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 God and the Theologian

Gregory A. Beeley

in Gregory of Nazianzus on the Trinity and the Knowledge of God: In Your Light We Shall See Light

This chapter examines the spiritual dialectic of purification and illumination, or praxis and theoria, within which Christians come to know God. In turn, it addresses Gregory's response to the ... More

This chapter examines the spiritual dialectic of purification and illumination, or praxis and theoria, within which Christians come to know God. In turn, it addresses Gregory's response to the Eunomians; the theological example of Moses; Gregory's missionary approach to Greek culture; his pioneering style of moderate Christian monasticism or “philosophy,” defined as a middle path between solitude and public service; his use of Plato and Plotinus compared to the Bible; the respective roles of the human body and soul in purification; the transcendence and incomprehensibility of God; God's grace; the central place of Christian baptism; the question of Gregory's apophaticism; the positive knowledge of the divine light; the relationship between faith and reason; and the basis of Christian theology in the divine economy of salvationLess

Arguing the Existence of God: From the World to Its Maker

Francis X. Clooney

in Hindu God, Christian God: How Reason Helps Break Down the Boundaries Between Religions

Explores the nature of the demonstration of God's existence in representative theological writings from the Hindu and Christian traditions.

Faith and Revelation

C. Stephen Evans

in The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Religion

This chapter examines the concepts of revelation and faith, as well as their relation to one another. The idea of revelation common to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam can be divided in different ... More

This chapter examines the concepts of revelation and faith, as well as their relation to one another. The idea of revelation common to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam can be divided in different ways: general revelation (e.g., knowledge of God through nature) and specific revelation (e.g., through holy scripture), propositional revelation (e.g., through a creed) and non-propositional revelation (e.g., through personal experience). I argue that an account of specific revelation is most rich when both propositional and non-propositional kinds of revelation are admitted. I also explore why the more recent non-propositional conceptions became relevant due to the controversies concerning the inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility of scripture. The concept of faith stands parallel to that of revelation, as it too embodies both a sense of belief in a set of propositions as well as a trusting relationship with God inexpressible, in part, by propositions. I then examine the role of reason in religious faith and particularly the many ways the two might relate between the poles of religious rationalism and fideism.Less

Post Scriptum

Aviad Kleinberg

in The Sensual God: How the Senses Make the Almighty Senseless

Where we say goodbye to the author and to his Author.

Towards a Religious Humanism?

Jens Zimmermann

in Humanism and Religion: A Call for the Renewal of Western Culture

This final chapter draws the various strands of the previous arguments together and sketches the contours of a religious humanism based on the West's Christian roots in incarnational philosophy that ... More

This final chapter draws the various strands of the previous arguments together and sketches the contours of a religious humanism based on the West's Christian roots in incarnational philosophy that emphasises the need for religious belief to ground human dignity, a common humanity, and the hermeneutic quality of human knowledge based on the incarnation. After presenting philosophical possibilities for widening securalist conceptions of reason to include religion, the chapter discusses a number of cases that demonstrate the ongoing failure to mediate transcendence through culture (Derrida on the humanities and the problem of a reason's relation to faith within Islam and Islamic reform movements), and then closes with three axioms of a modern, religiously founded humanistic ethos: self-knowledge, the goal of humanism, requires ethical transcendence, hermeneutics, and aesthetics.Less

Natural Theology and the Sensus Divinitatis

Paul Helm

in John Calvin's Ideas

There have been sharply divergent views on Calvin's view of natural theology. Some think that Calvin sees no 'point of contact' between believer and unbeliever, others that he is a fully fledged ... More

There have been sharply divergent views on Calvin's view of natural theology. Some think that Calvin sees no 'point of contact' between believer and unbeliever, others that he is a fully fledged natural theologian. This Chapter reassesses the evidence not only from the Institutes but also from Calvin's Commentaries. His fundamental idea of the sensus divinitatis is considered in the light of how contemporary 'Reformed' epistemologists understand it.Less

Nominalism, Naturalism, and the Intensification of Passion Piety

Richard Viladesau

in The Beauty of the Cross: The Passion of Christ in Theology and the Arts from the Catacombs to the Eve of the Renaissance

The fresco of the crucifixion by Giotto in the Arena chapel represents the beginning of naturalism in Western painting. The theology of the cross during this period shows the increasing influence of ... More

The fresco of the crucifixion by Giotto in the Arena chapel represents the beginning of naturalism in Western painting. The theology of the cross during this period shows the increasing influence of the philosophy of the nominalism of William of Ockham and his followers. The separation of faith from reason, combined with incipient artistic naturalism and the religious pessimism that followed the great Plague, contributed to a new emphasis on the sufferings and wounds of Christ, which dramatically expressed the consequences of human sin. This was expressed artistically in expanded and emotional treatments of the crucifixion in drama (the passion plays), as well as new images like the pietà, that stressed compunction with Mary.Less

Hermeneutics and Holiness

Merold Westphal

in Analytic Theology: New Essays in the Philosophy of Theology

As an alternative to ‘analytic theology’, a ‘continental’ approach is presented in this chapter. The possibility that phenomenology, especially a phenomenology that has taken the hermeneutical turn, ... More

As an alternative to ‘analytic theology’, a ‘continental’ approach is presented in this chapter. The possibility that phenomenology, especially a phenomenology that has taken the hermeneutical turn, can be helpful to theology is explored. An affirmative answer is given both for the hermeneutics of finitude and for the hermeneutics of suspicion. These modes of reflection are especially helpful to theology when they put themselves in the service of theology's own telos, individual lives and communities of holiness.Less

Modernity

Porter-Szücs Brian

in Faith and Fatherland: Catholicism, Modernity, and Poland

Catholics have responded to the social, economic, cultural, and political changes that we call “modernity” with more complexity and diversity than is usually recognized. The clergy eventually ... More

Catholics have responded to the social, economic, cultural, and political changes that we call “modernity” with more complexity and diversity than is usually recognized. The clergy eventually developed new approaches to pastoral care in order to adjust to an increasingly urbanized landscape, and they found ways to work within the institutions of mass politics and the genres of popular culture. Catholic publicists even appropriated and to some extent domesticated the troublesome vocabulary of modernity—words like “science” and “progress.” Catholics, no less than liberals or socialists, eventually embraced an understanding of historical time that envisioned humanity steadily advancing towards a better future. This dynamic historiosophy did not initially fit well within a Catholic framework, but with each passing decade of the 20th century it became increasingly hard to avoid. Catholicism’s modernity does not look like liberalism’s modernity, but it is no less modern for that.Less

Introduction: Logos, Religion, and Rationality

John H. Smith

in Dialogues between Faith and Reason: The Death and Return of God in Modern German Thought

This book explores the connection between faith and reason by focusing on the death and return of God in modern German thought. It considers, in a historical context, how God can return from the ... More

This book explores the connection between faith and reason by focusing on the death and return of God in modern German thought. It considers, in a historical context, how God can return from the death of God, how religious belief relates to what “reasonable people” might believe, how rational arguments are intertwined with religion and religious arguments in rationality, and whether modernity supplants religion. It also examines the dialogue of faith and reason, and the tensions inhering within the Christian logos, in relation to the processes of secularization and modernization. It argues that the “death of God” is inscribed into Christian identification of God with logos, an identification that makes theology and critical/rational reflection on the divine an inherent necessity. It also claims that the intellectual development of thought about religion and its critique did not unfold in a uniformly progressivist sense.Less

The Freedom to Philosophize: The Two Paths to Virtue (chapters 14 and 15)

Dimitris Vardoulakis

in Spinoza, the Epicurean: Authority and Utility in Materialism

This chapter presents a more nuanced account of Spinoza’s concept of freedom as distinct from the free will. This adds a social and political dimension to the earlier determination of freedom in ch. ... More

This chapter presents a more nuanced account of Spinoza’s concept of freedom as distinct from the free will. This adds a social and political dimension to the earlier determination of freedom in ch. 1 as the capacity to calculate one’s utility. Vardoulakis demonstrates how Spinoza understands the freedom to philosophize as the capacity to make practical judgments. This suggests that Spinoza’s conception of freedom prefigures the notion of the transindividual as developed by Etienne Balibar. Vardoulakis also pays close attention to Balibar’s argument that Spinoza offers two paths to virtue or the good. According to Spinoza’s Epicureanism, the first path relies on the emotions and adherence to authority, and the second on the calculation of utility based on practical rationality. These two paths substitute the more traditional distinction between faith and reason while also offering a radical political philosophy through the figure of what Spinoza calls the “necessary rebel.”Less

Faith, Theology, and Contemplation

Rik Van Nieuwenhove

in Thomas Aquinas and Contemplation

How does Aquinas conceive of the connections between faith and theological contemplation? How does he defend the scientific nature of theology? What is the role of the assent of faith, and is Aquinas ... More

How does Aquinas conceive of the connections between faith and theological contemplation? How does he defend the scientific nature of theology? What is the role of the assent of faith, and is Aquinas guilty of voluntarism? Aquinas’s espousal of the notion of theology as a science sub-alternated to divine scientia allowed him to defend a non-charismatic notion of theology (i.e. one that does not depend on the cognitive gifts of the Holy Spirit to assist us in grasping the articles of faith). The chapter further argues that all rational disciplines (with the exception of those that operate with principles that are known per se) rely on first principles that cannot be argued for within the relevant discipline itself. Finally, the chapter argues that Aquinas’s view that we cannot both know and believe something at the same time actually softens the boundary between theology and philosophy, which is of considerable importance when we address the perennial question as to how Aquinas conceives of the relation between theology and other disciplines.Less

Promise and Peril in Rome, Part Two: A Foray into the Theological Scene in Rome

C. Michael Shea

in Newman's Early Roman Catholic Legacy, 1845-1854

This chapter offers an overview of what has become known as the Roman School of theology, a theological movement that was in ascendancy in Rome during the middle decades of the nineteenth century. ... More

This chapter offers an overview of what has become known as the Roman School of theology, a theological movement that was in ascendancy in Rome during the middle decades of the nineteenth century. The chapter explores the Roman School’s central themes, which included ecclesiocentric and ultramontane apologetics, a renewal of positive theology with a focus on patristic sources, as well as a robust and elaborated theology of tradition. Perrone’s distinct vision of faith and reason is presented against the backdrop of this movement and used to highlight the differing ways in which Perrone and those who followed him regarded the writings of Hermes and Bautain. The analysis culminates in the hypothesis that Perrone would have likely looked upon Newman’s work with certain reservations but also with considerable sympathy.Less

Conclusion

Samuel Andrew Shearn

in Pastor Tillich: The Justification of the Doubter

This conclusion summarizes key aspects of Tillich’s development towards the notion of the justification of the doubter: the grace of God, the relationship between faith and reason, the notion of an ... More

This conclusion summarizes key aspects of Tillich’s development towards the notion of the justification of the doubter: the grace of God, the relationship between faith and reason, the notion of an intellectual work, and doubt understood as faith. The conclusion closes with an epilogue on the significance of Tillich’s solution to a religious problem for a theology of culture.Less

Religion, Reason, and Toleration: Bayle, Kant—and Us

Rainer Forst

in Religion in Liberal Political Philosophy

This chapter compares two Enlightenment theories of religious toleration: the theories of Pierre Bayle and Immanuel Kant. Both Bayle and Kant argued for an autonomous conception of morality as the ... More

This chapter compares two Enlightenment theories of religious toleration: the theories of Pierre Bayle and Immanuel Kant. Both Bayle and Kant argued for an autonomous conception of morality as the ground of reciprocal and universal toleration, but they differed in the ways in which they thought of the relation between faith and reason. The chapter discusses how in that latter regard, a Baylean perspective is superior to a Kantian one, whereas it concludes that the Kantian approach has a better way to connect morality and a politics of public justification when it comes to think about a political regime of toleration.Less

Promise and Peril in Rome, Part Three: Newman’s Contacts and Activities in Rome

C. Michael Shea

in Newman's Early Roman Catholic Legacy, 1845-1854

This chapter builds on the conceptual analyses in previous sections and examines Newman’s written and oral strategies for defending his Essay on Development and writings on faith in reason while he ... More

This chapter builds on the conceptual analyses in previous sections and examines Newman’s written and oral strategies for defending his Essay on Development and writings on faith in reason while he was in Rome as a seminary student in 1846 and 1847. The chapter focuses on the composition, which has later become known as the “Theses de fide” as well as on his proposed introduction to the French edition of the Oxford University Sermons, and Newman’s reliance on Perrone’s writings in these drafts. The chapter additionally explores the Jesuit theologian Giacomo Mazio’s public and private maneuvers in introducing Newman to important authorities and advocating for his theory of doctrinal development.Less

Baumgarten’s Rationalism

Brandon C. Look

in Baumgarten and Kant on Metaphysics

This chapter reconsiders the character of Baumgarten’s supposed place in the rationalist tradition by pointing out that the strict opposition usually thought to hold between rationalism, empiricism, ... More

This chapter reconsiders the character of Baumgarten’s supposed place in the rationalist tradition by pointing out that the strict opposition usually thought to hold between rationalism, empiricism, and theologically based philosophies in the eighteenth century tends to obscure the complexity of much of the thought of this period. In particular, Look examines the historical context and substance of Baumgarten’s thought, focusing on the principle of sufficient reason and Baumgarten’s definition of philosophy, and shows how in various ways the Metaphysics seeks to unify strands from all three traditions.Less

Normative Disagreement as a Challenge to Moral Philosophy and Philosophical Theology

Robert Audi

in Challenges to Moral and Religious Belief: Disagreement and Evolution

This chapter has three main aims: first, to distinguish between different kinds and degrees of moral disagreement, particularly between disagreements in reasons and disagreements on reasons; second, ... More

This chapter has three main aims: first, to distinguish between different kinds and degrees of moral disagreement, particularly between disagreements in reasons and disagreements on reasons; second, to show how, in both moral and non-moral disputes, rational disagreement is possible even on self-evident propositions; and third, to sketch a conception of disagreement between rational parties that bears on the problem of religious diversity as a challenge to philosophical theology. Disagreement in moral matters has long been considered a challenge to objectivist ethical theories, and the difficulty of resolving such disagreement appears to support skepticism about the possibility of knowledge, and even of justification, regarding religious beliefs, religious faith, and religious conduct. The chapter explores rational disagreements of many kinds and concludes with an assessment of how, given what we learn from examining them, objectivity can be plausibly claimed in normative matters.Less