Can Tradition (Not) Change?: Truth in the History between God and Humanity

Abstract

In search of responses to the question whether Tradition can (not) change, a promising research avenue could be to consider Tradition from within a vision of truth which is a relationship between God and Humanity in history. Vatican II, conceived as a part and expression of the living Tradition, can be conceived as a signpost for this research. This favors a topological structure for theology, considering the different loci theologici. To explore further the modes and the dynamic of their interconnections, some challenges made by the post-Vatican II category of "interruption" are explored. A central topic is a critical evaluation of the question as to whether it is sufficient to "charge" the category of "interruption" with "Incarnation". The question thereby arises as to whether or not it would be necessary rather to consider an interconnectedness of the notions of "interruption" and "Salvation History". In search of an epistemology which is able to conceive of truth in its historical complexity, the "differentiated consensus" promises to give an important inspiration for further researches dealing with the question whether Tradition can (not) change. Since quests for truth in statu viae are in itself part of the history between God and Humanity, some concluding remarks concern the eschatological dynamic of the interconnection of Christian truth-claims as a constitutive dimension of a Tradition housed in its multiple dimensions.