Christ the central theme of the entire lecture on dogmatic theologyand, more importantly, to show Christ and his salvific works as eternallyliving and highest value in which we are involved and to which we are to makea full consecration. e integration of the different directions of Christologybetter reflects the unfathomable richness of the revealed truth about Christand the history of constant efforts of Christian thought to penetrate this truthmost deeply. It also takes into account the specific circumstances that haveled to the gradual clarification of the various aspects of the mystery of Christin dogmatic definitions. Finally, it emphasises the fact that one and the sameChristian faith has been expressed over the centuries in different traditions in theEast and West, and that there has almost always been a variety of theologicalapproaches to one and the same Christological dogma. erefore, such an integrationof Christology is of great importance for the preparation of ecumenicaldialogue and the proper exposition of the problems of theological pluralism andreinterpretation of dogmas.3. However, it is difficult to find any ideal way to achieve this correlation and integration.Attempts made so far show many different possibilities, each of which has its advantages and disadvantages. As for the Christological correlationof the whole theology, especially the dogmatic, one can take Christology – thescience, the work and Christ Himself – as the starting point for the lectureof all other theological treatises because the whole salvific economy of God wasrevealed to us fully only in the mystery of Christ. It is also possible, followingthe traditional dogmatic system, to consider Christology as a central theologicaltreatise and to show that the whole revelation of God and the history of salvationwere directed towards Christ, that in him they found their full realisation,and that the further history of salvation in the Church in the world until thesecond coming of the Lord is the continuation of Christ’s salvific work andderives its meaning and effectiveness from the mystery of the Incarnation andRedemption. e systematic integration of Christology itself can also take ondifferent forms. It is possible to move from Christ’s work, His words and deedsto His person, or from Christ’s person to His work. In other words, it is possibleto begin by showing what Christ has done, and then analyse who he was, or viceversa. e first way is probably more in line with the biblical phenomenologicalcharacter of the latest approaches to Christology. e second follows the lineof traditional concepts.Integration in the historical direction can also be carried out in differentways. e prospective method recommended by the Council can be adopted,i.e. to show the gradual development of the revelation of the mystery of Christin St. and N. e Testament and the development of an awareness of faith in thismystery in the history of the Church up to the present day, the formation of differenttraditions and many theological approaches, while preserving the essentialidentity of faith, is precise where necessary in symbols of faith and dogmaticdefinitions. It is also possible to use a more traditional retrospective method,i.e. to present today’s awareness of the Church’s faith in the mystery of Christwith various theological controversies and emerging problems, and, going backthrough centuries of Church tradition and the development of theological thought,to show the whole historical-biblical background of Christian Christology. iswill prove its identity and at the same time its constant development and richnessof views. us, theologians, lecturers and textbook authors have differentpossibilities to implement the postulates of correlation and integration. elack of one ready-made model in this field as a result of the ongoing processof post-conciliar renewal of the entire theology sometimes gives rise to someanxiety. However, it is a creative anxiety, protecting against routine and ossification.is situation makes it necessary to rethink and adapt the lectures on thecentral mystery of Christianity to the current conditions and needs of the listenersin order to revive their faith and commitment to the salvific work of Christ.

Encyclical Letter Humanae Vitae in the Course of Time

The content of Humanae Vitae (1968) caused an ongoing debate all over the world. It has also stirred up factual crisis of moral theology. The crisis has caused subjectivity of morality and this has caused further crisis. The most serious feature of the crisis seems to be an effort to accept moral pluralism inside the Catholic Church. The renewal of moral theology the Second Vatican Council talked about has been left blocked. A couple of years after the Second Vatican Council, but before publishing Humanae Vitae, warning of St. Paul VI calls for continuity with moral tradition as a criterion for the autonomy of Catholic moral theology. In spite of much opposition of some bishops, theologians, and laypeople, the teaching of the encyclical letter has priceless value. The truth about marital love and value of life is in its center. It is proclaimed in an overview of the teaching of the Catholic Church from Humanae Vitae to Evangelium Vitae. In its nature, family is invited to fullness of love and, at the same time, it is the heart of civilization of love. Unfortunately, current family has found itself between the two civilizations—civilization of love on the one hand and civilization of death and uncontrolled pleasure on the other. The teaching of the encyclical Humanae Vitae is a constant guide when protecting true marital love and family in the course of time.

Teologia i duchowość: o przezwyciężenie podziału

This article synthetically deals with the relationship between theology and Christian spirituality. In the history of this relationship three periods are distinguished: 1. Original unity covering biblical times, patristics and medieval monastic theology; 2. Separation at the end of scholasticism (13th century), when theology, under the influence of philosophy, became too rationalistic, abstract and detached from life and as such persisted until the 20th century; 3. Reconciliation and gradual restoration and strengthening of unity and cooperation between theology and spirituality (theology of spirituality), starting from biblical and theological renewal before the Second Vatican Council until today. The full realization of this unity takes place in the lives of the Saints.

Memoria de la edición bilingüe y estudio introductorio de los Comentarios a la Secunda Secundae (t. III/ q. 66) de Fr. Francisco de Vitoria

La labor docente que Francisco de Vitoria desarrolla a mediados del siglo XVI en la Universidad de Salamanca contribuye de manera significativa a la renovación teológica de su tiempo. A través de sus Relecciones y Lecturas, propone una nueva orientación que ahonda de lleno en los problemas de su tiempo. Sin embargo, aunque se han sucedido varias y cuidadas ediciones sobre las Relecciones, aún carecemos de una edición crítica de las Lecturas que considere todos los manuscritos disponibles. Por ello, proponemos un proyecto de edición sobre la cuestión 66 «De furto et rapina» que considere todos los manuscritos disponibles.

From Moral Theology to Ecclesial Ethics

The paper explores shifts and turns that over the centuries have influenced moral thinking and instructing on moral matters within the Roman Catholic tradition. The purpose of this exploration is to shed light on the current status of moral theology and identify areas for future developments. The paper proposes ‘ecclesial ethics’ as one of such areas. It views moral theology as a dynamic discipline, shaped by pressures, invitations and demands of the day. It claims that for moral theology to be relevant today, some fundamental questions (including the purpose of the discipline) must be revisited. It argues that practical realities in the lives of individuals, communities and the church as well as the Planet must be at the forefront of moral theological considerations. Contemporary moral theologians and/or theological ethicists (the paper considers this distinction) are a diverse and, we dare to add, divided group. The paper argues that building bridges in a polarised world (including the world of moral theology) needs to be a priority. The overall aim of this study is to respond positively to the call for renewal of moral theology as voiced in the ‘Decree on Priestly Formation’ of the Second Vatican Council and in several statements made by Pope Francis.

Problematyka moralna w stuletniej (1920-2020) historii „Collectanea Theologica”

The aim of the publication is to analyse scholarly articles in the field of moral theology in the hundred-year history of “Collectanea Theologica”. It should be noted that this Polish scholarly quarterly has been published since 1920, and until 1930 it was published under the title “Przegląd Teologiczny”. The choice of subjects of theological and moral disputes was strongly influenced by the debates and decisions of the Second Vatican Council, which inspired theologians to study contemporary challenges and look for ways of renewal for individual theological disciplines. The results of their research were the articles in which they analysed current moral issues from an interdisciplinary perspective of both theological and empirical sciences. For this reason, the extensive research material can be divided into eight thematic blocks: historical-moral (22 articles), biblicalmoral (6), philosophical-moral (26), psychological-moral (7), pastoral-moral (9), Catholic social teaching (21), biomedical-moral (6) and the matters to the renewal of moral theology (17). Altogether, in the years 1920-2020, 114 theological-moral articles were published in which such multifaceted issues were examined.

Problematyka badawcza teologii dogmatycznej w „Collectanea Theologica” 1920-2020

The following research areas of dogmatic theology were developed in the publications that appear in “Collectanea Theologica”: the theology of the Divine Mercy, the reflection on time which enriched Christology, the anthropological expression of Marian theology, the concept of personalism as a possible way of theological renewal, and Christian solidarity. Theologians proposed the hypothesis of the baptism of the Church, the theology of the icon, and the concept of a universal Eucharist. Among other questions they discussed the notion of the suffering of God. We can also find an original expression of theology of space, human freedom, and the theology of rest as well as a valuable perspective on the charisma of the theologian. Already in the interwar period, the journal was a place of encounter between the theology of the Christian West and that of the East. Some dogmatists, who published the results of their research in the journal, made the effort of confronting the theological topics with the problems and solutions from other branches of scholarship. Attempts were undertaken to explore thoroughly and interpret specific Christian elements in literature. History was treated as a dynamic reality and a source of inspiration for the contemporary world. The Second Vatican Council had a profound influence on the publications, as it provided a challenge to the adequately understood renewal of Catholic theology.

The eternal manifestation of the Spirit through the Son: a hypostatic or energetic reality? Inquiry in the works of Gregory of Cyprus and Gregory Palamas

Abstract The theological formulation of the “eternal manifestation of the Spirit through the Son”, developed by the patriarch of Constantinople Gregory of Cyprus in the 13th century, has been the subject of numerous studies in the 20th century and played an important role in the renewal of Trinitarian Orthodox theology. The interpretations are however diverging. Most theologians see in this formulation the manifestation of the uncreated energy, which would have been formalized later by Gregory Palamas. Others understand it as a hypostatic reality concerning the third Person of the Trinity. This paper contributes to the discussion by re-analyzing the main texts of Gregory of Cyprus and of Gregory Palamas on this matter. In a first step, we defend the thesis that in the thought of the Byzantine patriarch, this expression truly concerns the hypostasis of the Spirit. In a second step, we question the existence of the theme of an “eternal manifestation” of the uncreated energy in the work of Gregory Palamas.

Ecumenical discussion about deacons

This article assesses the concrete contemporary ecumenical situation in the discussion of the place of deacons in the ordained ministry. This will lead us to an analysis of its relation to deep ecclesiological and even Christological aspects. The analysis begins with Vatican II and its accompanying theological renewal. This shapes the necessary background for an examination of the Lima Document and the Porvoo Declaration. The threefold ministry can be seen as instrumental in these key areas of mission, which are rooted in the Church’s Trinitarian and Christological nature. If the more narrow sense of diaconia is not also present, the nature of the Eucharist as a sacrifice of love is diminished, and without the sacramental dimension, its spiritual content is thin. The ecumenical discussion of the place of deacons in the ordained ministry seems to concern how theologically and practically to embed the ministry within a sacramental communion ecclesiology. The key question is, in what way to reveal its significance as a sign and instrument of faith, hope, and love. It is therefore necessary, firstly, to come to a deeper understanding of Trinitarian communion ecclesiology and the place of diaconal ministry within it. Secondly, an understanding is needed of the practical consequences of the interplay between leitourgia, diaconia, and martyria in the mission of the church facing the suffering world today.

Přínos II. vatikánského koncilu k obnově katolické teologie a její metody

Starting from a positive evaluation of Vatican II and taking into account the long period over which the Council has been received, the present study examines certain conciliar documents that have had the greatest influence on the renewal of Catholic theolo-gy, in particular its methodology. First, the article underlines how the Council has evolved as a “laboratory” of renewed theology. It consequently examines the key text of the Council’s renewal programme: point 16 from the decree Optatam totius. Finally, it highlights the renewal impulses present in numbers 11 and 17 of the Unitatis redintegratio decree. The analyses of the idea of hierarchia veritatum (UR 11) are aimed at demonstrating how the Council’s most decisive contribution to the renewal of theology consisted of proposing a hermeneutics that was rethought in the light of the Trinitarian Revelation of God Love.

Reflections on Veritatis splendor

The encyclical Veritatis splendor represented a renewal of moral theology in the spirit of Vatican Council II. Pope St. John Paul II emphasized Gospel teaching in light of the Old Testament, reiterating the animating role of the Holy Spirit in the New Law. Properly understood, the New Law is not a code of obligations, but a dynamic life of charity made intelligible through grace and the natural law. As a primary connection between human beings and divine law, natural law inclines persons toward the good, thus providing an apprehensible link between human freedom and objective truth—enabling us to determine what is good and evil. This understanding of judgment provides a corrective for theological trends toward proportionalism and consequentialism.

The Providential Failure of Christianity: René Girard, Ivan Illich, and the Renewal of Apocalyptic Theology

The article argues that René Girard and Ivan Illich, each in their distinctive ways, draw upon the dimensions of the Christian apocalyptic tradition that are often ignored, and that their retrievals of this tradition, specifically of its theology of Antichrist, open up once again the theology of history, an area of inquiry in Christian theology that we often dismiss or ignore, thus yielding the field and allowing the figure of Antichrist and the apocalyptic tradition to be taken up and deployed as weapons of mimetic destruction in just the ways our popular culture has come to fear. It is incumbent upon Christian theology to take up once again difficult questions in the theology of history, particularly in an apocalyptic key, and Ivan Illich and René Girard, neither of whom claimed to be a theologian, may be our “two witnesses,” our “Enoch and Elijah,” who help us to do just that.

Nova Teologia Política: memoria passionis e mística de olhos abertos

Objetiva-se, neste artigo, analisar filosófico e teologicamente as categorias memoria passionis e “mística de olhos abertos”, desenvolvidas na nova teologia política de Johann Baptist Metz. Justifica-se esse objetivo por ser a obra desse teólogo distinta da teologia política elaborada filosoficamente como teoria do Direito e do Estado. Há de considerar também a centralidade antropológica trazida por Karl Rahner à teologia contemporânea, ao formular a sua antropologia transcendental, e impulsionar, em consonância com outros teólogos, um intenso processo de renovação teológica, do qual faz parte essa nova teologia. Por ser um complexo teológico formulado por cerca de cinco décadas, o referido teólogo alemão a sintetizou em suas obras Memoria Passionis e Mística de Olhos Abertos, ambas escritas na década de 2000. Para atingir esse objetivo, expor-se-ão a pertinência e a relevância da nova teologia política em termos contemporâneos, cuja concentração bibliográfica remete aos primórdios dessa teologia. Em seguida, serão analisadas as categorias memoria passionis e “mística de olhos abertos”, com fundamentação em obras homônimas respectivamente. Espera-se, com esta análise, contribuir com o debate sobre a teologia política no contexto de pós-modernidade e de globalização, em que se requer da teologia fidelidade ontológica ao que ela é: discurso contemporâneo sobre Deus.

Theological Indebtedness to Jacques and Raïssa Maritain: A Testimony to Their Contribution to My Theological Vocation

Theological Indebtedness to Jacques and Raïssa Maritain:A Testimony to Their Contribution to My Theological Vocation Matthew L. Lamb Robert Cardinal Sarah's important The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise shows the fundamental significance of monastic contemplation and silence for a God-centered renewal of society and culture. Before I would teach at Catholic theological faculties, I realized that I should draw upon an intellectual and contemplative formation I had received previous to any teaching.1 Just before my fifteenth birthday, in May of 1952, I was graced with a vocation to enter the Trappist Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia. This gave me the advantage of being in a contemplative monastery where an intellectual asceticism was linked with quests for wisdom and worship. Steeped in the Biblical Word of God and the Divine Office, the intellectual, moral, and religious formation invited the monk to an in depth study of the philosophical and theological writings of the Greek and Latin Fathers, as well as the Medieval monastic and scholastic saints and scholars. I drew upon those fifteen years of study because they were foundational for a much needed renewal of Catholic theology in our times. A serious shortcoming in Catholic circles after Vatican II was a severing of a genuine ressourcement from aggiornomento. This rupture relegated the great intellectual achievements of the biblical, conciliar, patristic, medieval, and [End Page 617] Renaissance periods to historical museums. They were fine for visits, but had little or no relevance to modern issues and questions. As Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI warned, a hermeneutics of rupture made a hermeneutics of reform and renewal dead, leaving Catholics with nothing more than the swirling, ever-changing cultural fashions of the day. The writings of Jacques Maritain were studied and read in the Trappist monastery I had entered. The essay he wrote with Raïssa on "Liturgy and Contemplation" was published in the Carmelite journal Spiritual Life and was important in its relation of the Divine Office to the contemplative life. A most important aspect of Maritain's many writings is how, during the 1920s through the 1960s, he forged in philosophy the importance of recovering the great intellectual achievements of the past in order to provide adequate answers to contemporary questions. He saw clearly that major problems in modernity are due to the failure to keep alive the intellectual, moral, and religious traditions of Catholic Europe. He saw clearly the universal validity of the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas as inviting the reader to discover the natural reason of humanity.2 It was common in the monastery to read Maritain's writings on an array of issues: natural law, the state and democracy, Christian existentialism, art and scholasticism, and the art of Rouault, as well as his contributions to the United Nations charter. His wonderful Reflections on America were read aloud during meals in the monastic refectory. Indeed, it was Jacques Maritain who illustrated in his philosophy how only by recovering human reason (ressourcement) through a thorough study of the ancients could one bring renewal and reform to modern times (aggiornomento). Thus the philosophical recovery of Aquinas by Maritain prepared the intellectual groundwork for a proper understanding of the biblical and patristic renewals, even though this had been unfortunately overlooked by some proponents of la nouvelle théologie.3 Decades before the 1960s, Maritain was recovering important theoretical writings of the Fathers, especially St. Augustine, and the works of St. Thomas Aquinas and his commentators, especially John of St. Thomas. [End Page 618] Maritain realized the importance of this recovery not only to counteract the baneful consequences of nominalism and voluntarism on modern thought and life, but also to provide more adequate perspectives on major issues facing modernity. His philosophical ressourcement was decisive for his philosophical aggiornomento. When he saw the failures of many Catholic intellectuals after Vatican II to live up to the demands of the theoretical recoveries of the Fathers and Aquinas, he wrote the blunt positive and negative assessments of post-conciliar life and thought in The Peasant of the Garonne: An Old Layman Questions Himself about the Present Time. Nevertheless...

PEREMPUAN PEMIMPIN DI GEREJA ISA ALMASIH: TINJAUAN DARI PERSPEKTIF TEOLOGI FEMINIS DAN RENEWAL THEOLOGY

This article discusses “Woman as Leader in the Church of Isa Almasih (Christ Jesus)” from the perspective of Feminist Theology and Renewal theology. The writer tries to find the convergence and divergence points of both perspective above, including its method and interpretation in observing the theological basis about the woman as leader. The binder of the big theme to discuss this article from both perspective is the Holy Spirit as the Giver of freedom and equality. From this perspective, the writer tries to make a new proposal about how to give theological inputs to remodel gender stereotype in the context of the Church.

H. de Lubac: el misterio del hombre en el misterio de Dios

This article explains how Henri de Lubac contributed during the 20th century to the renewal of contemporary theology, and sustains the thesis that Lubac played a decisive role in the area of interreligious dialogue.

Jesuits and education in Spain after the Second Vatican Council: theological renewal and pedagogical innovation

This study focuses on two major aspects of Jesuit pedagogy in Spain that should be held in mind in order to understand Jesuit educational transformations after the Second Vatican Council: Firstly (A), the theological renewal undertaken since the end of the 1960s, mainly by the Jesuit institute Fe y Secularidad founded in 1967 and the drive towards pedagogical innovation articulated especially in the Jesuit journal Razón y Fe. Secondly (B), the continuity of a process of philanthropic adaptation of Jesuit educational institutions in Spain after 1965. Before analysing these two main aspects, a brief introduction is given to the question how Spanish Jesuits have participated in the theological avant-garde during the 1940s and 1950s. In a final part of the paper, the present study summarises the key aspects of this analysis and highlights the character of Jesuit educational innovations after Second Vatican Council.

Theology and Politics in Contemporary Greece

AbstractThis article examines the interaction between theology and politics in the case of the “theology of the 1960s,” a theological renewal movement that emerged in Greece in the 1960s, accompanied by the call for a “return to the Fathers.” The first part of the paper seeks to describe the position of the theology of the 1960s toward politics, while the second considered the position of politics after 1974 toward the theology of the 1960s. It concludes that there was a partial instrumentalization of the theology of the 1960s for tactical political ends. This was a missed opportunity leading to politics becoming devoid of all spiritual content, while theology lost its feedback from social experience and its penetration into society. The article concludes by making several suggestions for the tasks that lie ahead, including the need to cultivate a critical history of the political intervention and the social role of Orthodox theology, and to expand the issues that concern Orthodox theology, such as anthropology or cosmology, to embrace questions of the role of the meaning of history and progressive change in human society.

La «Relectio De Sacro Canone et de eius sensibus» de Domingo de Soto

I. Introducción. 1. Las Relecciones de Soto. 2. Manuscritos y códices empleados. 3. Valoración crítica. 4. Estructura y contenido. II. Texto crítico inédito de la Relectio de sacro canone et de eius sensibus.