Bridget Morris
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195166446
- eISBN:
- 9780199785049
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195166442.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter presents a modern English translation of Book II of the Revelationes of St. Birgitta of Sweden. The Book reflects Birgitta's interest in Swedish public affairs during the 1340s, and in ...
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This chapter presents a modern English translation of Book II of the Revelationes of St. Birgitta of Sweden. The Book reflects Birgitta's interest in Swedish public affairs during the 1340s, and in particular the role and function of knights and those who perform the public ministry of Christian service, especially those who preach the Christian faith. The Book has a greater internal consistency in subject matter than Book I, and there are several sequences of visions in which a sustained train of thought on a single topic is suggested and individual members of the knightly class are addressed, although their identities are always carefully suppressed.Less
This chapter presents a modern English translation of Book II of the Revelationes of St. Birgitta of Sweden. The Book reflects Birgitta's interest in Swedish public affairs during the 1340s, and in particular the role and function of knights and those who perform the public ministry of Christian service, especially those who preach the Christian faith. The Book has a greater internal consistency in subject matter than Book I, and there are several sequences of visions in which a sustained train of thought on a single topic is suggested and individual members of the knightly class are addressed, although their identities are always carefully suppressed.
John Bishop
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199205547
- eISBN:
- 9780191709432
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199205547.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter sets out a model of (theistic) faith as doxastic venture — understood, not as believing ‘at will’, but rather as taking a proposition to be true in one's practical reasoning while ...
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This chapter sets out a model of (theistic) faith as doxastic venture — understood, not as believing ‘at will’, but rather as taking a proposition to be true in one's practical reasoning while recognizing its lack of adequate evidential support. This doxastic venture model is contrasted with alternative models of specifically Christian faith (such as those of Calvin and Aquinas) that locate the venture of faith elsewhere. The conceptual and psychological possibility of doxastic venture is defended by appeal to William James's notion of ‘passional’ causes for belief in The Will to Believe. The possibility, raised by Richard Swinburne amongst others, that faith may involve only sub-doxastic venture (acting on the assumption that God exists without actual belief) is also acknowledged.Less
This chapter sets out a model of (theistic) faith as doxastic venture — understood, not as believing ‘at will’, but rather as taking a proposition to be true in one's practical reasoning while recognizing its lack of adequate evidential support. This doxastic venture model is contrasted with alternative models of specifically Christian faith (such as those of Calvin and Aquinas) that locate the venture of faith elsewhere. The conceptual and psychological possibility of doxastic venture is defended by appeal to William James's notion of ‘passional’ causes for belief in The Will to Believe. The possibility, raised by Richard Swinburne amongst others, that faith may involve only sub-doxastic venture (acting on the assumption that God exists without actual belief) is also acknowledged.
Milmon F. Harrison
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195153132
- eISBN:
- 9780199784578
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195153138.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter provides insight on the culture within the movement by focusing on one of the member congregations of the Word of Faith Movement — Faith Christian Center in Sacramento, California. This ...
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This chapter provides insight on the culture within the movement by focusing on one of the member congregations of the Word of Faith Movement — Faith Christian Center in Sacramento, California. This congregation teaches the Faith Message to literally thousands of people each week through worship services, Bible studies, and the weekly television broadcast. This church is therefore a major site on the map of the Word of Faith Movement in northern California. The culture inside the ministry, worship services, the faith message and needs of the ministry, and dealing with diversity are discussed.Less
This chapter provides insight on the culture within the movement by focusing on one of the member congregations of the Word of Faith Movement — Faith Christian Center in Sacramento, California. This congregation teaches the Faith Message to literally thousands of people each week through worship services, Bible studies, and the weekly television broadcast. This church is therefore a major site on the map of the Word of Faith Movement in northern California. The culture inside the ministry, worship services, the faith message and needs of the ministry, and dealing with diversity are discussed.
J. A. Burrow
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198112938
- eISBN:
- 9780191670879
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198112938.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Early and Medieval Literature
This chapter discusses the poem Piers Plowman, which has always had a particular appeal for those readers who share, in one form or another, the poet's own Christian faith. It also includes summaries ...
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This chapter discusses the poem Piers Plowman, which has always had a particular appeal for those readers who share, in one form or another, the poet's own Christian faith. It also includes summaries of the discussions found in the five succeeding chapters.Less
This chapter discusses the poem Piers Plowman, which has always had a particular appeal for those readers who share, in one form or another, the poet's own Christian faith. It also includes summaries of the discussions found in the five succeeding chapters.
Carnley Peter
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198267560
- eISBN:
- 9780191683299
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198267560.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter discusses the third possibility and approach to the resurrection belief. While the previous chapters tackled the resurrection of Jesus as assimilable to other events of the human past ...
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This chapter discusses the third possibility and approach to the resurrection belief. While the previous chapters tackled the resurrection of Jesus as assimilable to other events of the human past and as an eschatological event, the present chapter looks at resurrection as not to be understood as a response to a post-mortem event in any sense at all. Rather, it argues that faith is founded upon the completed life of the historical Jesus, which means that faith is based on the birth and crucifixion of Christ. The story of the resurrection is then held to be a way of expressing this faith; it is the product of faith rather than the grounds of it, myth rather than a record of fact. Included in the chapter are the views of Willi Marxsen, a German New Testament scholar, and Don Cupitt, a contemporary British philosophical theologian. Both scholars achieved identical conclusions on the basic structure of Christian faith, despite approaching it through different routes.Less
This chapter discusses the third possibility and approach to the resurrection belief. While the previous chapters tackled the resurrection of Jesus as assimilable to other events of the human past and as an eschatological event, the present chapter looks at resurrection as not to be understood as a response to a post-mortem event in any sense at all. Rather, it argues that faith is founded upon the completed life of the historical Jesus, which means that faith is based on the birth and crucifixion of Christ. The story of the resurrection is then held to be a way of expressing this faith; it is the product of faith rather than the grounds of it, myth rather than a record of fact. Included in the chapter are the views of Willi Marxsen, a German New Testament scholar, and Don Cupitt, a contemporary British philosophical theologian. Both scholars achieved identical conclusions on the basic structure of Christian faith, despite approaching it through different routes.
Anna Wierzbicka
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195137330
- eISBN:
- 9780199867905
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195137337.003.0025
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
This chapter argues that theology needs a new language. It adduces quotes from various recent publications that show that after two millennia the meaning of Jesus’ words has become for many people in ...
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This chapter argues that theology needs a new language. It adduces quotes from various recent publications that show that after two millennia the meaning of Jesus’ words has become for many people in the West increasingly difficult to grasp, and it concurs with Raymond Brown's (1975) words referring not only to the Scriptures but also to the dogmas of the Church that since “God's revelation has been phrased by men” it requires constant rethinking. This rethinking must take into account the historical situation, the culture, the language, and the theological and philosophical limitations of those who wrote and those who interpreted the Bible. The chapter discusses the cultural underpinnings of the Nicene Creed, and offers an attempt at rethinking this Creed and restating it in a narrative form, in simple words available in all languages of the world. It argues that Christian faith must be expressible in all languages, including those that do not have the traditional Christian vocabulary and it formulates “Christian faith in a nutshell” in a radically new form, on the basis of empirical universals of language.Less
This chapter argues that theology needs a new language. It adduces quotes from various recent publications that show that after two millennia the meaning of Jesus’ words has become for many people in the West increasingly difficult to grasp, and it concurs with Raymond Brown's (1975) words referring not only to the Scriptures but also to the dogmas of the Church that since “God's revelation has been phrased by men” it requires constant rethinking. This rethinking must take into account the historical situation, the culture, the language, and the theological and philosophical limitations of those who wrote and those who interpreted the Bible. The chapter discusses the cultural underpinnings of the Nicene Creed, and offers an attempt at rethinking this Creed and restating it in a narrative form, in simple words available in all languages of the world. It argues that Christian faith must be expressible in all languages, including those that do not have the traditional Christian vocabulary and it formulates “Christian faith in a nutshell” in a radically new form, on the basis of empirical universals of language.
C. Stephen Evans
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198263975
- eISBN:
- 9780191600579
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019826397X.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
The last chapter looked briefly at the challenge posed to the historicity of the incarnational narrative by Enlightenment epistemology and metaphysics; this one takes a brief look at the responses to ...
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The last chapter looked briefly at the challenge posed to the historicity of the incarnational narrative by Enlightenment epistemology and metaphysics; this one takes a brief look at the responses to this problem that have been characteristic of modernity. In one sense, the variety of responses has been immense; the corpus of ‘historical Jesus’ material and theological and philosophical literature bearing on the issues related to the incarnational narrative is so massive as to make it virtually impossible for one individual to master all of it. However, the author believes that most of this material can be usefully classified into four types of response, each with their own correlative attitudes towards traditional Christian faith. These are: (1) Defence of the narrative as historical – defence of traditional Christian faith (orthodoxy); (2) Rejection of the narrative – rejection of Christianity; (3) Revision of the narrative – revision of Christianity; and (4) Divorce of the meaning of the narrative from its historicity – divorce of Christian faith from its historical foundations. These four responses are analysed in turn.Less
The last chapter looked briefly at the challenge posed to the historicity of the incarnational narrative by Enlightenment epistemology and metaphysics; this one takes a brief look at the responses to this problem that have been characteristic of modernity. In one sense, the variety of responses has been immense; the corpus of ‘historical Jesus’ material and theological and philosophical literature bearing on the issues related to the incarnational narrative is so massive as to make it virtually impossible for one individual to master all of it. However, the author believes that most of this material can be usefully classified into four types of response, each with their own correlative attitudes towards traditional Christian faith. These are: (1) Defence of the narrative as historical – defence of traditional Christian faith (orthodoxy); (2) Rejection of the narrative – rejection of Christianity; (3) Revision of the narrative – revision of Christianity; and (4) Divorce of the meaning of the narrative from its historicity – divorce of Christian faith from its historical foundations. These four responses are analysed in turn.
C. Stephen Evans
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198263975
- eISBN:
- 9780191600579
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019826397X.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
The English term ‘history’ can refer to an actual series of events, and also to the narrative or account constructed about those events; in looking at the links between Christian faith and the ...
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The English term ‘history’ can refer to an actual series of events, and also to the narrative or account constructed about those events; in looking at the links between Christian faith and the historical character of its founding narrative, it is crucial to distinguish these two senses of history and the different kinds of problems related to each. This chapter and the next address the question of why it matters that the events actually occurred: a question that is entirely distinct from the question of whether the events did in fact occur. Regardless of the answer to the factual question, an examination can be made of the significance the events would have had if they had occurred, and the cost that might have to be paid if belief in the historicity of the narrative had to be abandoned. The previous chapter distinguished two strategies for divorcing the religious meaning of the narrative from its historicity: the rationalist/moralist option and the romantic/existentialist option. Both claim that the religious functions of the narrative are independent of whether the events actually occurred, and to this end both sometimes characterize the narratives as mythical or at least as containing mythical elements. This chapter looks at the complex set of questions that are raised by the category of ‘myth’ in sections that address: the senses of myth; Søren Kierkegaard versus C. S. Lewis on Christianity and myth; the uniqueness versus the mythical character of the Gospel story; demythologizing and remythologizing the incarnational narrative; the essential historicity of the Gospel; and the appeal of the non-historical myth.Less
The English term ‘history’ can refer to an actual series of events, and also to the narrative or account constructed about those events; in looking at the links between Christian faith and the historical character of its founding narrative, it is crucial to distinguish these two senses of history and the different kinds of problems related to each. This chapter and the next address the question of why it matters that the events actually occurred: a question that is entirely distinct from the question of whether the events did in fact occur. Regardless of the answer to the factual question, an examination can be made of the significance the events would have had if they had occurred, and the cost that might have to be paid if belief in the historicity of the narrative had to be abandoned. The previous chapter distinguished two strategies for divorcing the religious meaning of the narrative from its historicity: the rationalist/moralist option and the romantic/existentialist option. Both claim that the religious functions of the narrative are independent of whether the events actually occurred, and to this end both sometimes characterize the narratives as mythical or at least as containing mythical elements. This chapter looks at the complex set of questions that are raised by the category of ‘myth’ in sections that address: the senses of myth; Søren Kierkegaard versus C. S. Lewis on Christianity and myth; the uniqueness versus the mythical character of the Gospel story; demythologizing and remythologizing the incarnational narrative; the essential historicity of the Gospel; and the appeal of the non-historical myth.
Murray A. Rae
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198269403
- eISBN:
- 9780191683633
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198269403.003.0016
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter discusses the different viewpoints introduced by theologians of the twentieth century who had increasingly become hostile to the traditional content of Christian faith. The work of John ...
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This chapter discusses the different viewpoints introduced by theologians of the twentieth century who had increasingly become hostile to the traditional content of Christian faith. The work of John Hick will be assessed in this chapter along with the arguments and viewpoints offered by Climacus wherein their distinctions and differences will be noted and assessed. In this chapter, the four arguments of Hick are discussed, for which a Climacean encounter may be adduced. Chapter 7 begins with an examination of Hick's contention that theology has been unable to offer a coherent explication of what it means by affirming the co-presence in Jesus of the divine and the human. The chapter then proceeds to consider Hick's claim that close examination of the historical evidence does not warrant belief in the incarnation, his proposal that the doctrine should be regarded as a metaphorical way of speaking Jesus's significance for us and the soteriological implications of Hick's concept of lordship.Less
This chapter discusses the different viewpoints introduced by theologians of the twentieth century who had increasingly become hostile to the traditional content of Christian faith. The work of John Hick will be assessed in this chapter along with the arguments and viewpoints offered by Climacus wherein their distinctions and differences will be noted and assessed. In this chapter, the four arguments of Hick are discussed, for which a Climacean encounter may be adduced. Chapter 7 begins with an examination of Hick's contention that theology has been unable to offer a coherent explication of what it means by affirming the co-presence in Jesus of the divine and the human. The chapter then proceeds to consider Hick's claim that close examination of the historical evidence does not warrant belief in the incarnation, his proposal that the doctrine should be regarded as a metaphorical way of speaking Jesus's significance for us and the soteriological implications of Hick's concept of lordship.
George M. Marsden
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195122909
- eISBN:
- 9780199853311
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195122909.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This introductory begins by discussing the proposal that mainstream American higher education should be more open to explicit discussion of the relationship between religious faith to learning. It ...
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This introductory begins by discussing the proposal that mainstream American higher education should be more open to explicit discussion of the relationship between religious faith to learning. It argues that scholars who have religious faith should be reflecting on the intellectual implications of that faith and bringing those reflections into the mainstream of intellectual life. The chapter then sets out the purpose of the book, which is to provide some positive guidelines for what the author has in mind when he urges that Christian perspectives and the perspectives of other religious groups be accepted as legitimate in the mainstream academy. It seeks to explain how, without resort to dogmatism or heavy-handed moralizing, Christian faith can be of great relevance to contemporary scholarship of the highest standards. A subtheme is that such scholarship is an alternative not only to the hollow secularism that dominates mainstream academia but also to the simplistic “fundamentalisms” that present themselves as the only alternatives.Less
This introductory begins by discussing the proposal that mainstream American higher education should be more open to explicit discussion of the relationship between religious faith to learning. It argues that scholars who have religious faith should be reflecting on the intellectual implications of that faith and bringing those reflections into the mainstream of intellectual life. The chapter then sets out the purpose of the book, which is to provide some positive guidelines for what the author has in mind when he urges that Christian perspectives and the perspectives of other religious groups be accepted as legitimate in the mainstream academy. It seeks to explain how, without resort to dogmatism or heavy-handed moralizing, Christian faith can be of great relevance to contemporary scholarship of the highest standards. A subtheme is that such scholarship is an alternative not only to the hollow secularism that dominates mainstream academia but also to the simplistic “fundamentalisms” that present themselves as the only alternatives.
Sarah Coakley
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198263746
- eISBN:
- 9780191682643
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198263746.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
The problem of Christian faith's relation to history is a profound one which exercises all thinking Christian believers. However, the issues at stake are complex. There is of course the perennial ...
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The problem of Christian faith's relation to history is a profound one which exercises all thinking Christian believers. However, the issues at stake are complex. There is of course the perennial debate about how much one can verify historically about Jesus, and what part that historical data should play in any doctrine of Christ. There are also more searching and radical philosophical questions: about the nature and corrigibility of any historical knowledge, and about the possibly time-bound quality of Jesus himself. Meanwhile, Ernst Troeltsch was a polymathic figure: philosopher, historian, sociologist, politician, and theologian. He is chiefly remembered in theological circles for his assiduous study of the effects of a ‘modern’ historical outlook upon Christian dogmatic claims, his commitment thereby to a form of ‘historical relativism’, and his search for a fruitful rapprochement between theology and the emerging social sciences.Less
The problem of Christian faith's relation to history is a profound one which exercises all thinking Christian believers. However, the issues at stake are complex. There is of course the perennial debate about how much one can verify historically about Jesus, and what part that historical data should play in any doctrine of Christ. There are also more searching and radical philosophical questions: about the nature and corrigibility of any historical knowledge, and about the possibly time-bound quality of Jesus himself. Meanwhile, Ernst Troeltsch was a polymathic figure: philosopher, historian, sociologist, politician, and theologian. He is chiefly remembered in theological circles for his assiduous study of the effects of a ‘modern’ historical outlook upon Christian dogmatic claims, his commitment thereby to a form of ‘historical relativism’, and his search for a fruitful rapprochement between theology and the emerging social sciences.
Peter Widdicombe
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199242481
- eISBN:
- 9780191697111
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199242481.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This introductory chapter sets out the purpose of the book, which is to examine the genesis of Athanasius' theology of God as Father and to analyse its structure against the background of the ...
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This introductory chapter sets out the purpose of the book, which is to examine the genesis of Athanasius' theology of God as Father and to analyse its structure against the background of the Alexandrian tradition. It is important to recognize that Athanasius was not the first Alexandrian to write about the divine fatherhood. He was writing within the context of an Alexandrian tradition of reflection on the fatherhood of God, a tradition in which the terms Father and Son were the determinative metaphors for theological discussion. The book also demonstrates that Origen believed that the affirmation God is Father lay at the heart of the Christian faith.Less
This introductory chapter sets out the purpose of the book, which is to examine the genesis of Athanasius' theology of God as Father and to analyse its structure against the background of the Alexandrian tradition. It is important to recognize that Athanasius was not the first Alexandrian to write about the divine fatherhood. He was writing within the context of an Alexandrian tradition of reflection on the fatherhood of God, a tradition in which the terms Father and Son were the determinative metaphors for theological discussion. The book also demonstrates that Origen believed that the affirmation God is Father lay at the heart of the Christian faith.
Richard Sturch
- Published in print:
- 1991
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198261988
- eISBN:
- 9780191682278
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198261988.003.0020
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This concluding chapter sums up the key findings of this study of traditional and analytic Christology. It justifies the use of the intellect to analyse the holy mystery and suggests that the refusal ...
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This concluding chapter sums up the key findings of this study of traditional and analytic Christology. It justifies the use of the intellect to analyse the holy mystery and suggests that the refusal to use the tools of the intellect is to invite the unbeliever to derive the Christian faith. The chapter also suggests that refusal to analyse is comparable to agreeing to revise the traditional Christological beliefs.Less
This concluding chapter sums up the key findings of this study of traditional and analytic Christology. It justifies the use of the intellect to analyse the holy mystery and suggests that the refusal to use the tools of the intellect is to invite the unbeliever to derive the Christian faith. The chapter also suggests that refusal to analyse is comparable to agreeing to revise the traditional Christological beliefs.
Murray A. Rae
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198269403
- eISBN:
- 9780191683633
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198269403.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Of all the chapters in Climacus's Philosophical Fragments, Chapter 3 proved to be the most difficult to read as it seemed to be a step back from the task of determining incarnation rather it offered ...
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Of all the chapters in Climacus's Philosophical Fragments, Chapter 3 proved to be the most difficult to read as it seemed to be a step back from the task of determining incarnation rather it offered some direct criticisms of natural theology. However, unlike in his preceding chapters wherein the pretentiousness of humanity's claims for truth is attacked in the latter part, Chapter 3 provides a charge against metaphysics at the outset. This chapter aims to demonstrate the unjust allegations that Kierkegaard's presentation of the Christian faith is both irrational and fideistic. Topics included in this chapter are the paradox of ‘ how’ faith, the paradox of ‘what’ faith, and the paradox in historical dress.Less
Of all the chapters in Climacus's Philosophical Fragments, Chapter 3 proved to be the most difficult to read as it seemed to be a step back from the task of determining incarnation rather it offered some direct criticisms of natural theology. However, unlike in his preceding chapters wherein the pretentiousness of humanity's claims for truth is attacked in the latter part, Chapter 3 provides a charge against metaphysics at the outset. This chapter aims to demonstrate the unjust allegations that Kierkegaard's presentation of the Christian faith is both irrational and fideistic. Topics included in this chapter are the paradox of ‘ how’ faith, the paradox of ‘what’ faith, and the paradox in historical dress.
Judith Herrin
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691153216
- eISBN:
- 9781400845217
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691153216.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, World Medieval History
This chapter examines what the late seventh-century canons can tell us about “femina byzantina.” In 692 the Council in Trullo, convened by Justinian II, met in the same domed hall of the Great Palace ...
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This chapter examines what the late seventh-century canons can tell us about “femina byzantina.” In 692 the Council in Trullo, convened by Justinian II, met in the same domed hall of the Great Palace where the Sixth Ecumenical Council had been held ten years earlier. More than two hundred bishops from most parts of the empire under secure imperial control assembled in Constantinople to fulfill their given role: to issue disciplinary canons necessary to protect and secure correct observance of the Christian faith. Ecclesiastical concern about women can be observed in three distinct but overlapping areas: church services, monastic life, and society at large. Such concern was of course constant in medieval societies. But at the end of the seventh century it was intensified by many different regulations, all directed toward the promotion of suitable Christian behavior.Less
This chapter examines what the late seventh-century canons can tell us about “femina byzantina.” In 692 the Council in Trullo, convened by Justinian II, met in the same domed hall of the Great Palace where the Sixth Ecumenical Council had been held ten years earlier. More than two hundred bishops from most parts of the empire under secure imperial control assembled in Constantinople to fulfill their given role: to issue disciplinary canons necessary to protect and secure correct observance of the Christian faith. Ecclesiastical concern about women can be observed in three distinct but overlapping areas: church services, monastic life, and society at large. Such concern was of course constant in medieval societies. But at the end of the seventh century it was intensified by many different regulations, all directed toward the promotion of suitable Christian behavior.
C. Stephen Evans
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198263975
- eISBN:
- 9780191600579
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019826397X.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
It was argued in the previous chapter that viewing the incarnational narrative as non-historical myth is a great loss, since without historicity, the narrative cannot be seen as a record of the ...
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It was argued in the previous chapter that viewing the incarnational narrative as non-historical myth is a great loss, since without historicity, the narrative cannot be seen as a record of the divine actions whereby a historical relationship between humans and God is established. Nor proposals to view the narrative as myth take seriously the problem traditionally described by theologians under the concept of human sinfulness. It is only when it is seen how difficult it is to establish a proper relation with God that the significance of the narrative that tells how such a relation is made possible gains its full power. It is in the doctrine of atonement that the Christian faith has traditionally expressed its view of how Jesus made it possible for this relation to be healed, and classical theories of atonement are attempts to articulate how God’s actions in history make salvation possible (although the idea that Jesus atoned for humans by his life, death and resurrection is regarded by many as raising more difficulties than it solves). This chapter attempts to show that the need for atonement is still evident in human experience, and that versions of this doctrine are possible that are not vulnerable to standard, popular objections.Less
It was argued in the previous chapter that viewing the incarnational narrative as non-historical myth is a great loss, since without historicity, the narrative cannot be seen as a record of the divine actions whereby a historical relationship between humans and God is established. Nor proposals to view the narrative as myth take seriously the problem traditionally described by theologians under the concept of human sinfulness. It is only when it is seen how difficult it is to establish a proper relation with God that the significance of the narrative that tells how such a relation is made possible gains its full power. It is in the doctrine of atonement that the Christian faith has traditionally expressed its view of how Jesus made it possible for this relation to be healed, and classical theories of atonement are attempts to articulate how God’s actions in history make salvation possible (although the idea that Jesus atoned for humans by his life, death and resurrection is regarded by many as raising more difficulties than it solves). This chapter attempts to show that the need for atonement is still evident in human experience, and that versions of this doctrine are possible that are not vulnerable to standard, popular objections.
Stephen Gill
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199268771
- eISBN:
- 9780191730832
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199268771.003.0003
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century Literature and Romanticism, Poetry
The chapter examines the development of Book One of The Excursion, from its origins as The Ruined Cottage in 1797 through to final revision in 1845. A detailed account is provided of the poem’s ...
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The chapter examines the development of Book One of The Excursion, from its origins as The Ruined Cottage in 1797 through to final revision in 1845. A detailed account is provided of the poem’s evolution through various manuscript versions. The poem’s relation to other contemporaneous work and to Wordsworth’s emerging aesthetic theories is established. The evolution of the figure of the Pedlar is traced and the significance of his upbringing in the Scottish church is brought out. As the poet attempts to define what kind of consolation can properly be found in a story such as that of Margaret, he moves towards an explicitly Christian faith. Such a faith it is argued, contrary to received critical opinion, was always present even in the Pedlar’s much-discussed exposition of ‘natural wisdom’. The final revisions to the poem are situated more firmly in the religious experience of the poet’s last decade.Less
The chapter examines the development of Book One of The Excursion, from its origins as The Ruined Cottage in 1797 through to final revision in 1845. A detailed account is provided of the poem’s evolution through various manuscript versions. The poem’s relation to other contemporaneous work and to Wordsworth’s emerging aesthetic theories is established. The evolution of the figure of the Pedlar is traced and the significance of his upbringing in the Scottish church is brought out. As the poet attempts to define what kind of consolation can properly be found in a story such as that of Margaret, he moves towards an explicitly Christian faith. Such a faith it is argued, contrary to received critical opinion, was always present even in the Pedlar’s much-discussed exposition of ‘natural wisdom’. The final revisions to the poem are situated more firmly in the religious experience of the poet’s last decade.
Maurizio Viroli
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691142357
- eISBN:
- 9781400845514
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691142357.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
This introductory chapter provides a historical sketch of the emergence of Italian liberty. In the republics of the late Middle Ages, in the Risorgimento, and in the struggle against fascism, Italian ...
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This introductory chapter provides a historical sketch of the emergence of Italian liberty. In the republics of the late Middle Ages, in the Risorgimento, and in the struggle against fascism, Italian liberty was the work of religious men and women. Many of them possessed a sincere Christian faith, often quite distant from or in stark contrast with the teaching of the Catholic Church; others did not believe in any revealed religion but instead were believers and apostles—sometimes martyrs—of a religion they called a “religion of duty” or “religion of liberty.” Both the former and the latter people, regardless of the theological content of their convictions, were religious because they lived their lives as a mission—that is, with devotion to the ideal of liberty.Less
This introductory chapter provides a historical sketch of the emergence of Italian liberty. In the republics of the late Middle Ages, in the Risorgimento, and in the struggle against fascism, Italian liberty was the work of religious men and women. Many of them possessed a sincere Christian faith, often quite distant from or in stark contrast with the teaching of the Catholic Church; others did not believe in any revealed religion but instead were believers and apostles—sometimes martyrs—of a religion they called a “religion of duty” or “religion of liberty.” Both the former and the latter people, regardless of the theological content of their convictions, were religious because they lived their lives as a mission—that is, with devotion to the ideal of liberty.
Curtiss Paul DeYoung
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195152159
- eISBN:
- 9780199849659
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195152159.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Malcolm X and Saul of Tarsus had something in common—they were both born into minority groups. Both of them embraced their native cultures, and although they also embraced their Christian faith, they ...
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Malcolm X and Saul of Tarsus had something in common—they were both born into minority groups. Both of them embraced their native cultures, and although they also embraced their Christian faith, they shunned those who made up the majority and comprised the dominant culture. However, at some point in their lives, both of them changed worldviews and came to realize that everyone should be coexisting, worshiping, and practicing the Christian faith as one. An endeavor to establish more multiracial congregations in Christianity across the United States would entail a shift in basic belief systems and in organizational practices as several adjustments would need to be made. This chapter attempts to understand what it means to acquire a revised theological worldview and how this would enable the development and sustainment of multiracial congregations.Less
Malcolm X and Saul of Tarsus had something in common—they were both born into minority groups. Both of them embraced their native cultures, and although they also embraced their Christian faith, they shunned those who made up the majority and comprised the dominant culture. However, at some point in their lives, both of them changed worldviews and came to realize that everyone should be coexisting, worshiping, and practicing the Christian faith as one. An endeavor to establish more multiracial congregations in Christianity across the United States would entail a shift in basic belief systems and in organizational practices as several adjustments would need to be made. This chapter attempts to understand what it means to acquire a revised theological worldview and how this would enable the development and sustainment of multiracial congregations.
Curtiss Paul DeYoung
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195152159
- eISBN:
- 9780199849659
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195152159.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
The first congregation of Christian faith was comprised of followers of Jesus from Galilee who gathered days after the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. These events, along with the ascension of ...
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The first congregation of Christian faith was comprised of followers of Jesus from Galilee who gathered days after the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. These events, along with the ascension of Jesus into Heaven, paved the way for a new batch of disciples to step forward since Jesus was no longer physically present to guide and preach the people. These early followers, however, experienced difficulties in fulfilling what Jesus envisioned as a house of prayer for all the nations. This chapter illustrates how the authors of the New Testament perceived how the Christian church developed and how this church was welcomed by people of various ethnic backgrounds and cultures.Less
The first congregation of Christian faith was comprised of followers of Jesus from Galilee who gathered days after the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. These events, along with the ascension of Jesus into Heaven, paved the way for a new batch of disciples to step forward since Jesus was no longer physically present to guide and preach the people. These early followers, however, experienced difficulties in fulfilling what Jesus envisioned as a house of prayer for all the nations. This chapter illustrates how the authors of the New Testament perceived how the Christian church developed and how this church was welcomed by people of various ethnic backgrounds and cultures.
