Theological Themes Research Articles

The Prophetic Literature

The Prophetic Literature

Editor’s Introduction

Editor’s Introduction

SYMBOLISM OF THE DOUBLE AS A SOURCE OF PERSONALITY METAPHYSICS IN F.M. DOSTOEVSKY’s CREATIVITY

The article analyzes the symbolism of the Double as a source of personality theology by F.M. Dostoevsky. The novel “The Double” is considered as a paradigmatic text in which the principles of construction of key images in the late novels of F.M. Dostoevsky were formed. The paper uses the ideas of A.A. Ukhtomsky and E.Ya. Golosovker, who proposed a philosophical interpretation of the phenomenon of “duality”. The novel “The Double” is considered as a source of personality theology of F.M. Dostoevsky, since it was the first time that the figurative model of the struggle between man’s personality and mask-face, which most directly reveals the duality of his nature as the created image of God, was developed. The hero’s search for his inner “place” (topos of authenticity) and inner support in the confrontation between the “mask” and then the Double as its ultimate expression is the main theme of the story. The duality of the “nature” of man, who is both the image and likeness of God, and carries the Original sin, is a traditional theological theme and the theme of Christian anthropology. However, by means of fiction it was not developed by anyone in such depth and completeness as F.M. Dostoevsky. “Duality” acts as a special mode of negative self-disclosure of the personality by means of its elimination of its external false identities. The struggle against the Double is the struggle of the true nature of man with his damage by Original sin. Corrupt nature is in the form of masks of Doubles, and genuine - he is fighting them, searching in his soul for the highest type. The masks are overcome only by their positive survival in the inner experience of man. The text of the novel “The Double” is at first interpreted as a “genre of dreams” and as a special “initiation” text aimed at the internal transformation of the reader’s personality.

Теология в постсекулярном контексте: истоки, проблемы и перспективы

The article reconstructs the cultural conditions of the possibility of theology as a specific intellectual practice. The author proceeds from the understanding of the divine as non-anthropic, that is, beyond the control of man, but at the same time exerting an irresistible influence on him. In this context, the divine appears as unintelligible, which casts doubt on the project of theology as a form of cognition of the divine. However, despite this, in the ancient Greek Poleis, the divine becomes the subject of theology as a contemplative practice; it is the contemplative attitude to the deity that allows making the divine an object of cognition. A contemplative attitude to the divine has accompanied theology throughout its history. However, it is supplemented by a practical (liturgical) attitude. The secularization of Western European culture led to the separation of theology from religious practice. In modern times, there is a specific form of theology (crypto-theology) that allows thinking about the divine and its attributes, regardless of the experience of communion with God. Besides, extra-institutional theology is being formed, free from dogmatic restrictions and even a kind of amateurish theology, whose representatives did not have special, "school" training. All these transformations eventually led to the crisis of theology and the decline of its influence. At the same time, at the beginning of the XIX century, there were conditions for the emergence of a "modern theology" that responds to the challenges of secularism. In the second half of the twentieth century, the topic and problems of modern theology were also influenced by the programs of "overcoming metaphysics" (M. Heidegger) and "deconstruction" (J. Derrida). Modern theology basically positions itself as post-metaphysical and generates more or less radical projects of phenomenological theology (J.-L. Marion, J. Manoussakis) and negative theology (J. Derrida).

Beyond secularism and religion: Jean-Luc Nancy on global monotheism

Known for its recent treatment of theological themes, contemporary European philosophy has been at the forefront of critical inquiry into the interface between religion and secular discourse. One of the most original philosophers within this movement is Jean-Luc Nancy, whose deconstruction of Christianity project frames an intertwining of religion and secular modernity beyond the binary opposition between theism and atheism. In this article, I tease out the hitherto under-acknowledged references to Judaism and Islam within Nancy’s project in order to lay out more clearly his philosophical vision of the contemporary landscape of secular modernity and the place of the three main monotheistic faiths within it. In doing so, I elucidate the original contribution Nancy’s philosophy can make to a rethinking of the debate between secularism and religion more broadly.

The Cognitive Science of Religion and Islamic Theology: An Analysis Based on the Works of al-Ghazālī

Abstract Specialists in Islamic studies have taken virtually no interest in the influential emerging field of cognitive science of religion (CSR). The present article addresses this problem by considering how insights from CSR can be used to reconceptualize classical Islamic theology. The article analyzes a number of theological topics, including predestination and the uncreated Qurʾān. However, it focuses on five key Islamic theological claims, namely (1) God is a single first cause who brings the universe into being; (2) God lacks an anthropomorphic body; (3) it is possible to arrive at some knowledge of God independently of scripture through human nature (fiṭra) and reason; (4) God is a bringer of benefit and harm, thereby rewarding, punishing, testing, and blessing human beings; and (5) prophethood exists and it is proven through miracles. In analyzing the preceding theological issues, the article utilizes the Arabic writings of the renowned medieval theologian Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī.

A MÍSTICA DE ETTY HILLESUM

O artigo situa-se no âmbito dos estudos sobre mística e espiritualidade no contexto pós-moderno. A mística se tornou tema recorrente nas Ciências da Religião e na Teologia, pelas perspectivas que abre tanto para a dimensão existencial da fé como para o diálogo inter-religioso. O presente artigo busca uma interface entre a mística de Etty Hillesum e a espiritualidade cristã. Embora Etty não pertença a nenhuma instituição religiosa, sua experiência de Deus evidencia aspectos cruciais para qualquer tradição religiosa ou espiritual. No que diz respeito aos cristãos, sua mística engendra o resgate de elementos decisivos da experiência cristã: a descoberta de Deus na interioridade como fonte do amor fraterno e universal, apontando caminhos que ajudam na superação de certos traços mágico-supersticiosos que marcam a espiritualidade cristã e a evangelização em tempos pós-modernos.

The Revival of Palestinian Christianity

Abstract Palestinian Christians are a minority of approximately 1 or 2% in a context marked by conflict, expulsions, and ongoing emigration. Despite all this, Palestinian Christians have made a significant contribution to society in the spheres of politics, the arts, science, and social welfare. Moreover, from the 1980s onwards, this Palestinian context of struggle has also been the source for the emergence of a socially and politically committed contextual theology. This article analyses the development of Palestinian contextual theology by examining theological publications by Palestinian theologians. It identifies liberation, reconciliation, witness, ecumenism, and interfaith-dialogue as some of the dominant theological themes. What unites these publications is a theological engagement with the Palestinian Christian identity in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Philosophie et théologie dans le cartésianisme : la théorie cartésienne de la création des vérités éternelles et sa postérité

This article examines Descartes’ theory of the free creation of eternal truths, showing the theological implications of its underlying philosophical principles. The author ponders the way in which Descartes treats certain topics that pertain to natural theology (God’s dignity and power, the equivocity between the finite and the infinite), as well as the Christological tension that runs through his theory. The theological echoes of this theory are then assessed, looking at thinkers after Descartes as well as the minores, with a focus on two theological themes: the recovery of univocity, and some of the contours of the kind of Christology Descartes’ theory authorizes. The aim of the article, by showing the fruitfulness of an approach that places modern philosophy and theology in conversation, is to ask how a theological reading of Descartes and Cartesian thought may help renew its study.

Experiencing Ecumenism in an International Theological Exchange Programme

Experiencing Ecumenism in an International Theological Exchange Programme

On conditional theology: John Webster and theological reason

ABSTRACT I illustrate the subject of conditional theology through discussing John Webster’s theology. This is a form of philosophical theology, with interesting links to natural theology, but not subject to Barthian strictures about natural theology. Webster started out with a Barthian emphasis, but later increasingly drew on Aquinas, emphasising God’s aseity. Webster, though, continued to emphasise the priority of the revelation of God as triune, and to resist what he saw as abstract notions of God deriving from natural theology and philosophy of religion. I argue, however, that his work illustrates an underlying reliance on philosophical theology, related to conditional theology, and that dogmatic theology cannot be formed without such reliance. I comment on divine self-naming and conclude my reflections on Webster by discussing dogmatic science and grace, drawing links between conditional theology, special revelation and natural theology.

The Reciprocal Causation of the Eucharist and the Church: A Critical Analysis from Catholic Theological Perspective

The Catholic Church believes in the intrinsic and inseparable bond of the Holy Eucharist and the Church. In reference to its dogmatic Constitution, Lumen Gentium paragraph 11 (LG 11) the Church professes that the Eucharist, which is the body and blood of Jesus Christ, is “the source and summit of Christian life.” Each of these two sacraments effects and builds each other. This implies that as the church celebrates the Eucharist, the members as they partake in the Holy Communion manifest concretely their unity and become one body of Christ. This article seeks to underscore the indissoluble reciprocal causality of the Eucharist and the Church, while it stresses on the Eucharist as the origin, the being, and the destiny of the Church. The study drums home critically the idea that the Eucharist builds the Church, and the Church makes the Eucharist. These are but two complementary terms, the Body of Christ, the Church which lives and continuously builds itself up through the Eucharist, Body of Christ. This great theological theme is one of the central points of a deeper interest in Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Anglican ecclesiology. However, the paper examines critically the reciprocal causality between the Church and the Eucharist from the Catholic perspective as proposed by H. de Lubac, a French theologian. It finally treats the interpenetration of the Eucharist as the Body of Christ and the Church as the Body of Christ from the perspective of sacramental theology.

Le fonti e le tematiche teologiche della Regula di Eugippio

The article demonstrates and discusses the following sources of Eugippius’ Rule: St. Augustine of Hippo (Ordo monasterii and Praeceptum); Rules: Regula quattuor Patrum and Regula Magistri; St. Basil the Great (Regula [a Rufino latine versa]); St. Pachomius the Great (Regula); Novatus Catholicus (Sententia de humilitate et oboedientia et de calcanda superbia); St. John Cassian (Conlationes Patrum and the De institutis coenobiorum); St. Jerome (Epistula 125, 9). In its second part, the article discusses the theological subject matter of the Regula of Eugippius, also pointing out the relevance of its message to both his times and our own.

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.

PNEUMATOLOGIA COMO CARACTERÍSTICA DO SER CRISTÃO: A CONTRIBUIÇÃO DO PENTECOSTALISMO AO CONJUNTO DO CRISTIANISMO

O propósito desse artigo é mostrar que a pneumatologia pentecostal pode ser uma importante contribuição para as Igrejas, não tanto por seus enun­ciados e práticas específicas, senão pelo lugar central que atribui à experiência do Espírito Santo como experiência de Deus. A pergunta que norteou o estudo foi: que possíveis contribuições a pneumatologia pentecostal oferece ao conjunto de igrejas na atualidade? Para responder a este problema, optou-se por destacar os consensos que se construíram no Ocidente sobre o Espírito, desde os traumas com os grupos espiritualistas, passando pelo “esquecimento” e pela apologética racionalista. Na segunda parte focou-se no específico do pentecostalismo como sujeito teológico para, na terceira parte, efetivamente apontar as possíveis contribuições. Sempre que possível, buscou-se dar voz aos teólogos pentecostais para um diálogo teológico.

The Theological-Eschatological Implications of Name Michael in Jude

The pastoral epistle of Jude is shrouded with rich theological significance, in spite of its shortness. Theological themes like order of salvation, faith, mission, worship, judgment, great controversy, second coming, and the end of the world, and others are interwoven in the fabric of Jude. It means that Jude starts with protology and ends with climactic and cosmic victorious eschatology, particularly the resurrection of the righteous.
 The sudden appearance of Michael, the Archangel heightens the conflict in Jude. Scholars from the different camps admit Jude 9 where Michael appears in contending the devil over the body of Moses, is the most perplexing text in the entire epistle. Jesus Christ eschatological name is: Michael. The name is so significant particularly in the conflict of Moses’ resurrection to glory. Satan by all means struggled to prevent him to be resurrected and taken from his territory, for he claimed Moses belonged to his kingdom because he was a sinner.
 In epistle of Jude the great controversy does not end of the temporal life, the physical death but even extended until the day of resurrection. Whenever, Michael is referred to in the Bible, are all in the contexts of intense violence, war, death, hopelessness and resurrection and triumph. Michael is the heavenly warrior who defends victoriously for His people who will end the great controversy in grandest victory, is indeed the highlight of Jude’s eschatology. 
 
 Keywords: Michael; devil; Moses; contending; conflict; struggle; apostasy; the great controversy

The Ecumenical Significance of Karl Rahner’s Mystical Transcendental Theology

Abstract Scattered throughout his many writings and lectures Karl Rahner frequently, directly and indirectly, addresses the topics of ecumenism and ecumenical theology. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the connection between Rahner’s mystical transcendental theology and his ecumenical theology. This is done in two successive steps. Firstly, the contours of Rahner’s mystical transcendental theology are developed by tracing Rahner’s foundational thought from Spirit in the World to Hearers of the Word and, finally, to his doctrine of the supernatural existential. The conversation then moves to the foundations of Rahner’s ecumenical thought as it is articulated in his article Some Problems in Contemporary Ecumenism.

“Caritas theory” as theological discourse within education in social work?

ABSTRACT This study focuses on incorporating the field of Caritas Theory (from German “Caritaswissenschaft”), which concentrates on the theological reflection of Christian charity, into study programs in social work. First, the article reflects on the study plans of relevant programs at pertinent universities in the European 10 Union. It distinguishes these as to whether they directly contain the study of Caritas Theory or of particular theological themes. It describes the origin of the field, which differs from Catholic Social Thought, and the current discourses within the field taking place in English as well as several other European languages (German, Spanish, Czech, Polish, Hungarian). Finally, it systematizes, reflects on, and evaluates the relationship of the field to education in social work. The basic criterion is the actual contribution of Caritas Theory for studying social work. The study identifies overall four concepts of the relationship of this field to social work – the conception of “Christian social work,” the complementary model, the conception of structural similarity, and the transdisciplinary approach. According to the study, only two of these, however, fulfill the criterion of an actual contribution to studying social work.

Pleasure versus Virtue Ethics in The Light of Aristotelians and the Utilitarianism of John Stuart Mills and Jeremy Bentham

The question of the end of morality is certainly as old as moral speculation itself. It is this question that prompted Aristotle speculating on moral or character virtue. Moral question is properly a human question since only human beings are expected to act in a given way and are subject to praise and reward or blame and punishment. We should remember that also God and angels are expected to act in a given way, but that would, strictly speaking, be the subject of moral theology and revelation, since without revelation depending only on reason, we cannot examine the acts of God and angels in order to determine how they should act. In short, it is only human beings who can be judged to act morally or immorally if we depend only on human reason, without the support of revelation. In the whole work, Stuart Mills and Jeremy Bentham stick on happiness, though each differ in approaches. Consequentialists are after the greatest happiness of the greatest number, by advocating on the struggle to that which may make man happy and avoid evil by all means. Aristotle on his side is on eudaimonism, where man is found to be happy but moral happy. Happiness for Aristotle should be reasonable, morally good and means should be maintained. This research is analytical by nature, where both qualitative and analytical methods have been implemented throughout the work. The work has been successful though some challenges could not be avoided. Finally, in doing or acting, man should observe virtue; and this is always doing good and avoiding evil.

Friendship and Virtue Ethics in the Book of Job

Friendship and Virtue Ethics in the Book of Job