Theological Vocabulary Research Articles

VoTec terminographic environment over the years: brief overview

VoTec (Vocabulário Técnico Online) is a web environment for terminographic management created by Fromm (2007) with the aim of training undergraduate and graduate students for terminographic and translation practices. Since 2007, it has been used in several research and projects aimed at researchers training and monolingual and bilingual reference works production. This paper aims to present an overview of the projects and research carried out through VoTec between 2007 and 2023, as well as of the updates made on its database and query page. To do so, we describe its initial version (Fromm, 2007), the Terminology in Fiction (Fromm, 2011a) and the Linguistics Vocabulary (Fromm & Yamamoto, 2013) projects, as well as the following terminographic works/proposals: Vocabulary of Historical Linguistics (Yamamoto, 2015), Vocabulary of Business and Events Tourism (Carvalho, 2015), Vocabulary of Theology (Cardoso, 2017), Bilingual Vocabulary of Linguistics (Yamamoto, 2020), Vocabulary of Digital Marketing (Mateus, 2022) and Vocabulary of Angiology and Vascular Surgery (Santos, 2023). This panorama highlights: (i) VoTec's productivity for research and projects in the scope of Terminology, Translation, monolingual, bilingual and multilingual Terminography and Pedagogical Terminography; (ii) its continuous updates allow VoTec to follow latest trends and technologies on online reference works, becoming increasingly robust and multimodal, as well as to approach the needs of current users of online reference works; (iii) due to the possibilities of customizing fields and functionalities, VoTec easily adapts to different types of research and is capable of generating terminographic products with different purposes and target audiences.

Revisiting the Works of Ibn al-Sirrī (9th Century)

Abstract Some studies on Ibn al-Sirrī, a Christian author and translator from the 9th century, have remained unpublished since limited discoveries were made after 1987. Identifying the homilies discussed in this study will enable scholars to explore various aspects. First, it will facilitate the study of his theological vocabulary, which appears to represent a form of medieval ecumenical discourse. A thorough examination of his style may also uncover additional works attributed to him.

Editorial

Albeit often overlapping, sin and vice are two related yet clearly distinguished concepts. It would require an extremely long detour to sketch the history of such thick, central notions in Western culture, as well as their similarities, differences, and overlappings. Sin is a polysemic notion. The word refers, primarily, to an action whereby an agent intentionally fails to live up to the will or commands of God (see Stump, 2018). However, sin can be also considered as a disposition of the will, i.e., an inclination to engage in sinful actions (Plantinga 2000). Finally, according to parts of the Christian tradition, sin is a metaphysical state, i.e., a condition of “uncleanness” which marks a fundamental ontological difference between human beings and God (M. Adams 1991, 20f). While according to the Christian thought vice can be a cause of sin, and a sinful disposition may closely resemble a vice, the two concepts shouldn’t be confused. First, while sin pertains to a theological vocabulary, talking of vices is perfectly compatible with a secular philosophical discourse, as the recent success of virtue ethics and virtue-vice epistemology testifies. This comes as no surprise, if one thinks that the very origin of the concept is rooted in the secular philosophical tradition tracing back to Plato and Aristotle. Secondly, within character-based moral and epistemic theories, a vice is, unequivocally, a trait of character. As such, it is part of an agent’s psychological makeup, which means that it is a stable feature of their moral psychology, independently of its specific behavioral manifestations. And while an action may well be vicious, it can be so only insofar as it springs from a vicious trait, which has—so to speak—ontogenetic, conceptual, and even normative priority over the actions it elicits.

Nikaia és Tertullianus, avagy ὁμοούσιος és una substantia

Alleged Western influences on the historical and theological proceedings of the first ecumenical council in Nicaea (325 AD) have long been a matter of scholarly discussion. The idea of Western influence on the Nicene creed – and even the Western origin – has found much support. Scholars have attempted to establish a relationship between the strong emphasis on the divine unity by the early Western theologians like Tertullian, on the one hand, and in the Nicene creed on the other. In the last forty years, the theory of Western influence has been seriously questioned and has suffered severe criticism. The following brief study will examine the word ‘homoousios’, which is one of the most important terms in the Christian theological vocabulary, since it was used at the Council in Nicaea to express the divine consubstantiality of the Son with the Father. However, long and complicated debates have not yet produced any significant agreement among scholars concerning its origin and meaning. The study’s further aim is to demonstrate that the proceedings of the council of Nicaea took place with considerable involvement of Western theology. At the very least, the Western influence was not excluded.

Coincidentia oppositorum как особый способ мышления и образ жизни теолога

Introduction. The acquisition of scientific status by theology requires the theological community to introduce a special thesaurus into scientific circulation, as well as to develop the methodology of theology itself. In this connection we consider it expedient to turn to comprehension of Coincidentia oppositorum which will promote the expansion of theological vocabulary, paying special attention to the principle of combining opposites in theological research and formation of a special type of dialectical thinking, inherent to a theologian. Theoretical analysis. The presented research analyzes, systematizes and introduces in chronological order the ideas of philosophers, historians of religion, psychologists and theologians who pay considerable attention to the dialectical (paradoxical) type of thinking. Conclusion. An attempt has been made to comprehend the concept of “Coincidentia oppositorum” considered as one of the principles shaping the theologian’s thinking, as well as a special way of dialectical thinking, aimed at achieving a high unity of coincidence of opposites, which results in “a beautiful harmony of transcendental beauty”, overcoming the laws of contradiction, thereby giving birth to a new “Higher Logic”, acting in defiance of the finiteness of reason, by means of heroic tension breaking through it into a new ontological form, leading it beyond, taking it to the heights of human possibility in relation to God.

Translator’s Introduction: Homily 16 on “In the beginning was the Word” by St. Basil of Caesarea

Translator’s IntroductionHomily 16 on “In the beginning was the Word” by St. Basil of Caesarea Fr. Austin Dominic Litke, OP (bio) Key Words Basil of Caesarea, 4th century Christology, Gospel of John, Patristics Historical (and often neglected) texts in the Catholic intellectual tradition with contemporary comment and reflection In polite society, one is not supposed to discuss politics or religion. In fourth-century Cappadocia, however, it seems there were moments when people discussed little else. This is the lament of St. Gregory of Nyssa, the brother and fellow-bishop of St. Basil of Caesarea, in a passage from a work on the divinity of the Son and Holy Spirit, where he writes: “If you ask for change [at the market, the vendor] philosophizes about the Begotten and Unbegotten. If you ask about the price of bread, you get in response: ‘the Father is greater and the Son is subordinate.’ If you ask whether the bath is ready, [the attendant] defines that the Son exists from what is not.”1 St. Gregory takes this as a negative thing, since it means that many laypeople were on [End Page 148] the opposite side of the Arian controversy, espousing what historians call the “Anomoian” position concerning the Son, a radical version of the Arian heresy which held that the Son was a “totally different” kind of thing from the Father. In the late-fourth century, St. Gregory, along with St. Basil of Caesarea and St. Gregory of Nazianzen, was a staunch defender of the position defined at the Council of Nicaea in 325, which states that the Son is “consubstantial with the Father,” that is, the Son is the same kind of thing that the Father is. Even though this had been defined dogmatically a generation before, the three “Cappadocians” spent much of their time defending that teaching against those who would deny it. All of this is important for understanding the context of the homily of St. Basil, called “the Great” by the tradition, which we present for the first time here in a complete English translation. Historians have specified that the homily was composed and preached sometime between 363–78, but most likely in 372, the same year he preached a widely disseminated homily “On the Faith,” placing it among the sermons he gave in the first years of his episcopate at Caesarea.2 In it, St. Basil presents the first lines of the Gospel according to St. John as the remedy to the Arian doctrines that were still gaining support among Christians of the time. The continual affirmation that “the Word was God” is meant to combat the Arian assertion to the contrary. These inspired words of the Beloved Disciple are offered to give confidence to the faithful that what the Church taught at Nicaea comes directly from the experience of the one who reclined on Jesus’s chest at the Last Supper, such that one need not despair at their truth in the face of those who think otherwise. Even though St. Basil’s homily is primarily a pastoral writing, intended to form and edify the people under his care, he does not shy away from using philosophical examples and theological vocabulary. In order to explain how God the Word is the same being as God the Father, he presents the example of how human language is produced. We first have an idea that resides in our souls. That idea is then expressed in a word or series of words that are brought outside [End Page 149] of us. Even though the idea and the word are distinct, they are not separate. In fact, they are the same thing in different modes of expression. This distinction between an “inner word” and an “exterior word” was commonplace among the philosophers of the fourth century, and St. Basil has no problem using it to demonstrate the unity in being of the Father and the Son, of God and his Word. The bishop also has no problem using technical theological vocabulary. He speaks of the Word as a distinct prosopon, the Greek word for “Person.” He makes use of the technical theological term hypostasis to describe the unique being...

The Trinity and the Old Testament

Confessing God as the triune God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is central to the Christian faith. A basic conviction is that the triune God is also the solitary God of the Old Testament. The problem that emanated from this conviction is how to relate the triune God with the one God of the Old Testament. It is argued that New Testament authors made use of Old Testament metaphors to conceptualise God as the triune God. The central question mentioned in this article may be formulated as follows: how do the Old Testament metaphors of God as Father, the Son of God and Holy Spirit contribute to a better understanding of the God that we confess to be the triune God? The revealing of God’s proper name in Exodus 3 and the meaning of Jesus’ name in Matthew 1 create a relationship between Jesus and God. The theological link between the name of God in the Old Testament and the name of Jesus in the New Testament functions as a firm indicator that God and Jesus are two persons in the Trinity. It is also argued that due cognisance should be taken of the fact that the Old Testament is also the Tanakh of Judaism. It is for this reason better to speak about the Trinity and the Old Testament rather than the Trinity in the Old Testament, as this would imply that the Christian concept of a triune God is read back into the Old Testament.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: These results serve as a challenge to the important and often neglected interdisciplinary debate between systematic theology and the study of the Old Testament. Insights gained from the side of Old Testament studies can enrich systemic theology in the study of theological themes. This investigation can also stimulate a debate between Old Testament studies and New Testament studies to gain a better understanding of how and why the New Testament made use of the theological vocabulary provided by the Old Testament.

Seon Yong Kim. Curse Motifs in Galatians

Seon Yong Kim. <i>Curse Motifs in Galatians</i>

THE LANGUAGE OF MODERN PERIODICALS: SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS AND FEATURES OF SPEECH USE

Mass communication media (mass media), performing a communicative and informational function and the function of influence, are to some extent a set of speech situations. According to the language and style of the media, especially under the influence of external factors, one can observe the dynamics of internal language resources: new phrases, lexical innovations, Kazakhized terms, calcified combinations requiring codification, actualization of theological vocabulary, the use of dialectisms and professional and colloquial vocabulary, the active use of expressive-figurative phrases, etc., which characterize the current state of speech use, interstitial diffusion in media texts. There is a need to study lexico-functional phenomena that create the linguistic side of modern Kazakh media, contributing to the development of Kazakh media linguistics - an independent direction in linguistics, as well as to analyze empirical media materials in the aspect of the theory of speech culture. Based on the review analysis of the language of the Kazakh mass media of recent decades, the article examines the most specific and characteristic features of the Kazakh newspaper vocabulary (based on its functional aspect).

The lexical properties of the nogai epic stories

The article deals with the linguistic-poetic and lexical-semantic features of historical epics and heroes of the Nogai era, which left a fundamental trace in the political and legal development of the nomadic society of Eurasia.Nogai Orda was one of the largest structures that appeared on the territory of Kazakhstan after theweakening of the Ak Orda and the collapse of the great AltynOrda.Ten Nogai tribes brought with them a rich literary heritage at the time when they became part of theKazakh people. The poetic and rich poetry of the Nogai people developed and improved the norms ofthe oral Kazakh literary language. As well as the epic works of the Nogai era of the Kazakh, Nogai andBashkir tribes speaking the same Turkic languages, left a big mark in the lexical basis and in the composition of these languages.The lexical and semantic features of the Nogai epics are rich in didactic contents, have a deep philosophical meaning, various expressions and emotions, words of edification, aphorisms, periphrases andsyntactic parallelisms.Epic tales and historical epics of the Nogai era have a rich lexical composition, as it includes suchthematic groups as toponomic names, anthroponyms, ethnonyms, military vocabulary, zoonymies, socio-political vocabulary, theological vocabulary and abstract concepts, household vocabulary.

De l’« extrême-onction » au « sacrement des malades » : fin de vie, réforme liturgique conciliaire et transformations rituelles dans la seconde moitié du xxe siècle

Of the seven Catholic sacraments, Extreme Unction was clearly the one which experienced the most radical reform by the Vatican Council II. Its name was changed, as was its ‘matter’, ‘form’, and ‘subject’ (to use the technical vocabulary of sacramental theology), but also its place within the series of the ‘last sacraments’. Finally, it lost a considerable part of its significance. One can even say that it was reinvented, but without this reinvention triggering controversies comparable to those that arose from the reform of the mass, solemn communion, or even of baptism and marriage. This article revisits this reform by looking first at the ancient régime of the sacrament before the Council, its reform, its implementation, as well as the meaning of this sequence as a whole.

«Религия после религии», или современные проекты постметафизической теологии

Оne of the newest monograph is analysed where the ideas of Western theologians of the last decades, basing their theories on the reception of the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, are examined, Caputo, Kearney, Manjussakis, Hart being choosed in the first place. The rejection of metaphysics and the search for new methods of cognition, new philosophizing ways are actual for theology as well. Methodological issues, updating the existential vocabulary of theology, rethinking the transcendent become the subjects of reflection of postmodern theology. The reviewer pays reasonable attention, in accordance with the book, to a transition from onto-thology to the theology of event and emphasizes that study of contemporary Western theologians is valuable for Russia, especially in the context of today’s introducing academic theology into the system of education.

Mediation and Grace: The Possibility of Christian Community in Digital Culture

Mediation and Grace: The Possibility of Christian Community in Digital Culture Katherine G. Schmidt41 I carefully readjust my posture, hoping to see and be seen clearly. The person speaking needs to adjust his microphone, and it’s distracting me. I see the woman in her frame, and she appears frozen. But I swear I saw her move; I’ve seen her move before. The speaker drones on, and I feel the smoothness of the wood in front of me under my fingers. The woman, I notice, looks smooth too, and though she is far from me, somehow the smoothness I touch connects me to her. Virtual meetings have so dominated our lives over the past few months that what I have described may resonate with many, from schoolchildren to CEOs, all tethered to their computers during the pandemic. But the woman in her frame, frozen, was Mary, the Mother of God, and I was still in elementary school. She stood, frozen, carved out of wood, in a box far behind the lectern at my parish. I often stared past the lector, who too often needed to readjust the microphone, and onto the gentle face of that wooden Mary. My small hands gripped the pew in front of me, and I remember wondering if the wood she was made of was the same as my pew. Perhaps it was then that I fell in love with the rich system of religious mediation, knowing on a level so deep that only decades later would I find the theological vocabulary to convey that it is only through and by means of stuff that we encounter grace.42 Mediation is about distance, and we have had time this year to ponder distance. That which is mediated is that which is distant from us, and whose distance we hope to close. Mediation, therefore, is also about closeness, insofar as it is the product of our desire for closeness in the face of distance. Sometimes we fight against mediation, insisting on immediate experiences as the “real” stuff of life—as if immediacy is somehow truly possible. Ironically, our desire for immediacy results in [End Page 24] an explosion of media, or hypermediation.43 Maybe we don’t need all this stuff, we surmise, inexplicably confident in our own ability to close the distance between creature and Creator. Mediation reminds us of this failure; it reminds us of our finite creatureliness and our distance from God, one another, and from creation. Yet our frustration with distance supersedes our hesitancy for mediation, and we build, create, and innovate. We feel the yawning chasm between us and God, between one another, between us and our earthly home, and we long to close the distance—to make that which is absent from us, present to us. We do this because it is in our nature, but we also do this because it is God’s way revealed in Jesus Christ. I offer this theological framework of mediation as a foundation for our discussions of all things digital, especially in the wake of the 2020 global pandemic. By operating with this framework, we can avoid reductionist and instrumentalist thinking about technology that often leads to unhelpful and unhopeful “hot takes” about the relationship of the church to its digital milieu. The pandemic has made digital culture and technology a new interest for many people in the church. It is thus an opportune moment to be very clear about the temptations we face in addressing this topic theologically, and to be candid about what a new reliance on digital technology has illuminated about the present state of the church, for better and worse. The rather dramatic and swift move to digital platforms for many typically “offline” activities has forced many people to reflect more critically on our technological moment. As we begin to move back “offline”—God-willing—for some activities, we may be tempted to overstate our preference for the offline version by using the categories of the “real” and “virtual” to do so. This temptation is especially strong within the church: Christians like to offer the local church community— the congregation, the parish—as really real community in contradistinction...

Satirizing Modernism: Aesthetic Autonomy, Romanticism, and the Avant-Garde

Satirizing Modernism: Aesthetic Autonomy, Romanticism, and the Avant-Garde

Catholic religious vocabulary in the modern Belarusian language

&lt;p&gt;Celem artykułu jest analiza wybranego słownictwa konfesyjnego w języku białoruskim, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem mechanizmów tworzenia leksyki na potrzeby Kościoła katolickiego na tle zróżnicowania religijnego i kulturowego Białorusi. Co istotne, we współczesnym języku białoruskim nie funkcjonuje ogólnie przyjęta przez wszystkie wyznania chrześcijańskie terminologia teologiczna, obejmująca pojęcia religijne oraz słownictwo biblijne, a wynika to ze współistnienia na badanym terenie różnych orientacji kulturowych i tradycji chrześcijańskich, które uwarunkowane były wpływami religii dominujących w sąsiednich krajach. Badania zostały przeprowadzone dwiema metodami: socjolingwistyczną, która na podstawie otwartych wywiadów i obserwacji uczestniczącej pozwoliła na określenie prestiżu używanych w sferze &lt;em&gt;sacrum &lt;/em&gt;języków wśród przedstawicieli różnych pokoleń, oraz metodą opisu leksykograficznego, prezentującą katolicką leksykę religijną wyekscerpowaną z dostępnych źródeł drukowanych oraz internetowych i zestawioną z odpowiadającą jej leksyką prawosławną. Przez teren Białorusi przebiega linia podziału między zwolennikami języka białoruskiego i polskiego w liturgii. Wśród przedstawicieli najstarszego pokolenia przeważa opinia, że to język polski jest predestynowany do używania w sferze &lt;em&gt;sacrum&lt;/em&gt;. Młodzi katolicy o białoruskiej identyfikacji narodowej uważają natomiast, że w słownictwie liturgicznym zbyt wiele jest polonizmów, które bez trudu mogą być zastąpione leksemami białoruskimi. Mieszkańcy Grodzieńszczyzny opowiadają się za polszczyzną, podczas gdy na pozostałym terenie język białoruski w kościele jest akceptowany, a nawet pożądany. Analiza leksyki religijnej tekstów używanych przez Kościół katolicki na Białorusi pokazuje, że w zakresie leksyki na badanym terenie mamy do czynienia z białoruszczyzną silnie interferowaną przez język polski. Wyraźnie widać, że słownictwo to bazuje na polszczyźnie oraz stanowi odzwierciedlenie przyzwyczajeń językowych wiernych Kościoła katolickiego. Rozmowy prowadzone z młodymi duchownymi Kościoła katolickiego na Białorusi oraz przedstawicielami białoruskiej inteligencji katolickiej pokazują, że z łatwością identyfikują oni obce białoruszczyźnie słownictwo w tekstach religijnych. Należy przypuszczać, że w najbliższym czasie katolicka leksyka religijna będzie się zmieniać w kierunku unifikacji ze słownictwem innych wyznań, zwłaszcza prawosławia, które z przeszkodami, ale stopniowo zaczyna wprowadzać język białoruski do nabożeństw.&lt;/p&gt;

Counseling Under the Cross: How Martin Luther Applied the Gospel to Daily Life by Bob Kellemen

Reviewed by: Counseling Under the Cross: How Martin Luther Applied the Gospel to Daily Life by Bob Kellemen John T. Pless Counseling Under the Cross: How Martin Luther Applied the Gospel to Daily Life. By Bob Kellemen. Greensboro: New Growth Press, 2017. 246 pp. Kellemen, president of RPM Ministries and a professor of biblical counseling at Faith Bible Seminary in Lafayette, Indiana, offers a testimony to his discovery of Martin Luther as an effective pastoral counselor who has much to offer contemporary Evangelical Christians. Kellemen examines Luther's own spiritual development, especially focusing on his spiritual trials and struggles, and observes how Luther came to a robust confidence in the righteousness of Christ as God's gift for broken sinners. Throughout his telling of Luther's story, the author peppers vignettes of his own experiences and connects them to Luther's insights. He sees the Reformer as a helpful ally in what he terms "the biblical counseling movement." The bulk of the volume explores Luther's pastoral legacy using the template developed by William Clebsch and Charles Jaekle, Care of Souls in Historical Perspective (1964) where pastoral care is said to consist in four functions: (1) Sustaining; (2) Healing; (3) Reconciling; (4) Guiding. Under each of these headings, Kellemen offers examples, more often than not, taken from Theodore Tappert's Luther: Letters of Spiritual Counsel (1955), demonstrating how Luther used the scriptures and especially the gospel to fulfill these functions. Luther's care for Jerome Weller who was suffering from depression as well as numerous individuals who were physically ill or mourning the loss of a loved one are cited as examples for Luther's emphatic identification with those who suffer as he used the Word of God to sustain them in their afflictions. Kellemen sees Luther's proclamation of the resurrection to the sick, dying, and grieving in circumstances of both external and internal suffering as indicative of the healing function. Human sinfulness is overcome by the reconciling work of Christ so Kellemen sees Luther's focus on the forgiveness of sins in letters that address terrified consciences as fulfilling the reconciling function. The guiding function is connected to Luther's use of the "guideposts" (210) of faith, love, and conscience. While Kellemen brings together much material from Luther and offers suggestions for applications in ministry today, he most often does this by attempting to distill principles from Luther. The author [End Page 215] often blends psychological language with theological vocabulary in a way that gives only minimal attention to Luther's overall theology. Kellemen rightly emphasizes the externality of God's Word in Luther's pastoral counsel but this is not carried over into a discussion of the place of baptism and the Lord's Supper in Luther's approach. There are a few echoes of the "theology of the cross" in the book but they are largely left undeveloped as is the necessity of distinguishing law from gospel in pastoral care. Kellemen certainly has a great appreciation for Luther and his pastoral work demonstrating that the Reformer continues to have influence well beyond the boundaries of the church that bears his name. Even at those places where one might wish the author had treated Luther's theology with more precision, one can admire his robust claims for the potency of Luther's legacy for pastoral care. John T. Pless Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne, Indiana Copyright © 2019 Johns Hopkins University Press and Lutheran Quarterly, Inc.

True Faith in the True God: An Introduction to Luther's Life and Thought by Hans Schwarz

Reviewed by: True Faith in the True God: An Introduction to Luther's Life and Thoughtby Hans Schwarz Mark Mattes True Faith in the True God: An Introduction to Luther's Life and Thought. Revised and expandededition. By Hans Schwarz. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2015. ix + 295 pp. Amidst the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, Hans Schwarz's revision of this work, originally published twenty years ago, offers a fine "primer" into Luther's life and thought. Schwarz notes that his book is not intended to replace the magisterial studies of Bernhard Lohse or Martin Brecht (x). Instead, it is to provide those with little background in Luther studies an entry into the basic vocabulary, grammar, and syntax of Luther's mission and theology. The chief difference between this revision and the original is the addition of three chapters, dealing respectively with Luther's views of education, the economy, and music. The table of contents indicates how Schwarz configures his analysis of Luther. His first chapter is an overview of Luther's life, focusing on the events that triggered the Reformation. He then discusses knowledge of God, the relation between faith and reason, God's divinity, humanity "between God and Satan," the two kingdoms, scripture, law and gospel, church and sacraments, marriage and parenthood, vocation, and the three additional topics mentioned above. Schwarz takes a holistic approach: Luther is not made to fit into a pre-established theological system. Instead, we discover Luther's program of reform as embedded in social institutions and human exchanges, whether of power, wealth, education, or, in the case of music, delight. Similarly, Schwarz does not simply describe Luther's stances but instead helps readers think through them to see how, given his presuppositions, Luther arrived at them. Schwarz notes that Luther affirmed a "natural" knowledge of God, that is, that humans can know something of God through reason in spite of the fact that such knowledge is somewhat subjective, is defaced by sin, and is preliminary to what can be known of God through the gospel (51–53). Only through the cross is genuine knowledge of God to be found. "The cross as the sign of the revelation of God also guards against deceitful imitations. While the majesty of God can easily be counterfeited into a [End Page 87]fantasized image of our own ideas, the cross will not be imitated or distorted by any religion, philosophical speculation, or by our own fantasy" (67). That humans are assailed by the "hidden God" ultimately works for human salvation: "But God does it [assailing] for salvation so that human beings can be freed from their own selves and all self-confidence, and flee to the arms of the merciful God" (118). Schwarz sees no "third use of the law" operative in Luther but, based on the interpretation of law in both catechisms, he says, "The Commandments are hence not only a mirror in which we recognize sin, although they retain this function for the Christian; they are a much-needed and wholesome instruction in that which God expects from us by way of good works … the commandment of God, not the law, provides the Christian with guidance for the right way to live" (169). While disclaiming the late Luther's anti-Judaic ravings, Schwarz ably fits them into the context of the times in which church and state were one and in which blasphemy accordingly is to be denounced (200–201). Schwarz sees no trajectory in history from Luther to the Third Reich, which was itself "a religious, neo-pagan ideology" (201). Luther's push for public education enhanced literacy in Northern Europe, and provided many advantages for Protestant citizens in contrast to Catholic populations (244–45). Luther advocated economic policies that put first the neighbor's well-being, and not greed (264). Finally, while contemporary Westerners struggle less with guilt and more with anomie, Schwarz claims Luther as one who can help us find God to be the "beginning, the center, and the goal of our life if we want to overcome our insecurity and disorientation" (280). My only wish is that this book had a specific chapter devoted entirely to Christology since Jesus Christ...

Values Expressed through African Symbols: An Ethiopian Theological Reflection

For sixteen centuries, Christian faith has been interacting with Ethiopian culture. This setting offers rich resources for theological vocabulary insofar as it is embedded in African images and symbols, poems, hymns, and chants. Since the material world holds an important place in Ethiopian religious expressions, four dominant symbols found in nature—fire, water, soil, and oil—deserve particular attention. The reflections given in this article are predominantly drawn from study of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church. We show that various values are discernable in the four symbols mentioned here, as well as in the cross, the central Christian symbol.

Theology-missiology on the Move: Loving and One Another, Back to Basics

The present article, with a special attention to migration dynamics, envisions a theology-missiology relevant to both academic and non-academic settings by means of a quest to place theology at the heart of the definition of missiology. The article argues that a theology-missiology defined through ‘love God’ and ‘love your fellow human being’ reboots the agenda for theology’s engagement with migration studies. The article seeks to demonstrate that the ‘hermeneutic of love’ in the Great Commandment leads us to accentuate a theology of ‘creation out of love’ (creatio ex amore), and this hermeneutic further questions the framework of common theological approaches to migration studies, urgently asking for more awareness when building a theological vocabulary of contemporary manifestations of human mobility. The discussion on ‘migrant churches’ points to some problems of the migration terminology used currently. The article ends by spelling out interdisciplinarity in terms of intradisciplinarity, multidisciplinarity, pluridisciplinarity, and infradisciplinarity.

The Human One? A Controversial CEB Translation Choice

Abstract The choice of the editors of the Common English Bible (CEB) to translate Greek, Aramaic and English phrases as either “The Human One” or “the human being” has been controversial. However, it renders the “literal” meaning of a stock idiom that was in use both in the Aramaic of Jesus’ day and in the Hebrew and Aramaic language in the OT. For those who are not taught the literal meaning of the idiom, the traditional literalistic word-for-word translation of ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου as “the Son of Man” is either meaningless or misleading both in terms of Christology and for following the narrative of the Gospels. An accurate translation of the sense of the Aramaic and Hebrew idiom was virtually a necessary choice for semantic accuracy, and reflects the CEB’s purpose and translation theory. It is also a missional choice to render the Word of God in a way that is understood in the target audience’s language. However, the majority of the public that purchases Bibles has religious and theological commitments and tends to expect or even demand specific theological vocabulary and technical terms that are part of a specialized religious register, even though it is misunderstood. Therefore, the CEB engages in “norm-breaking” by attempting to choose vocabulary from registers that are currently in use in the English language in comparable contexts as those that are represented in the source text.