Gerald O’Collins, SJ
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- October 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780198830306
- eISBN:
- 9780191868597
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198830306.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This book opens by establishing the substantial convergence in reflection on Christian tradition proposed by a 1963 report of the Faith and Order Commission (of the World Council of Churches) and the ...
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This book opens by establishing the substantial convergence in reflection on Christian tradition proposed by a 1963 report of the Faith and Order Commission (of the World Council of Churches) and the teaching of Vatican II (1962–5). Despite this ecumenical consensus, in recent years few theologians have written about tradition, and none has looked to the social sciences for insights into the nature and functions of tradition. Drawing above all on sociologists, this work shows the difference that tradition makes in human and religious life. In the light of the divine self-revelation that climaxed with Jesus Christ, the central characteristics of tradition are set out: in particular, its relationship to and distinction from culture. The risen Christ himself is the central Tradition (upper case) at the heart of Christian life. All the baptized faithful, and not merely their ordained leaders, play a role in transmitting tradition. The ‘sense of the faithful’ amounts to a ‘sense of the tradition’. The essential, if invisible, agent of tradition remains always the Holy Spirit. Scripture and tradition function in mutual dependence, as shown by the emergence of the creeds, the image of Christ as the New Adam, and the doctrine of justification (on which a 1999 joint declaration shows substantial agreement now reached by Lutherans, Roman Catholics, and others). The full context of Christian life and history focuses the relationship between Scripture and tradition. The book deals with the challenge of discerning and reforming particular traditions. A closing appendix shows how modern studies of memory—above all, collective memory—can illuminate ways in which tradition works to maintain Christian identity and continuity.Less
This book opens by establishing the substantial convergence in reflection on Christian tradition proposed by a 1963 report of the Faith and Order Commission (of the World Council of Churches) and the teaching of Vatican II (1962–5). Despite this ecumenical consensus, in recent years few theologians have written about tradition, and none has looked to the social sciences for insights into the nature and functions of tradition. Drawing above all on sociologists, this work shows the difference that tradition makes in human and religious life. In the light of the divine self-revelation that climaxed with Jesus Christ, the central characteristics of tradition are set out: in particular, its relationship to and distinction from culture. The risen Christ himself is the central Tradition (upper case) at the heart of Christian life. All the baptized faithful, and not merely their ordained leaders, play a role in transmitting tradition. The ‘sense of the faithful’ amounts to a ‘sense of the tradition’. The essential, if invisible, agent of tradition remains always the Holy Spirit. Scripture and tradition function in mutual dependence, as shown by the emergence of the creeds, the image of Christ as the New Adam, and the doctrine of justification (on which a 1999 joint declaration shows substantial agreement now reached by Lutherans, Roman Catholics, and others). The full context of Christian life and history focuses the relationship between Scripture and tradition. The book deals with the challenge of discerning and reforming particular traditions. A closing appendix shows how modern studies of memory—above all, collective memory—can illuminate ways in which tradition works to maintain Christian identity and continuity.
Scott R. Erwin
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199678372
- eISBN:
- 9780191757808
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199678372.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society, Theology
This chapter examines Niebuhr’s efforts in the years immediately preceding the publication of Irony to apply his theological vision to the rapidly escalating Cold War between the United States and ...
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This chapter examines Niebuhr’s efforts in the years immediately preceding the publication of Irony to apply his theological vision to the rapidly escalating Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Niebuhr struck a balance between remaining politically engaged in opposing Soviet aggression and maintaining a perspective on the shared failings of both countries that perpetuated the conflict. This chapter argues that, in his effort to reach an appropriate equilibrium, Niebuhr had to come to terms with the challenges posed by his own increasingly active role in the historic struggle as an adviser to the U.S. Department of State.Less
This chapter examines Niebuhr’s efforts in the years immediately preceding the publication of Irony to apply his theological vision to the rapidly escalating Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Niebuhr struck a balance between remaining politically engaged in opposing Soviet aggression and maintaining a perspective on the shared failings of both countries that perpetuated the conflict. This chapter argues that, in his effort to reach an appropriate equilibrium, Niebuhr had to come to terms with the challenges posed by his own increasingly active role in the historic struggle as an adviser to the U.S. Department of State.
Gerald O’Collins, SJ
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- October 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780198830306
- eISBN:
- 9780191868597
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198830306.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
We can name particular Christian traditions that have worked and continue to work: for instance, pilgrimages, the use of icons, and the Advent service of Nine Lessons and Carols. Other traditions ...
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We can name particular Christian traditions that have worked and continue to work: for instance, pilgrimages, the use of icons, and the Advent service of Nine Lessons and Carols. Other traditions have been discerned and found wanting: for instance, failures in accepting religious freedom and in relationship with the Jewish people. Shared pastoral experience has led Pope Francis (‘The Joy of Love’ of 2016) to reform a tradition about Holy Communion being unavailable for the divorced and civilly remarried. The inspired biblical record of prophetic and apostolic traditions must play its essential role in contemporary discernment. In testing traditions, Roman Catholics should be open to learning from their fellow Christians, from ‘other’ religious faiths, and from the secular world. Discernment should be guided by such questions as: ‘What changes does Christ call for in the traditions we have inherited?’Less
We can name particular Christian traditions that have worked and continue to work: for instance, pilgrimages, the use of icons, and the Advent service of Nine Lessons and Carols. Other traditions have been discerned and found wanting: for instance, failures in accepting religious freedom and in relationship with the Jewish people. Shared pastoral experience has led Pope Francis (‘The Joy of Love’ of 2016) to reform a tradition about Holy Communion being unavailable for the divorced and civilly remarried. The inspired biblical record of prophetic and apostolic traditions must play its essential role in contemporary discernment. In testing traditions, Roman Catholics should be open to learning from their fellow Christians, from ‘other’ religious faiths, and from the secular world. Discernment should be guided by such questions as: ‘What changes does Christ call for in the traditions we have inherited?’
Gerald O’Collins
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198784203
- eISBN:
- 9780191826818
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198784203.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
God is revealed ‘sacramentally’ through acts and speech-acts or though events and words. In the light of the biblical witness, this chapter examines the relationship of ‘event’ and ‘word’, paying ...
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God is revealed ‘sacramentally’ through acts and speech-acts or though events and words. In the light of the biblical witness, this chapter examines the relationship of ‘event’ and ‘word’, paying particular attention to the special divine actions and divine discourse that conveyed revelation. The words illuminate and proclaim the meaning of the acts. The chapter then explores what it means to say that ‘the Holy Spirit spoke through the prophets’. This involves discerning the details of prophetic experiences. Finally, the chapter takes up one example of the use of the doublet, ‘words’ and ‘actions’: the teaching of the Second Vatican Council on divine revelation and, in particular, the sources and meaning of its sacramental language.Less
God is revealed ‘sacramentally’ through acts and speech-acts or though events and words. In the light of the biblical witness, this chapter examines the relationship of ‘event’ and ‘word’, paying particular attention to the special divine actions and divine discourse that conveyed revelation. The words illuminate and proclaim the meaning of the acts. The chapter then explores what it means to say that ‘the Holy Spirit spoke through the prophets’. This involves discerning the details of prophetic experiences. Finally, the chapter takes up one example of the use of the doublet, ‘words’ and ‘actions’: the teaching of the Second Vatican Council on divine revelation and, in particular, the sources and meaning of its sacramental language.
