Theology Research Articles

«Слово на погребенïи честныя жены» Симеона Полоцкого в контексте «образцовых» погребальных проповедей XVII века

The study attempts to investigate sources and the so-called “library resource” or texts that were used by Simeon Polotskij for the funeral sample sermon “Slovo ma pogrebenii chestnyia zheny” (“Sermon for the funeral of an honourable woman”) from sermon’s collection “Vecherya Dushevnaia” (“Spiritual Evening Meal”), 1683. The study confirms existed in the literature disparate observations about the significant commonality of the sources of inspiration and factual material of Simeon’s sermon collections and his poetic encyclopaedia “Vertograd mnogotsvetnyi” (“A Garden of Many Flowers”; poetry sources identified by Anthony Hippisley); in particular, that in both cases Simeon used Latin collections of annual sermons by Bavarian Jesuit Matthias Faber (1586(87)–1653). The study analyses techniques of translation and transposition of the Latin text used by Simeon; notes errors made in the process of working with Faber's sermon that distort the attribution of certain quotations; identifies cases of Simeon's use of Latin winged phrases. The analysis of genry features of Simeon’ “Slova ma pogrebenii chestnyia zheny” in the context of the funeral sample sermons for women in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, 17th C. (homiletic collections by Protestant theologian Samuel Dambrowski, 1577–1625, and Polish Jesuit Aleksander Lorencowicz, 1609–1675) showed that the preachers’ funeral sample sermons were often universal and could be used for both “women’s” and “men’s” sermons, depending on the situation.

Between Whale Teeth and the Moral Uses of the Sea: Considering Religion in the US Whaling Industry’s Extractive Zone

This article argues that the nineteenth century US whaling industry provides an oceanic perspective on extractive zones that illuminates their multi-sited, multiscalar nature where the local and global are deeply entangled. Further, I suggest that viewing this process through the underexamined lens of religion can contribute to a fuller understanding of the widespread, often neglected, impacts of extractivism. I take an 1845 sermon by liberal Protestant theologian Horace Bushnell, “A Discourse on the Moral Uses of the Sea,” read alongside the labors of the American whaling industry, as a mid-nineteenth century moment to consider the concealment of the natural resource extraction that is necessary for the production of the conditions of possibility for the imagination of “civilization” ideologically and theologically in the mid-nineteenth century. I look to the journey of whale teeth as they move between waste, items of trade in a global capitalist market, and powerful ritual objects in Fiji, assessing how the extractive zone as a contact zone also transforms religion, which in turn can be a location of agency and resistance. The article calls attention to the critical entanglements of indigenous and settler worlds, whose stories cannot be told separately from one another.

What Is the Afterlife Like for Robots? An Experimental Eschatological Sneak Peek

People have always pondered their afterlife. Now, as AI and robotics continue to advance and proliferate, a new question emerges: Is there also some kind of “afterlife” for robots—and how can we envision it? This article seeks to explore these very queries from a Christian perspective. To tackle the initial question, I argue that, following the thoughts of St. Paul and St. Augustine, the whole of creation is sinful and seeks completion, it would be inconsistent to nurture such an all-encompassing hope yet exclude robots from it. From a Christian perspective, we should therefore assume the existence of an afterlife for robots. To decipher how we can envision it, I examine two pop-cultural depictions from the television episode “Zima Blue” and the television series Futurama, questioning whether they provide a fitting image of eschatological completion for robots. This methodological approach allows me to present a spectrum of conceptions of robotic afterlife that, when examined through the lens of systematic theology, appear plausible, offering fresh impetus for eschatological and robophilosophical reflections.

Towards a systematic theology of the body

Between the two fundamental ways of experiencing one's body, as highlighted by philosophical reflection inspired by phenomenology, the needle of the theological compass points towards the pole of the lived body. Phenomenology has opened up, in contrast to dominant conceptions, the experience of corporeity as a new terrain of research.

The transcendent call from aesthetic experiences

In this article, I discuss theological aesthetics in light of various descriptions of experiences of transcendence that art can provide for human beings. The American author Patti Smith describes, e.g. how works of art “call her” so that she must respond with art productions of her own. This looks similar to what German sociologist Hartmut Rosa calls “resonance”. He describes art as one of the places where an experience of vertical resonance can take place. Smith’s experiences also correspond to the description of the basic experience of transcendence of human beings as they are interpreted by the Danish philosopher Dorthe Jørgensen. However, she reduces these experiences to be immanent in nature because they are objectless. I suggest that systematic theology can contribute with a distinct theological interpretation of aesthetic experiences through a three-fold argument. First, to combine beauty and infinity in the being of God. Second, to reinterpret the notion of the incarnation as God’s continuous presence in the world. And third, by combining natural theology’s point that creation speaks of God with a reinterpretation of the artefacts that humans can create. As such, this paper proposes how systematic theology can contribute to the interpretation of aesthetic experiences of transcendence.

Moltmann in America: Impact and Critical Reception

The world of Christian theology mourns the passing of Jürgen Moltmann (1926–2024), one of the most prominent Protestant theologians of the twentieth century. Moltmann's death invites a first, albeit only cursory, review of his impact in the US. Since his first stay at Duke University in 1967–1968, he spent much time here, whether on lecture tours, conferences, or for visiting appointments.

Jürgen Moltmann: Theologian of Hope, 1926–2024

Jürgen Moltmann made theological history with his major works Theology of Hope (1964) and The Crucified God (1972), which have appeared in many editions and translations. He became the most internationally influential German Protestant theologian of the second half of the twentieth century.

Protestant Hermeneutics and the Persistence of Moral Meanings in Early Modern Natural Histories

Abstract Peter Harrison explains the disappearance of symbolic meanings of animals from seventeenth-century works in natural history through what he calls the “literalist mentality of the reformers.” By contrast, the present article argues in favor of a different understanding of the connection between hermeneutics and Protestant natural history. Martin Luther, Philipp Melanchthon, Johannes Brenz, Johannes Oecolampadius, and Jean Calvin continued to assign moral meanings to natural particulars, and moral interpretations can still be found in the writings of Protestant naturalists such as Conrad Gesner, Caspar Heldelinus, Jeremias Wilde, Thomas Penny, and Thomas Moffett. If there are differences between Protestant and Catholic interpretations of animals, then these differences derive from the reformer’s greater insistence on providing textual support for assigning symbolic meanings, their resulting greater reluctance in assigning prophetic meanings to animals, and their elimination of spiritual interpretations of animals that are in tension with central tenets of Protestant theology. These differences in hermeneutics and theology may explain some of the divergences between the symbolic interpretations of animals proposed by Protestant natural historians and their Catholic colleague, Ulisse Aldrovandi.

Рецепция идей Блеза Паскаля в философии Льва Шестова

L.I. Shestov and B. Pascal are extremely popular both in our country and in the West. The philosophical ideas of Shestov and Pascal often overlap despite the different epochs of the thinkers' lives. However, the philosophical ideas of Shestov and Pascal often overlap despite the fact that they lived in different eras. Shestov felt this connection only in the late period of his work, which was undoubtedly associated with the Pascalian renaissance in European thought. However, Shestov still managed to say his word about the life and thought of the French philosopher. The article provides brief information about the period of Shestov's life, when he began to seriously study the philosophy of Pascal. In addition, information is provided about the response in the Russian and French intellectual public that Shestov’s short work on Pascal “The Night of Gethsemane” received. The author's main attention is focused on the analysis of the views expressed by Shestov in his works about the French thinker. Based on the results of the study, it was established that in spiritual experience Pascal can be called the philosophical double of Shestov. In the experiment of Pascal, Shestov was primarily interested in the experience of the abyss, which was so close to the Russian thinker. However, other important aspects of Pascal’s philosophy: his concept of «the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob», and not «the God of philosophers and scientists»; the French thinker's interest in the individual, etc., were also extremely interesting to Shestov. Thus, many of B. Pascal’s philosophical and religious ideas were developed in the works of Shestov.

François Hotman and the Critique of Gratian’s Decree: From the Investigation of Early Councils (De statu primitivae Ecclesiae, 1553) to the Rewriting of Europe’s Legal History (Antitribonian, 1567)

François Hotman (1524–1590) was one of the leading Reformed jurisconsults of his time. Past research has stressed his innovative interpretations and practices in the study of Roman, feudal, and French constitutional law. Little has yet been said about his views on canon law, another fundamental legal body in Western history that experienced renewed intellectual scrutiny during the sixteenth century. This paper investigates some of Hotman’s early work on canon law, focusing on his legal–historical reconstruction of the early Church in De statu primitivae Ecclesiae (1553) and his contribution to a budding historical field in Catholic circles: conciliar history. Despite the general lack of interest in the history of councils on the part of some leading Protestant theologians (Luther, Calvin, Bullinger), Hotman clearly believed that the textual tradition of councils provided a prime example of sustained popish efforts to control and deform the historical narrative and the legal structure of the Church. Yet, although he seems to have worked on demonstrating just that over more than forty years, he never again voiced his views on the matter in a dedicated work. Comparing in its conclusion De statu primitivae Ecclesiae with Antitribonian, this paper suggests that, in parallel to his better known ‘complex of Tribonian’ (Pierre Mesnard), Hotman seems to have suffered from a ‘complex of Gratian’: the doctrinal unity and institutional accomplishments of the early Church, as represented by the first councils, may well have dazzled Hotman and kept him from writing some definitive work against Gratian.

Editorial

To commemorate the jubilee of the death and canonization of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Santo Tomás Institute of Balmesiana organized the 10th Symposium of Thomistic Studies, St. Thomas Aquinas, Master of the Sacred Page. The event took place at the Abat Oliba CEU University in Barcelona from May 10th to 12th, 2024. Other institutions, in particular, the Association pour le Centenaire Thomas d’Aquin (ACTA) from Toulouse, contributed greatly to the organization of the symposium. This event aimed to explore St. Thomas’ use of Sacred Scripture in his role as a biblical scholar. This is one of the aspects of the doctrine of Aquinas that has recently gained prominence, as there has been a renewed appreciation for the central role that Sacred Scripture played in the theology of the Angelic Doctor, frequently referred to as “biblical Thomism”. The purpose of the symposium was not only historical but also doctrinal, aiming to shed light on contemporary biblical hermeneutics and exegesis. The symposium was structured around the three core activities of the medieval scholar: legere, disputare, and praedicare, with the intention to understand the place of Sacred Scripture in each of these. It began with several introductory issues that addressed Aquinas' biblical hermeneutics and its foundations, with enriching contributions from professors Martínez, Amado, Loiseau, and Manresa. Next, the symposium delved into Aquinas' biblical exegesis, focusing on his commentaries on St. John, St. Paul, and a book of the Old Testament, with insightful presentations by Professors Giambrone, Roszak, and Ossandón. The following sessions were dedicated to the examination of how St. Thomas utilized disputare in his construction of a theological system. Professors Margelidon, Aroztegi, and Prieto offered valuable reflections on grace, the sacraments, and divine knowledge. Finally, the symposium turned to Aquinas' praedicare and his use of Scripture in preaching, with illuminating presentations by professors Smith, Vijgen, and Perrin. Thomas Olivier Venard concluded the symposium by discussing the contemporary relevance of Aquinas' biblical hermeneutics. We are pleased to offer the reader a substantial number of these enriching contributions in both this and the next issue of Bíblica et Patristica. We are grateful to the Editorial Board for their willingness to publish the texts and, in this way, familiarise the readers with the fruitful discussions we experienced in Barcelona in May.

Can Systematic Theology Be Saved? Doctrine and Its Discontents

This paper explores recent discussions on the nature and character of Christian doctrine and doctrinal arrangement within leading accounts of systematic theology, that is, the attempt to offer an integrated and cohesive account of the central commitments of the Christian faith. Through such discussion, I argue that the perennial epistemological problem systematic theology faces in its attempts to speak about a (divine) object who definitionally exceeds such speech is related to the specific ethical problem of systematic theology’s performances as a hegemonic discipline, one which often functions to exclude non-white, non-male perspectives. In light of these challenges, I contend that “positive” reasons for continuing systematic theology remain remote; systematic theology cannot be saved. Yet neither can it be avoided, lest such problems are willfully repeated and because of the ways systematic theology continues to be a leading site of doctrinal reflection within Christian education and intellectual reflection. I therefore conclude this paper by exploring two apocalyptic responses to the crises facing systematic theology which advocate for its continuation precisely by calling for its “end”.

The Virtue of Religion and the Act of Doing Sacred Theology

In the theological tradition of St. Thomas Aquinas, this paper will argue that the practical actions of studying, contemplation, and teaching sacred theology are acts proper to the infused Christian virtue of religion. To understand this, the framework of Thomistic moral theology and anthropology is necessary. After introducing this background, St. Thomas’s understanding of the virtue of justice is explained alongside the virtue of religion, which is a potential part of this cardinal virtue. The second part of the paper moves into a description of the practical actions of theologizing, as distinguished from the essential nature of sacred theology. The way that these actions are variously elicited or commanded by the infused virtue of religion are then shown to be properly due to God as His just right.

Kevin W. Hector, Christianity as a Way of Life: A Systematic Theology (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2023), pp. xv + 308. $40.00

Kevin W. Hector, Christianity as a Way of Life: A Systematic Theology (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2023), pp. xv + 308. $40.00

A Pastoral Theology of Desire. Reading Augustine’s Theology of Desire in A Broader Corpus

The Enarrationes in Psalmos are an important source for understanding the Augustinian theology of desire, linking it to his systematic theology and his pastoral practice. In this paper I illustrate by overviewing the expositions on Psalms 11 (12), 12 (13), 23 (24), and 26 (27). These Psalms teach us to love, trust, and seek God only, a failure to do which marks the Donatist schism. Augustine mingles ideas from pagan philosophy’s quest for eudaimonia or beata vita—the good, happy, and blessed life—with biblical ideas. We want a stable happiness, and we must pursue wisdom; we can find stability in the rock that is Christ, to follow whom is to pursue wisdom rightly. Our desires must be converted to God, the only complete and perfect good and the source of eternal happiness, whom we must single-mindedly pursue with prayer and faith. While we must desire the eschaton and look to no earthly satisfaction, earthly goods may be received as gifts from God. One thing we can learn from studying the Enarrationes is how closely connected are the ideas of right love, the right church, and the right end; all three go together in Augustine’s theology.

The Reception of Neptune’s Discovery in British and American Protestant Theology

The discovery of the planet Neptune in 1846, first theoretically and then observationally, was a 19th-century event that went beyond the interests of the narrow group of astronomers of the time. Indeed, the significance of this event is still a subject of interest among historians and philosophers of science. During the period discussed, natural theology played a special cognitive and social role, forming the basis for arguments based on the new knowledge of nature. This article discusses how the discovery of Neptune was received among the community of 19th-century British and American Protestant theologians, who were always open to scientific research and discoveries.

The Synod of Dort in Arabic: Bodleian MS Marsh 268

ABSTRACT Bodleian MS Marsh 268 is a translation of the Heidelberg Confession, the Belgic Catechism, and a selection from the Standards of the Reformed Church. Completed in May 1619 at the conclusions of the Synod of Dort, it is the first documents about Protestant theology in Arabic, and it demonstrates that the Synod was preparing for proselytization in Arabic-speaking regions of Dutch commercial and colonial expansion.

Divine contradiction: fascinating but unpersuasive

Abstract This article, offered from the point of view of a non-analytic, systematic theologian, admires the freshness, clarity, and simplicity of the proposal at the heart of Beall's Divine Contradiction, while raising three objections. The first is to the style in which the book is written: I suggest that it remains far too technical to reach large parts of its intended audience. The second is to the tendency to speak of God as ‘portion’ or ‘fragment’ of reality. The third, more substantive objection is to the proposal that the denial of the divinity of each of the Persons of the Trinity can be part of the Christian faith: I argue that Beall's position that only the failure to affirm a truth, and not its denial, counts as a real heresy, is under-argued and unpersuasive.

Christianity as a Way of Life: A Systematic Theology, written by Hector, Kevin W.

Christianity as a Way of Life: A Systematic Theology, written by Hector, Kevin W.

Toward Systematic Theology: Problems and Possibilities for Christian Theology in the Academy

Toward Systematic Theology: Problems and Possibilities for Christian Theology in the Academy