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Gilson and the Ressourcement

Francesca Aran Murphy

in Ressourcement: A Movement for Renewal in Twentieth-Century Catholic Theology

Gilson belongs to an older generation than the ressourcement writers. He differs from the ressourcement thinkers in being more of a Thomist than an Augustinian, and he understood this distinction to ... More

Gilson belongs to an older generation than the ressourcement writers. He differs from the ressourcement thinkers in being more of a Thomist than an Augustinian, and he understood this distinction to mean that metaphysical truth is the ground of the ethical good (and not vice versa). But simultaneously, Gilson contributed to the ressourcement by the concrete and vital conception of truth which he claimed to find in St. Thomas. His promulgation of ‘Christian philosophy’ also enabled him to highlight the Augustinian, theologically biased, elements in Thomas's thought. Gilson's proximity to what is best in the ressourcement is indicated by what he has in common with Newman: a preference for the real and the concrete over notional and merely grammatical truth.Less

The Avicennan Heritage

Jon McGinnis

in Avicenna

Prior to Avicenna, philosophy in Arabic-speaking lands was identified with a Neoplatonized Aristotelianism; however, after him it was Avicenna’s philosophical vision that came to dominate, which ... More

Prior to Avicenna, philosophy in Arabic-speaking lands was identified with a Neoplatonized Aristotelianism; however, after him it was Avicenna’s philosophical vision that came to dominate, which itself incorporated the best of ancient Greek science and philosophy with the Islamic religion, law, and theology. Even among later Jewish and Christian philosophers, Avicenna was to have a significant influence. This chapter, thus, considers some of the more notable instances of Avicenna’s influence both on Judeo-Islamic philosophical theology and Christian scholasticism. The chapter gestures at Avicenna’s influence on such luminaries within the intellectual circles of Muslims and Jews as the great Islamic theologian al-Ghazālī, as-Suhrawardī, the founder of the Illuminationist school, and the renowned Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides, while Christian philosophers in the Latin West inspired by Avicenna include Albert the Great, Thomas Aquinas, and Duns Scotus.Less

Can Philosophy Be Christian?: The New State of the Question The New State of the Question April 7, 1999

Avery Cardinal Dulles

in Church and Society: The Laurence J. McGinley Lectures, 1988-2007

This chapter examines the possibility of a Christian philosophy, distinguishing between the roles of faith and reason. Christian philosophers have reached no agreement about ... More

This chapter examines the possibility of a Christian philosophy, distinguishing between the roles of faith and reason. Christian philosophers have reached no agreement about how philosophy is related to faith. The classical positions fall into three main types. According to the first school of thought, there is a Christian philosophy, and in fact the only true and adequate philosophy is Christian. The second classical position, from the neo-Thomists of the Louvain school, holds that philosophy must proceed rigorously by its own methods, without allowing itself to be influenced by faith. Between these two contrasting positions there are several mediating positions, which make the third category. Meanwhile, faith and reason, as described by John Paul II, are united like the two natures of Christ, which coexisted without confusion or alteration in a single person. Christian wisdom, similarly, involves a synthesis of theology and philosophy, each supporting and benefiting the other.Less

Introduction

Reid L. Neilson and Terryl L. Givens

in Joseph Smith, Jr.: Reappraisals After Two Centuries

As scholars of the American religious past and present continue to move away from the consensus model, in which the upstart Latter-day Saint tradition had no real fit, and embrace conflict, contact, ... More

As scholars of the American religious past and present continue to move away from the consensus model, in which the upstart Latter-day Saint tradition had no real fit, and embrace conflict, contact, and other methodologies, Joseph Smith is beginning to get a new hearing in scholarly surveys, monographs, textbooks, and articles. The rationale behind this collection is that the day has come when the founder of Mormonism and his prominent role in American history and religious thought can not be denied. The attention paid to Smith’s teachings, charismatic ministry, and religion-making imagination now extends to scholars in American history, religious studies, sociology, biblical studies, Christian philosophy, Literature, and the Humanities--all of whom are represented in this collection. It is our intent to reflect in these pages the wide-ranging interest in Joseph Smith that the commemorative conferences only suggested.Less

Introduction

Lawrence Dewan

in Wisdom, Law, and Virtue: Essays in Thomistic Ethics

This introductory chapter describes the chapters on Christian philosophy included in this volume. These studies were written over a period of more than thirty years; the ... More

This introductory chapter describes the chapters on Christian philosophy included in this volume. These studies were written over a period of more than thirty years; the earliest, Chapter 6, was published in 1971, and the latest, Chapter 20, was presented orally in 2004. These chapters cover subjects including wisdom, human dignity, natural law, legal justice, and virtues.Less

Scotland Moves into the Age of Enlightenment

Alexander Broadie

in A History of Scottish Philosophy

This chapter considers three philosophers of the earliest years of the Scottish Enlightenment: Gershom Carmichael, George Turnbull and Francis Hutcheson. Carmichael, who is critical of many of Samuel ... More

This chapter considers three philosophers of the earliest years of the Scottish Enlightenment: Gershom Carmichael, George Turnbull and Francis Hutcheson. Carmichael, who is critical of many of Samuel Pufendorf's teachings, is for Pufendorf an important aspect of the cultivation of sociability, for the latter argues that the demand ‘that every man must cultivate and preserve sociability so far as he can’ is that to which all the duties are subordinate. The main lines of thinking in Turnbull's Principles of Moral Philosophy and Christian Philosophy are reviewed. Hutcheson wrote An Inquiry into the Original of our Ideas of Beauty and Virtue, a work comprising two treatises, the first concerning beauty and the second concerning virtue. Hutcheson's Essay further emphasises the role of the study of morals as a means to the practice of morality.Less

Philosophy and the Prophetic Challenge

Martin J. De Nys

in Faith, Resistance, and the Future: Daniel Berrigan's Challenge to Catholic Social Thought

This chapter stresses the fruitful interplay between philosophy and prophecy, and the way in which Berrigan mediates the prophetic tradition to the contemporary scene and a unique and compelling way. ... More

This chapter stresses the fruitful interplay between philosophy and prophecy, and the way in which Berrigan mediates the prophetic tradition to the contemporary scene and a unique and compelling way. Self-appropriation, which starts intellectually, and is rooted in the desire to know must complete itself in commitment, in love, and the works of love. Christian philosophers work in a context in which they acknowledge the integrity and critical autonomy of intellectual inquiry, identify philosophical inquiry as a component of a more comprehensive project of self-transcendence and service to the ends of love, and identify the bases of the works of love as a necessary inter-relation between contemplations and engagement. For the Christian philosopher, it is important to call on the prophetic tradition as a resource in doing philosophical work, to critique systemic violence, to do philosophy of religion, and to do one’s work in a university which may be overly-identified with secular culture.Less

Christian Philosophy and Christ Crucified: Fragmentary Theory in Scandalous Power

Paul K. Moser

in Christian Philosophy: Conceptions, Continuations, and Challenges

What is distinctive about Christian philosophy? The history of Christian philosophy does not offer a consensus answer, and much of this history fails to offer a definite answer. One result is a ... More

What is distinctive about Christian philosophy? The history of Christian philosophy does not offer a consensus answer, and much of this history fails to offer a definite answer. One result is a widespread lack of understanding of what this Christian discipline consists of. In this chapter, Paul K. Moser contends that genuine Christian philosophy is Christ-shaped in putting the person of the crucified Christ at its center. Moser draws from the personalism of the apostle Paul regarding divine wisdom to clarify what is distinctive in Christian philosophy. He characterizes the relevant evidence for God in Christ crucified as scandalous power in its being contrary to human expectations. He also finds that the evidence is fragmentary relative to an adequate “worldview,” because it fails to answer many pressing questions, including many questions about unjust suffering. Moser names “resurrectionitis” as part of the problem: that is, an emphasis on the divine power of resurrection to the relative neglect of Christ crucified.Less

Chapter Five: Pope Leo XIII and His Legacy

Luis Cortest

in The Disfigured Face: Traditional Natural Law and Its Encounter with Modernity

This chapter discusses the restoration of Christian philosophy through the works of Pope Leo XIII, particularly in his encyclical letter Aeterni ... More

This chapter discusses the restoration of Christian philosophy through the works of Pope Leo XIII, particularly in his encyclical letter Aeterni Patris. As Pope Leo XII understands it, Christian philosophy is philosophy guided by revelation. He believes that faith could guide reason and that this philosophy would strengthen faith. Leo XIII suggests that Christian philosophy is the best possible philosophy. He is most impressed with the thought of Thomas Aquinas that he holds that the principles established by Thomas could guide Christian philosophers. The chapter argues that it is Leo XIII who proclaimed Thomism the official philosophy of Catholic teachers. For Leo, only those who obey God and follow his commands are free men. The chapter concludes that not many philosophers have defended the dignity of the human person and the family with as much passion as Leo XIII.Less

Is Plantinga-Style Christian Philosophy Really Philosophy?

J. L. Schellenberg

in Christian Philosophy: Conceptions, Continuations, and Challenges

In this chapter John Schellenberg defends the proposal that the intellectual activity associated with Alvin Plantinga’s work on religion, a Reformed sort of Christian philosophy (RCP), isn’t properly ... More

In this chapter John Schellenberg defends the proposal that the intellectual activity associated with Alvin Plantinga’s work on religion, a Reformed sort of Christian philosophy (RCP), isn’t properly regarded as being philosophy at all—not even philosophy of religion. Instead, Schellenberg argues that it is theology. He begins by clarifying how RCP should be understood. Then he presents and defends a condition he calls the Communal Condition, which says that to be doing philosophy one must aim not just to solve certain fundamental problems, or contribute thereto, but to do so together with like-minded others in a shared enterprise leading to informed consensus. Finally, Schellenberg defends the view that, although it satisfies very well a condition sufficient for something to count as theology, RCP cannot satisfy the Communal Condition.Less

Christian Philosophy: Love and Reason

Oliver Davies

in Theology of Transformation: Faith, Freedom, and the Christian Act

In this chapter we explore the work of John Duns Scotus and Meister Eckhart as contesting the primacy of reason against the background of the 1277 condemnation of Aristotelianism. We trace the ... More

In this chapter we explore the work of John Duns Scotus and Meister Eckhart as contesting the primacy of reason against the background of the 1277 condemnation of Aristotelianism. We trace the history of the word ‘intellect’ as indicating a cultural transcendentalism from the time of Jacobi onwards, and argue that this is the inheritance which informs Jean-Luc Marion’s use of the Husserlian term ‘intuition’ in his Villanova debate with Derrida. It is argued that the new neurological paradigm of the self as both body and mind simultaneously encourages the development of theology as a form of critical theory, concerned with freedom and with the appropriate use of the right kind of reason in the different circumstances of life. This is at odds with forms of philosophical theology which continue to presuppose a dualistic structure of the reasoning self.Less

Fragments

in Living Up to Death

This chapter analyzes the nine fragments of Paul Ricouer's book about death. It discusses the issues of time and the author's position as a Christian. This essay comments on the so-called sacrificial ... More

This chapter analyzes the nine fragments of Paul Ricouer's book about death. It discusses the issues of time and the author's position as a Christian. This essay comments on the so-called sacrificial theory and on the notion of a Christian philosopher. It also provides commentary on French philosopher Jacques Derrida's work about life and death.Less

Discerning the Spirit: The Task of Christian Philosophy

Neal DeRoo

in Christian Philosophy: Conceptions, Continuations, and Challenges

In this chapter, Neal DeRoo argues that the primary task of Christian philosophy is discerning the “spirit” of the age and not merely offering rational defenses of theism. It begins by articulating ... More

In this chapter, Neal DeRoo argues that the primary task of Christian philosophy is discerning the “spirit” of the age and not merely offering rational defenses of theism. It begins by articulating the notion of “spirit” (drawn from the later Husserl) that is at work in this chapter. Then it articulates a philosophical anthropology that makes clear how such “spirit” is pre-theoretically operative as a dynamic, religious force in all human action. Next, it argues that discerning, articulating, and clarifying the nature of this “spirit” as it functions in a particular culture or community is the task of Christian philosophy. It ends by showing how diagnosing these spirits of the age is not only an intellectual project, but enables the Christian philosopher to provide a concrete service to the broader Christian community.Less

Benet Perera’s Pious Humanism: Aristotelianism, Philology, and Education in Jesuit Colleges. An Edition of Perera’s Documenta quaedam perutilia

Cristiano Casalini and Christoph Sander

in History of Universities: Volume XXX / 1-2

This chapter discusses the philosophical pedagogy of Benet Perera (1535–1610) through an analysis and transcription of his treatise on the useful, error-free study of Christian philosophy, the ... More

This chapter discusses the philosophical pedagogy of Benet Perera (1535–1610) through an analysis and transcription of his treatise on the useful, error-free study of Christian philosophy, the Documenta quaedam perutilia iis qui in studiis philosophiae cum fructu et sine ullo errore versari student. It places Perera’s treatise within its historical context—that of the Jesuit Roman college of the 1560s—in order to elucidate how his promotion of his own idea of a Christian philosophy for schools provoked criticism among his fellow Romans Diego de Ledesma and Achille Gagliardi. It shows the position of Perera’s project within the multiple forms of Aristotelianism in the early modern period and how Perera was able to justify his own position as ‘sufficiently pious’ through his emphasis on philology as an approach to philosophy. Perera came up with a strictly Christian philosophy curriculum by integrating different trends of Aristotle’s philosophy into his own, even including approaches that were considered impious by some of his fellow Jesuits.Less

John Philoponus: Energetic Revision of the Classical Theory

Johannes Zachhuber

in The Rise of Christian Theology and the End of Ancient Metaphysics: Patristic Philosophy from the Cappadocian Fathers to John of Damascus

This chapter discusses John Philoponus, the major Christian philosopher of the sixth century. A first section discusses his special position as a Christian philosopher who taught Aristotelian and ... More

This chapter discusses John Philoponus, the major Christian philosopher of the sixth century. A first section discusses his special position as a Christian philosopher who taught Aristotelian and Platonic philosophy at Alexandria. The account then turns to his contributions to the Christological debate, primarily his Arbiter. This writing advances a remarkably irenic proposal for a new Patristic philosophy that could bring together Chalcedonians and miaphysites. While his introduction of particular natures follows the logic of miaphysitism, Philoponus in other ways adopts positions connected at the time with Chalcedonian thought. The third section of the chapter introduces the tritheistic controversy. This debate indicates for the first time that adaptations applied to the Cappadocian theory in the interest of Christology had consequences for the original trinitarian settlement. Philoponus’ role in the controversy is discussed in detail. Contrary to most scholars’ views, it can be largely explained within the context of Patristic philosophy.Less

Second-Century Christology: The Word With Us

Brian E. Daley, SJ

in God Visible: Patristic Christology Reconsidered

Major Christian writers in the second century saw Jesus largely in terms of God’s self-revelation in the long history of Israel. Central themes included the person of Jesus as God’s “Beloved,” an ... More

Major Christian writers in the second century saw Jesus largely in terms of God’s self-revelation in the long history of Israel. Central themes included the person of Jesus as God’s “Beloved,” an understanding of his death as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy, the celebration of Jewish liturgical feasts, and a sense that in the Church the ancient vocation of Israel was now being extended to include all nations. Works examined include the Odes of Solomon, a collection of prophetic Syriac hymns; the letters of Ignatius of Antioch; the Ascension of Isaiah; the Paschal homily of Melito of Sardis, developing the understanding of Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection as the final meaning of Israel’s Exodus and its later Passover celebration; and the writings of Justin, the second-century Christian “philosopher,” which identify the story of Jesus, his death and resurrection, as the final embodiment of divine wisdom for Jews and gentiles.Less

Beyond Two-Valued Logics: A Jewish Philosopher’s Take on Recent Trends in Christian Philosophy

Peter Ochs

in Christian Philosophy: Conceptions, Continuations, and Challenges

For this Jewish philosopher, the turn to Christian philosophy, stimulated by Alvin Plantinga and others, was a welcome event, challenging the hegemonic modern model of rationality. Twenty years ... More

For this Jewish philosopher, the turn to Christian philosophy, stimulated by Alvin Plantinga and others, was a welcome event, challenging the hegemonic modern model of rationality. Twenty years later, Peter Ochs remains hopeful about the turn to Christian philosophy, but is also disappointed. He is hopeful because this turn has encouraged turns to other scripturally grounded traditions of rationality as well, including Jewish philosophy. He is also disappointed because the largest sub-society of Christian philosophers has tended to uphold the hegemony of the modern model of logic: practicing and promoting types of two-valued, propositional logic as the standard model of rationality even when applied to subjects toward which Christianity has privileged access. While his appreciation for the turn to Christian philosophy is stronger than his disappointments, he focuses here on the disappointments alone, so that, with limited space, he can address them more fully.Less

Taking the Wager of/on Love: Luce Irigaray and the Caress

James H. Olthuis

in Gazing Through a Prism Darkly: Reflections on Merold Westphal's Hermeneutical Epistemology

This chapter presents connections between the works of Merold Westphal and Luce Irigaray about the “way of love” and wisdom in postmodern Christian philosophy. It reveals that ... More

This chapter presents connections between the works of Merold Westphal and Luce Irigaray about the “way of love” and wisdom in postmodern Christian philosophy. It reveals that love is a gift or calling that needs to be heard and heeded to be experienced as an invigorating blessing.Less