Morwenna Ludlow
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199280766
- eISBN:
- 9780191712906
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199280766.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
The 4th-century Christian thinker, Gregory of Nyssa, has been the subject of a huge variety of interpretations over the past fifty years, from historians, theologians, philosophers, and others. This ...
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The 4th-century Christian thinker, Gregory of Nyssa, has been the subject of a huge variety of interpretations over the past fifty years, from historians, theologians, philosophers, and others. This study analyses these recent readings of Gregory of Nyssa and asks: what do they reveal about modern and post-modern interpretations of the Christian past? What do they say about the nature of Gregory's writing? Working thematically through studies of recent Trinitarian theology, Christology, spirituality, feminism, and post-modern hermeneutics, the book develops an approach to reading the Church Fathers which combines the benefits of traditional scholarship on the early Church with reception-history and theology.Less
The 4th-century Christian thinker, Gregory of Nyssa, has been the subject of a huge variety of interpretations over the past fifty years, from historians, theologians, philosophers, and others. This study analyses these recent readings of Gregory of Nyssa and asks: what do they reveal about modern and post-modern interpretations of the Christian past? What do they say about the nature of Gregory's writing? Working thematically through studies of recent Trinitarian theology, Christology, spirituality, feminism, and post-modern hermeneutics, the book develops an approach to reading the Church Fathers which combines the benefits of traditional scholarship on the early Church with reception-history and theology.
Benjamin J. King
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199548132
- eISBN:
- 9780191720383
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199548132.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
John Henry (later Cardinal) Newman is widely known to have been devoted to reading the Church Fathers. By exploring which Fathers interested Newman most and when, using both published and archive ...
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John Henry (later Cardinal) Newman is widely known to have been devoted to reading the Church Fathers. By exploring which Fathers interested Newman most and when, using both published and archive material, this book demonstrates the influence of the various Alexandrian theologians in different periods of Newman's life. In each of these periods, the book draws a causal connection between the patristic theology Newman was reading and his own developing theology, revealing how key events in these periods changed the theologian's interpretation of the Fathers. The book argues that ultimately Newman tailored his reading of the Church Fathers to fit his own needs. Seemingly ‘trying on’ the ideas of different Fathers in turn, Newman began with those who predated the Council of Nicaea in the late 1820s, moving on to the post-Nicenes during his research into Christological controversies in the mid-1830s, and finding Athanasius the best fit in the 1840s. By the 1870s, his reading of Athanasius was tailored to Catholic tastes and, measuring Origen up with the interpretations made by Aquinas, Newman found him a better fit than he had in the 1840s. A careful comparison of Newman's translations of Athanasius from 1842–44 and 1881, not previously undertaken, demonstrates that in 1881 it is not so much Aquinas as the neo-Thomism of the teachers of Leo XIII whom he read back into Athanasius.Less
John Henry (later Cardinal) Newman is widely known to have been devoted to reading the Church Fathers. By exploring which Fathers interested Newman most and when, using both published and archive material, this book demonstrates the influence of the various Alexandrian theologians in different periods of Newman's life. In each of these periods, the book draws a causal connection between the patristic theology Newman was reading and his own developing theology, revealing how key events in these periods changed the theologian's interpretation of the Fathers. The book argues that ultimately Newman tailored his reading of the Church Fathers to fit his own needs. Seemingly ‘trying on’ the ideas of different Fathers in turn, Newman began with those who predated the Council of Nicaea in the late 1820s, moving on to the post-Nicenes during his research into Christological controversies in the mid-1830s, and finding Athanasius the best fit in the 1840s. By the 1870s, his reading of Athanasius was tailored to Catholic tastes and, measuring Origen up with the interpretations made by Aquinas, Newman found him a better fit than he had in the 1840s. A careful comparison of Newman's translations of Athanasius from 1842–44 and 1881, not previously undertaken, demonstrates that in 1881 it is not so much Aquinas as the neo-Thomism of the teachers of Leo XIII whom he read back into Athanasius.
Dewey D. Wallace, Jr.
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199744831
- eISBN:
- 9780199897339
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199744831.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
The last Calvinist discussed in this book is John Edwards, whose father Thomas Edwards had been a Puritan heresiographer. Nonetheless he conformed to the Church of England in 1660, picturing himself ...
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The last Calvinist discussed in this book is John Edwards, whose father Thomas Edwards had been a Puritan heresiographer. Nonetheless he conformed to the Church of England in 1660, picturing himself as embattled in that church as he defended Calvin against detractors, argued that the Church of England's theology was properly Calvinist, and continued the struggle against Arminianism within it. Unlike others in this book, he proudly claimed the term “Calvinist” for himself. He confronted the challenges discussed in other chapters—the new science, Deism, scoffing, atheism, Socinianism, Anti-Trinitarianism—opposing them in numerous writings that dealt with epistemology, the role and definition of reason, natural theology, and the authority of scripture. Like others in the Church of England at that time he was deeply interested in the Church Fathers.Less
The last Calvinist discussed in this book is John Edwards, whose father Thomas Edwards had been a Puritan heresiographer. Nonetheless he conformed to the Church of England in 1660, picturing himself as embattled in that church as he defended Calvin against detractors, argued that the Church of England's theology was properly Calvinist, and continued the struggle against Arminianism within it. Unlike others in this book, he proudly claimed the term “Calvinist” for himself. He confronted the challenges discussed in other chapters—the new science, Deism, scoffing, atheism, Socinianism, Anti-Trinitarianism—opposing them in numerous writings that dealt with epistemology, the role and definition of reason, natural theology, and the authority of scripture. Like others in the Church of England at that time he was deeply interested in the Church Fathers.
Rowan Williams and Frances Young
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264348
- eISBN:
- 9780191734250
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264348.003.0015
- Subject:
- History, Historiography
Maurice Frank Wiles (1923–2005), a Fellow of the British Academy, was an Anglican theologian who was able within that tradition to develop the field of ‘doctrinal criticism’. He began his career ...
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Maurice Frank Wiles (1923–2005), a Fellow of the British Academy, was an Anglican theologian who was able within that tradition to develop the field of ‘doctrinal criticism’. He began his career concentrating on the period of the early Fathers of the Church, and it was this grounding that sowed the seeds of his later work on modern doctrine. Arianism would remain a particular interest. Yet Wiles retained a profound respect for tradition and, like the Fathers, constantly measured his doctrinal critique against the experience of believers in life and worship, regarding theology as second-order discourse – reflection on the significance of what was primary for Christianity, such as the experience of salvation. During his student days two people particularly influenced him: Ian Ramsey, who was Chaplain of his college and his first Theology tutor; and Henry Chadwick, who encouraged his early research in the Church Fathers. The evolution of Wiles' thinking is perhaps best observed in the collection published as Working Papers in Doctrine.Less
Maurice Frank Wiles (1923–2005), a Fellow of the British Academy, was an Anglican theologian who was able within that tradition to develop the field of ‘doctrinal criticism’. He began his career concentrating on the period of the early Fathers of the Church, and it was this grounding that sowed the seeds of his later work on modern doctrine. Arianism would remain a particular interest. Yet Wiles retained a profound respect for tradition and, like the Fathers, constantly measured his doctrinal critique against the experience of believers in life and worship, regarding theology as second-order discourse – reflection on the significance of what was primary for Christianity, such as the experience of salvation. During his student days two people particularly influenced him: Ian Ramsey, who was Chaplain of his college and his first Theology tutor; and Henry Chadwick, who encouraged his early research in the Church Fathers. The evolution of Wiles' thinking is perhaps best observed in the collection published as Working Papers in Doctrine.
ANDREW LOUTH
- Published in print:
- 1989
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198261964
- eISBN:
- 9780191682261
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198261964.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Early Christian Studies
This chapter presents an essay on the Church Fathers' use of allegory in interpreting the Scriptures. It explains that for the Fathers allegory is not merely a stylistic habit but rather it is bound ...
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This chapter presents an essay on the Church Fathers' use of allegory in interpreting the Scriptures. It explains that for the Fathers allegory is not merely a stylistic habit but rather it is bound up with their whole understanding of tradition as the tacit dimension of the Christian life. They consider allegory as the path towards the so-called margin of silence that surrounds the articulate message of the Scriptures and as way of obtaining a deeper understanding of tradition from the perspective of the texts of the Scriptures.Less
This chapter presents an essay on the Church Fathers' use of allegory in interpreting the Scriptures. It explains that for the Fathers allegory is not merely a stylistic habit but rather it is bound up with their whole understanding of tradition as the tacit dimension of the Christian life. They consider allegory as the path towards the so-called margin of silence that surrounds the articulate message of the Scriptures and as way of obtaining a deeper understanding of tradition from the perspective of the texts of the Scriptures.
Richard A. Muller
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195157017
- eISBN:
- 9780199849581
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195157017.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter moves past the basic issue of definition and approach and raises the question of the actual sources and materials used by the Protestant scholastics of the 17th century in the fashioning ...
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This chapter moves past the basic issue of definition and approach and raises the question of the actual sources and materials used by the Protestant scholastics of the 17th century in the fashioning of their theological world, noting the Renaissance and medieval backgrounds of Reformed orthodoxy, and arguing that the sources used and the way they were used, support the redefinition and reappraisal proposed in the initial study. It examines the following sources: Scripture, exegesis, and ancillary disciplines; the ancient creeds and the confessions of the Reformed churches; the Church Fathers; the theological tradition; and the philosophical tradition.Less
This chapter moves past the basic issue of definition and approach and raises the question of the actual sources and materials used by the Protestant scholastics of the 17th century in the fashioning of their theological world, noting the Renaissance and medieval backgrounds of Reformed orthodoxy, and arguing that the sources used and the way they were used, support the redefinition and reappraisal proposed in the initial study. It examines the following sources: Scripture, exegesis, and ancillary disciplines; the ancient creeds and the confessions of the Reformed churches; the Church Fathers; the theological tradition; and the philosophical tradition.
Philipp W. Rosemann
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195155440
- eISBN:
- 9780199849871
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195155440.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
Religious texts seem to share a significant characteristic. They possess a narrative structure, as opposed to presenting a rational argument. This chapter analyzes how traditions develop around texts ...
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Religious texts seem to share a significant characteristic. They possess a narrative structure, as opposed to presenting a rational argument. This chapter analyzes how traditions develop around texts that have acquired such authoritative status as to become foundational. The New Testament, while fundamentally narrative in structure, encourages theological reflection, and that means, in other words, the penetration of the faith by means of reason. The chapter gives an overview of the theological debates and reflections of Latin Fathers, Church Fathers, and other religious thinkers in Christian history. The century in which Peter Lombard was born and wrote his theology has become a subject largely taught by masters in their own schools. It has been reasoned that Peter Lombard created a system that would render the faith as intelligible as humanly possible through comprehensive coverage of all its major themes in a methodical order and the application of dialectical procedures to several layers of authoritative texts.Less
Religious texts seem to share a significant characteristic. They possess a narrative structure, as opposed to presenting a rational argument. This chapter analyzes how traditions develop around texts that have acquired such authoritative status as to become foundational. The New Testament, while fundamentally narrative in structure, encourages theological reflection, and that means, in other words, the penetration of the faith by means of reason. The chapter gives an overview of the theological debates and reflections of Latin Fathers, Church Fathers, and other religious thinkers in Christian history. The century in which Peter Lombard was born and wrote his theology has become a subject largely taught by masters in their own schools. It has been reasoned that Peter Lombard created a system that would render the faith as intelligible as humanly possible through comprehensive coverage of all its major themes in a methodical order and the application of dialectical procedures to several layers of authoritative texts.
ANDREW LOUTH
- Published in print:
- 1989
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198261964
- eISBN:
- 9780191682261
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198261964.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Early Christian Studies
This chapter presents an essay on the conflict between Catholics and Protestants concerning the use of tradition to support theological positions that cannot be proved from the Scripture. It explores ...
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This chapter presents an essay on the conflict between Catholics and Protestants concerning the use of tradition to support theological positions that cannot be proved from the Scripture. It explores some of the dimensions and implications of the understanding of tradition found in the Church Fathers and analyses the pattern of theological understanding that emerged from their attitude towards tradition. It suggests that despite the opposing positions of the Catholics and Protestants, both groups consider tradition as something comparable with the Scripture, either complementing it or a rival to it.Less
This chapter presents an essay on the conflict between Catholics and Protestants concerning the use of tradition to support theological positions that cannot be proved from the Scripture. It explores some of the dimensions and implications of the understanding of tradition found in the Church Fathers and analyses the pattern of theological understanding that emerged from their attitude towards tradition. It suggests that despite the opposing positions of the Catholics and Protestants, both groups consider tradition as something comparable with the Scripture, either complementing it or a rival to it.
James Davison Hunter
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199730803
- eISBN:
- 9780199777082
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199730803.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
The alternative view of cultural change that assigns roles not only to ideas but also to elites, networks, technology, and new institutions, provides a much better account of the growth in ...
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The alternative view of cultural change that assigns roles not only to ideas but also to elites, networks, technology, and new institutions, provides a much better account of the growth in plausibility and popularity of these important cultural developments. This is the evidence of history—particularly clear in an overview of key moments in church history and the rise of the Enlightenment and its various manifestations. Change in culture or civilization simply does not occur when there is change in the beliefs and values in the hearts and minds of ordinary people or in the creation of mere artifacts.Less
The alternative view of cultural change that assigns roles not only to ideas but also to elites, networks, technology, and new institutions, provides a much better account of the growth in plausibility and popularity of these important cultural developments. This is the evidence of history—particularly clear in an overview of key moments in church history and the rise of the Enlightenment and its various manifestations. Change in culture or civilization simply does not occur when there is change in the beliefs and values in the hearts and minds of ordinary people or in the creation of mere artifacts.
Nicholas Hardy and Dmitri Levitin (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780197266601
- eISBN:
- 9780191896057
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197266601.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religious Studies
This volume examines the relationship between the history of scholarship and the history of Christianity in the early modern period. Leading British, American and continental scholars explore the ...
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This volume examines the relationship between the history of scholarship and the history of Christianity in the early modern period. Leading British, American and continental scholars explore the ways in which erudition contributed to—or clashed with—the formation of confessional identities in the wake of the Reformation, at individual, institutional, national and international levels. Covering Catholics and Protestants in equal measure, the essays assess biblical criticism; the study of the church fathers; the ecclesiastical censorship of scholarly works; oriental studies and the engagement with Near Eastern languages, texts and communities; and the relationship between developments in scholarship and other domains, including practical piety, natural philosophy, and the universities and seminaries where most intellectual activity was still conducted. One of the volume’s main strengths is its chronological coverage. It begins with an unprecedentedly detailed and comprehensive review of the scholarly literature in this field and proceeds with case studies ranging from the early Reformation to the eighteenth century. The volume also features the publication of a remarkable new manuscript detailing Isaac Newton’s early theological studies in 1670s Cambridge. It will be of interest not only to early modern intellectual and religious historians, but also to those with broader interests in religious change, the reception of oriental and classical sources and traditions, the history of science, and in the sociology of knowledge.Less
This volume examines the relationship between the history of scholarship and the history of Christianity in the early modern period. Leading British, American and continental scholars explore the ways in which erudition contributed to—or clashed with—the formation of confessional identities in the wake of the Reformation, at individual, institutional, national and international levels. Covering Catholics and Protestants in equal measure, the essays assess biblical criticism; the study of the church fathers; the ecclesiastical censorship of scholarly works; oriental studies and the engagement with Near Eastern languages, texts and communities; and the relationship between developments in scholarship and other domains, including practical piety, natural philosophy, and the universities and seminaries where most intellectual activity was still conducted. One of the volume’s main strengths is its chronological coverage. It begins with an unprecedentedly detailed and comprehensive review of the scholarly literature in this field and proceeds with case studies ranging from the early Reformation to the eighteenth century. The volume also features the publication of a remarkable new manuscript detailing Isaac Newton’s early theological studies in 1670s Cambridge. It will be of interest not only to early modern intellectual and religious historians, but also to those with broader interests in religious change, the reception of oriental and classical sources and traditions, the history of science, and in the sociology of knowledge.
Timothy Bellamah, O.P.
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199753604
- eISBN:
- 9780199918812
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199753604.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Chapter 4 examines William’s use of sources. A hallmark of medieval commentary was extensive borrowing from the works of earlier writers. More specific to university commentary was the use of broader ...
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Chapter 4 examines William’s use of sources. A hallmark of medieval commentary was extensive borrowing from the works of earlier writers. More specific to university commentary was the use of broader ranges of them and the application of specialized dialectical procedures for integrating them into original and coherent expositions. Because the pedagogy of the time required the use of authoritative texts, university commentators devoted considerable effort to reconciling them with one another, as well as with the church’s doctrine. In this endeavor, William made use of several dialectical techniques, but without obscuring the identities or meanings of various authorities in order to disguise their disagreements. Even more than his contemporaries, he tended to discuss differences openly, sometimes adjudicating between authoritative interpretations but more often putting all of them forward as alternatives. In evidence here is a concern for maintaining the broadest possible scope for literal interpretation.Less
Chapter 4 examines William’s use of sources. A hallmark of medieval commentary was extensive borrowing from the works of earlier writers. More specific to university commentary was the use of broader ranges of them and the application of specialized dialectical procedures for integrating them into original and coherent expositions. Because the pedagogy of the time required the use of authoritative texts, university commentators devoted considerable effort to reconciling them with one another, as well as with the church’s doctrine. In this endeavor, William made use of several dialectical techniques, but without obscuring the identities or meanings of various authorities in order to disguise their disagreements. Even more than his contemporaries, he tended to discuss differences openly, sometimes adjudicating between authoritative interpretations but more often putting all of them forward as alternatives. In evidence here is a concern for maintaining the broadest possible scope for literal interpretation.
Matthew Levering
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199604524
- eISBN:
- 9780191729317
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199604524.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, History of Christianity
Chapter Two argues that the Church Fathers develop insightful but almost inevitably one-sided approaches to the New Testament's teachings on predestination. Origen emphasizes the Creator's unlimited ...
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Chapter Two argues that the Church Fathers develop insightful but almost inevitably one-sided approaches to the New Testament's teachings on predestination. Origen emphasizes the Creator's unlimited love for each and every rational creature, and he assumes the predestination of all to salvation. Augustine insists that the New Testament teaches God's utterly gratuitous predestination from eternity of only some rational creatures. John of Damascus highlights the power of created free will to rebel against God's love, with corresponding limitations as regards God's eternal providence in bringing about the salvation of rational creatures. Although Boethius does not treat predestination, his exposition of divine eternity and foreknowledge lends support to Augustine's theology of predestination.Less
Chapter Two argues that the Church Fathers develop insightful but almost inevitably one-sided approaches to the New Testament's teachings on predestination. Origen emphasizes the Creator's unlimited love for each and every rational creature, and he assumes the predestination of all to salvation. Augustine insists that the New Testament teaches God's utterly gratuitous predestination from eternity of only some rational creatures. John of Damascus highlights the power of created free will to rebel against God's love, with corresponding limitations as regards God's eternal providence in bringing about the salvation of rational creatures. Although Boethius does not treat predestination, his exposition of divine eternity and foreknowledge lends support to Augustine's theology of predestination.
Daniel J. Lattier
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- August 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199687589
- eISBN:
- 9780191767166
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199687589.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter provides an overview of the Orthodox theological reception of John Henry Newman that has thus far taken place in the English-speaking world. In particular, it focuses on the reception of ...
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This chapter provides an overview of the Orthodox theological reception of John Henry Newman that has thus far taken place in the English-speaking world. In particular, it focuses on the reception of Newman in four influential Orthodox authors—Georges Florovsky, George Dragas, Andrew Louth, and Jaroslav Pelikan. Common themes dealt with in these authors’ reflections on Newman include the nature of his return to the Church Fathers, his understanding of tradition and doctrinal development, and his view of the relationship between faith and reason. The chapter concludes by pointing towards the strong likelihood of an expanded Orthodox reception of Newman in the near future.Less
This chapter provides an overview of the Orthodox theological reception of John Henry Newman that has thus far taken place in the English-speaking world. In particular, it focuses on the reception of Newman in four influential Orthodox authors—Georges Florovsky, George Dragas, Andrew Louth, and Jaroslav Pelikan. Common themes dealt with in these authors’ reflections on Newman include the nature of his return to the Church Fathers, his understanding of tradition and doctrinal development, and his view of the relationship between faith and reason. The chapter concludes by pointing towards the strong likelihood of an expanded Orthodox reception of Newman in the near future.
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226864877
- eISBN:
- 9780226864907
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226864907.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, European Early Modern History
A description on the meditations on the incarnation of Jesus Christ is provided. Only in the first meditation on the eternal divinity of Christ do the testimonies and pronouncements of the Church ...
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A description on the meditations on the incarnation of Jesus Christ is provided. Only in the first meditation on the eternal divinity of Christ do the testimonies and pronouncements of the Church Fathers and First Church are used. Catharina Regina von Greiffenberg opens the twelve meditations by contemplating the divinity of Christ. To speak of Christ's divinity, she must also ponder the nature of the trinity, that is, of the hypostatic union of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is noted that variation and darkness are necessary for all beautiful things to acquire perfection. Humility is always a companion of gifts of grace and a precursor of sublimity and bliss. It learns from the Most High, who took on substance from substantial insignificance and put it in the company of His divinity. Fear of the Lord is the proper way to worship God.Less
A description on the meditations on the incarnation of Jesus Christ is provided. Only in the first meditation on the eternal divinity of Christ do the testimonies and pronouncements of the Church Fathers and First Church are used. Catharina Regina von Greiffenberg opens the twelve meditations by contemplating the divinity of Christ. To speak of Christ's divinity, she must also ponder the nature of the trinity, that is, of the hypostatic union of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is noted that variation and darkness are necessary for all beautiful things to acquire perfection. Humility is always a companion of gifts of grace and a precursor of sublimity and bliss. It learns from the Most High, who took on substance from substantial insignificance and put it in the company of His divinity. Fear of the Lord is the proper way to worship God.
Alison Salvesen
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781904113713
- eISBN:
- 9781800340169
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781904113713.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Literature
This chapter describes the pedagogical streams and tributaries that preserved fragmentary but precious Jewish teachings in the various corpora of the Church Fathers. It explains the assorted ...
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This chapter describes the pedagogical streams and tributaries that preserved fragmentary but precious Jewish teachings in the various corpora of the Church Fathers. It explains the assorted sub-surface channels and teachers that use the narrative materials of the Jews, such as the iudaicae fabulae, and exegetical points that redirected to St. Jerome. Jerome is best known for what came to be called the Vulgate rendering of the books of the Jewish canon of the Old Testament. His own term for his version was the Iuxta Hebraeos, the version according to the Hebrews. This chapter also discusses a large number of lengthy letters, homilies, onomasticon, various anti-heretical works, and a series of commentaries written by Jerome that Christians consider to be the prophetic books of the Old Testament.Less
This chapter describes the pedagogical streams and tributaries that preserved fragmentary but precious Jewish teachings in the various corpora of the Church Fathers. It explains the assorted sub-surface channels and teachers that use the narrative materials of the Jews, such as the iudaicae fabulae, and exegetical points that redirected to St. Jerome. Jerome is best known for what came to be called the Vulgate rendering of the books of the Jewish canon of the Old Testament. His own term for his version was the Iuxta Hebraeos, the version according to the Hebrews. This chapter also discusses a large number of lengthy letters, homilies, onomasticon, various anti-heretical works, and a series of commentaries written by Jerome that Christians consider to be the prophetic books of the Old Testament.
Marc Zvi Brettler, Peter Enns, and Daniel J. Harrington, S.J.
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199863006
- eISBN:
- 9780199979967
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199863006.003.0000
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
The jointly authored introduction defines biblical criticism (or the historical-critical method) broadly as the process of establishing the original, contextual meaning of biblical texts and of ...
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The jointly authored introduction defines biblical criticism (or the historical-critical method) broadly as the process of establishing the original, contextual meaning of biblical texts and of assessing their historical accuracy. Next it traces the history of biblical criticism in both the Jewish (rabbis, Rashi) and Christian (Church Fathers, Luther) traditions. Then it describes the emergence of biblical criticism with Baruch Spinoza and its development especially in liberal German Protestant circles (Ernst Troeltsch, Julius Wellhausen).Less
The jointly authored introduction defines biblical criticism (or the historical-critical method) broadly as the process of establishing the original, contextual meaning of biblical texts and of assessing their historical accuracy. Next it traces the history of biblical criticism in both the Jewish (rabbis, Rashi) and Christian (Church Fathers, Luther) traditions. Then it describes the emergence of biblical criticism with Baruch Spinoza and its development especially in liberal German Protestant circles (Ernst Troeltsch, Julius Wellhausen).
James Carey
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780823251445
- eISBN:
- 9780823252909
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823251445.003.0015
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
A concern of present-day philosophy is the problem identified by Edmund Husserl as “sedimentation.” This chapter looks at this concept. In time, sedimentation occurs—sedimentation not only of the ...
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A concern of present-day philosophy is the problem identified by Edmund Husserl as “sedimentation.” This chapter looks at this concept. In time, sedimentation occurs—sedimentation not only of the meaning of the concept but also of its problematic character, which did not go unnoticed by those who first came up with the concept. The concept of nature has become almost completely sedimented in our time. Today nature is most often held to be just the totality of things that are, apart from man. This chapter urges Orthodox bishops and theologians, as they contemplate incorporating “the environment” and cognate words into the liturgical and theological language of the Church, to scrutinize the concept they refer to as soberly, cautiously, and critically as the Church Fathers centuries before them scrutinized the concept of nature.Less
A concern of present-day philosophy is the problem identified by Edmund Husserl as “sedimentation.” This chapter looks at this concept. In time, sedimentation occurs—sedimentation not only of the meaning of the concept but also of its problematic character, which did not go unnoticed by those who first came up with the concept. The concept of nature has become almost completely sedimented in our time. Today nature is most often held to be just the totality of things that are, apart from man. This chapter urges Orthodox bishops and theologians, as they contemplate incorporating “the environment” and cognate words into the liturgical and theological language of the Church, to scrutinize the concept they refer to as soberly, cautiously, and critically as the Church Fathers centuries before them scrutinized the concept of nature.
W. B. Patterson
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- December 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199681525
- eISBN:
- 9780191773235
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199681525.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History, Theology
William Perkins, usually identified as a Puritan, devoted much of his career to making the teachings of the established Church better known and appreciated. He regarded Puritan as a ‘vile’ term, and ...
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William Perkins, usually identified as a Puritan, devoted much of his career to making the teachings of the established Church better known and appreciated. He regarded Puritan as a ‘vile’ term, and he was not a member of what is usually known as the Elizabethan Puritan Movement. He was a Reformed Christian in his theology—the tradition in which Calvin was a leading thinker—but he accepted the government, liturgy, and discipline of the established Church. He sought to lead students, clergy, and the general public to a richer understanding of the fundamental principles of the Christian faith. His A Reformed Catholike (1597) states clearly the teachings of the Church of England and distinguishes them from those of the Church of Rome, while he shows that the two churches share many concerns. Perkins claims the heritage of the scriptures, the Fathers of the Church, and leading scholastic theologians for English religious practices and beliefs.Less
William Perkins, usually identified as a Puritan, devoted much of his career to making the teachings of the established Church better known and appreciated. He regarded Puritan as a ‘vile’ term, and he was not a member of what is usually known as the Elizabethan Puritan Movement. He was a Reformed Christian in his theology—the tradition in which Calvin was a leading thinker—but he accepted the government, liturgy, and discipline of the established Church. He sought to lead students, clergy, and the general public to a richer understanding of the fundamental principles of the Christian faith. His A Reformed Catholike (1597) states clearly the teachings of the Church of England and distinguishes them from those of the Church of Rome, while he shows that the two churches share many concerns. Perkins claims the heritage of the scriptures, the Fathers of the Church, and leading scholastic theologians for English religious practices and beliefs.
William Lane Craig
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198786887
- eISBN:
- 9780191829024
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198786887.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
The biblical and patristic witness to the doctrine of divine aseity and God’s status as the only uncreated (agenētos) being is expounded in detail through a careful exegesis of original texts. The ...
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The biblical and patristic witness to the doctrine of divine aseity and God’s status as the only uncreated (agenētos) being is expounded in detail through a careful exegesis of original texts. The Prologue of the Gospel of John reflects the intellectual heritage of Middle Platonism, with its Logos doctrine of creation. The similarities between John’s doctrine and that of Philo of Alexandria are particularly striking. Middle Platonists like Philo located the realm of abstract objects solely in the divine Logos. Because John’s emphasis is soteriological rather than metaphysical, he does not reflect on the pre-creation role of the Logos, but his language is entirely consistent with the Middle Platonic view. Similarly, in several of his epistles Paul reflects a Middle Platonic background, replacing the Logos or Wisdom with Christ. The Ante-Nicene Church Fathers held emphatically that there is but one agenētos from which all else derives, a conviction that comes to expression in the Nicene Creed. Arguments based on perfect being theology reinforce the traditional doctrine that God alone is uncreated. For if God depends for His deity upon His abstract, independently existing nature, then God does not exist a se.Less
The biblical and patristic witness to the doctrine of divine aseity and God’s status as the only uncreated (agenētos) being is expounded in detail through a careful exegesis of original texts. The Prologue of the Gospel of John reflects the intellectual heritage of Middle Platonism, with its Logos doctrine of creation. The similarities between John’s doctrine and that of Philo of Alexandria are particularly striking. Middle Platonists like Philo located the realm of abstract objects solely in the divine Logos. Because John’s emphasis is soteriological rather than metaphysical, he does not reflect on the pre-creation role of the Logos, but his language is entirely consistent with the Middle Platonic view. Similarly, in several of his epistles Paul reflects a Middle Platonic background, replacing the Logos or Wisdom with Christ. The Ante-Nicene Church Fathers held emphatically that there is but one agenētos from which all else derives, a conviction that comes to expression in the Nicene Creed. Arguments based on perfect being theology reinforce the traditional doctrine that God alone is uncreated. For if God depends for His deity upon His abstract, independently existing nature, then God does not exist a se.
Anthony Cordingley
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781474440608
- eISBN:
- 9781474453868
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474440608.003.0006
- Subject:
- Literature, 20th-century Literature and Modernism
This chapter expands upon the Christian themes introduced in the previous chapter. It identifies intertextual discourse with the Psalms, Early Church Fathers, Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine and certain ...
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This chapter expands upon the Christian themes introduced in the previous chapter. It identifies intertextual discourse with the Psalms, Early Church Fathers, Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine and certain neo-Platonists. It explores the importance of desert mysticism and notions of ascesis within the novel, and links this with multiple allusions to the inward turn or practised indifference of seventeenth-century Rationalists, notably Malebranche and Geulincx, and Quietists such as Fénelon, or the philosophy of Spinoza. How It Is is then argued to be Beckett’s most sustained engagement with Geulingian ethics. When Beckett draws on mysticism, Rationalism, Occasionalism and the conceptualisation of freewill in each, he is shown to thematize artistic originality and the agency of narrative voice, its relationship to the authorial voice.Less
This chapter expands upon the Christian themes introduced in the previous chapter. It identifies intertextual discourse with the Psalms, Early Church Fathers, Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine and certain neo-Platonists. It explores the importance of desert mysticism and notions of ascesis within the novel, and links this with multiple allusions to the inward turn or practised indifference of seventeenth-century Rationalists, notably Malebranche and Geulincx, and Quietists such as Fénelon, or the philosophy of Spinoza. How It Is is then argued to be Beckett’s most sustained engagement with Geulingian ethics. When Beckett draws on mysticism, Rationalism, Occasionalism and the conceptualisation of freewill in each, he is shown to thematize artistic originality and the agency of narrative voice, its relationship to the authorial voice.