Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a10
P. van Geest
Before economic science developed into an independent discipline in the eighteenth century, economic questions were the stuff of theological treatises. In summae such as those of the realist Thomas Aquinas, and in the Collectorium of the nominalist Gabriel Biel, questions of human behavior, virtues and vices in social and economic transactions and relations were addressed in the broader context of religion and theology. But as economics became independent as a scientific discipline, God disappeared from economics. In this paper, the problem is addressed that the scientific standards that apply in economics and theology seem to exclude interdisciplinary cooperation. Then it is pointed out that the opposite is in fact the case: the methods used in economics and theology are not the same, but complementary. It will become clear that it is useful to rekindle the time-honored bonds between economics and theology as scientific disciplines, in order to deepen and enrich the human view that underlies economic research. Finally, a concrete example is provided of how theologians can help economists to gain a more precise and deeper understanding of the human phenomenon, which will be of use to them as they refine their research hypotheses. It is shown that theology can be of added value by broadening the ‘economic view of human beings’. The study of Scriptural and patristic sources, especially the works of St. Augustine, can help to refine and deepen the meaning of this word, precisely with a view to theory formation in economics.
{"title":"From homo economicus to homo dignus. The indispensability of patristics for economics, even after the Enlightenment","authors":"P. van Geest","doi":"10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a10","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a10","url":null,"abstract":"Before economic science developed into an independent discipline in the eighteenth century, economic questions were the stuff of theological treatises. In summae such as those of the realist Thomas Aquinas, and in the Collectorium of the nominalist Gabriel Biel, questions of human behavior, virtues and vices in social and economic transactions and relations were addressed in the broader context of religion and theology. But as economics became independent as a scientific discipline, God disappeared from economics. In this paper, the problem is addressed that the scientific standards that apply in economics and theology seem to exclude interdisciplinary cooperation. Then it is pointed out that the opposite is in fact the case: the methods used in economics and theology are not the same, but complementary. It will become clear that it is useful to rekindle the time-honored bonds between economics and theology as scientific disciplines, in order to deepen and enrich the human view that underlies economic research. Finally, a concrete example is provided of how theologians can help economists to gain a more precise and deeper understanding of the human phenomenon, which will be of use to them as they refine their research hypotheses. It is shown that theology can be of added value by broadening the ‘economic view of human beings’. The study of Scriptural and patristic sources, especially the works of St. Augustine, can help to refine and deepen the meaning of this word, precisely with a view to theory formation in economics.","PeriodicalId":32990,"journal":{"name":"Cuestiones Teologicas","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67502767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a01
A. Dupont
Bestselling author Tom Holland described in his 2019 monograph Dominion what he considers to be the paradoxical situation that, despite the pervasive secularization of the West, Christianity comprises the most influential development in the history of the West. That Christian transformation of antiquity apparently still influences what we think about people and society today. One of the Christian authors of Late Antiquity that Holland regularly quotes is Augustine of Hippo. For philosophers and theologians it is beyond dispute that this ‘church father’ stood at the cradle of Latin Christianity, although they are not always entirely happy about this. The latter discomfort often has to do with Augustine’s radical thinking about a comprehensive divine grace, and what this implies, according to him, for ongoing human failure.
{"title":"Studying Augustine of Hippo in the 21st century. A Plea for a Renewed Augustinology","authors":"A. Dupont","doi":"10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a01","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a01","url":null,"abstract":"Bestselling author Tom Holland described in his 2019 monograph Dominion what he considers to be the paradoxical situation that, despite the pervasive secularization of the West, Christianity comprises the most influential development in the history of the West. That Christian transformation of antiquity apparently still influences what we think about people and society today. One of the Christian authors of Late Antiquity that Holland regularly quotes is Augustine of Hippo. For philosophers and theologians it is beyond dispute that this ‘church father’ stood at the cradle of Latin Christianity, although they are not always entirely happy about this. The latter discomfort often has to do with Augustine’s radical thinking about a comprehensive divine grace, and what this implies, according to him, for ongoing human failure.","PeriodicalId":32990,"journal":{"name":"Cuestiones Teologicas","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67502110","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a04
Guido Jacobs
This article investigates Augustine’s evolving views on metaphor in his commentaries on the creation narrative. He contends that certain metaphysical truths, including God and his creation, are ineffable and can only be understood metaphorically. Therefore, he thinks that metaphors are crucial in the interpretation of the Scriptures, and he spends a great deal of effort explaining this to his readers. In his early work De Genesi contra Manichaeos, he adheres to the classical view, in which metaphors have a fixed meaning that can easily be rendered using a literal expression. This is a useful method to refute the Manichean claims, but it stands at odds with the idea that the things that these metaphors describe are beyond words. Later, in De Genesi ad Litteram, he comes up with a novel approach to metaphor. Here, he leaves a great deal of interpretational freedom to the reader. He points out that certain expressions are metaphors, and that individual expressions are part of a larger metaphorical concept, without restricting their meaning. Augustine’s approach shares similarities with the modern metaphor theories laid out by Max Black, as well as by George Lakoff & Mark Johnson, which may not have been as innovative as once thought.
本文考察了奥古斯丁在其创造叙事注释中隐喻观的演变。他认为，某些形而上学的真理，包括上帝和他的创造，是不可言喻的，只能用隐喻来理解。因此，他认为隐喻在解读《圣经》中是至关重要的，他花了很多精力向读者解释这一点。在他早期的作品De Genesi contra Manichaeos中，他坚持古典观点，认为隐喻有固定的含义，可以很容易地用字面表达来表达。这是一个驳斥摩尼教主张的有用方法，但它与这些隐喻所描述的事物是超越语言的观点不一致。后来，在《论Genesi and Litteram》中，他提出了一种新颖的隐喻方法。在这里，他给读者留下了很大的解释自由。他指出，某些表达是隐喻，而个别表达是一个更大的隐喻概念的一部分，并不限制它们的意义。奥古斯丁的方法与马克斯·布莱克以及乔治·拉科夫和马克·约翰逊提出的现代隐喻理论有相似之处，这些理论可能不像曾经认为的那样具有创新性。
{"title":"Augustine of Hippo: Advocate of Scriptural Metaphor","authors":"Guido Jacobs","doi":"10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a04","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a04","url":null,"abstract":"This article investigates Augustine’s evolving views on metaphor in his commentaries on the creation narrative. He contends that certain metaphysical truths, including God and his creation, are ineffable and can only be understood metaphorically. Therefore, he thinks that metaphors are crucial in the interpretation of the Scriptures, and he spends a great deal of effort explaining this to his readers. In his early work De Genesi contra Manichaeos, he adheres to the classical view, in which metaphors have a fixed meaning that can easily be rendered using a literal expression. This is a useful method to refute the Manichean claims, but it stands at odds with the idea that the things that these metaphors describe are beyond words. Later, in De Genesi ad Litteram, he comes up with a novel approach to metaphor. Here, he leaves a great deal of interpretational freedom to the reader. He points out that certain expressions are metaphors, and that individual expressions are part of a larger metaphorical concept, without restricting their meaning. Augustine’s approach shares similarities with the modern metaphor theories laid out by Max Black, as well as by George Lakoff & Mark Johnson, which may not have been as innovative as once thought.","PeriodicalId":32990,"journal":{"name":"Cuestiones Teologicas","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67502156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a07
Zhang Zinan
This article attempts to explore Augustine’s discussions on the issue of time from methodology and to propose some potential areas for future research to focus on. To achieve this, I start by illustrating the prominent role of philosophy in arousing interest in the theme through a brief historical introduction to the reception of Book XI of Confessiones. After introducing the dominance of the philosophical approach, this paper turns to the challenge and supplementation of the textual and historical methods, while highlighting how they are still limited by abstract philosophical concepts. In response to the shortcomings of existing research, I suggest that the root of its problem is the philosophical approach that reduces Augustine to static ideas. Then, I advocate an interdisciplinary and holistic approach based on different anthropological views. In the next section, through analysis of the methods and perspectives of Augustine in his discussion of time in De Ordine, my research intends to reveal Augustine’s complicated intellectual background and reconstruct it through interdisciplinary methods. Based on the universality of knowledge in the natural sciences, the theories and methods of modern physics may be a potential tool to examine Augustine’s conclusions and arguments. The recent focus of psychology on temporal cognition could also be helpful in answering Augustine’s doubts. The latest developments in technology, such as deep learning, can then help clarify Augustine’s terminology at the semantic level. These instrumental methods ultimately characterise Augustine’s own motivations and intentions. By appreciating his theological concerns and personal style, a theological-anthropological approach is hopeful to coordinate other methods and leads to a proper image of Augustine.
{"title":"An Interdisciplinary Anthropological Approach to Augustine’s Theory of Time","authors":"Zhang Zinan","doi":"10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a07","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a07","url":null,"abstract":"This article attempts to explore Augustine’s discussions on the issue of time from methodology and to propose some potential areas for future research to focus on. To achieve this, I start by illustrating the prominent role of philosophy in arousing interest in the theme through a brief historical introduction to the reception of Book XI of Confessiones. After introducing the dominance of the philosophical approach, this paper turns to the challenge and supplementation of the textual and historical methods, while highlighting how they are still limited by abstract philosophical concepts. In response to the shortcomings of existing research, I suggest that the root of its problem is the philosophical approach that reduces Augustine to static ideas. Then, I advocate an interdisciplinary and holistic approach based on different anthropological views. In the next section, through analysis of the methods and perspectives of Augustine in his discussion of time in De Ordine, my research intends to reveal Augustine’s complicated intellectual background and reconstruct it through interdisciplinary methods. Based on the universality of knowledge in the natural sciences, the theories and methods of modern physics may be a potential tool to examine Augustine’s conclusions and arguments. The recent focus of psychology on temporal cognition could also be helpful in answering Augustine’s doubts. The latest developments in technology, such as deep learning, can then help clarify Augustine’s terminology at the semantic level. These instrumental methods ultimately characterise Augustine’s own motivations and intentions. By appreciating his theological concerns and personal style, a theological-anthropological approach is hopeful to coordinate other methods and leads to a proper image of Augustine.","PeriodicalId":32990,"journal":{"name":"Cuestiones Teologicas","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67502377","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a09
Isaac Vasumu Augustine
Right from antique times, the family has always played a significant role in the life and wellbeing of communities and societies. This article critically examines the significance of the family and the concept of the paterfamilias in Augustine’s reflections on peace, justice, love, and conflict resolution. Drawing primarily from Book XIX of De ciuitate Dei and other writings of Augustine, this essay focuses on the concept of the paterfamilias, an oft-neglected and under-recognized idea in the thinking of the bishop of Hippo. This article will argue that the paterfamilias stands at the epicenter of building and propagating peace and justice both at the family level and other echelons of human life. To demonstrate how this happens, first, the idea of family as a locus for peace, and as a legal, theological and sociological concept is delimited at three basic levels. Second, while highlighting some ways through which peace can be propagated and attained, especially in our postmodern world, the centrality of love and collaboration as the bases for peacebuilding and conflict resolution will be emphasized.
{"title":"Pointing the Way for Peace and Justice: The Paterfamilias as Peacebuilder in De ciuitate Dei, Book XIX","authors":"Isaac Vasumu Augustine","doi":"10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a09","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a09","url":null,"abstract":"Right from antique times, the family has always played a significant role in the life and wellbeing of communities and societies. This article critically examines the significance of the family and the concept of the paterfamilias in Augustine’s reflections on peace, justice, love, and conflict resolution. Drawing primarily from Book XIX of De ciuitate Dei and other writings of Augustine, this essay focuses on the concept of the paterfamilias, an oft-neglected and under-recognized idea in the thinking of the bishop of Hippo. This article will argue that the paterfamilias stands at the epicenter of building and propagating peace and justice both at the family level and other echelons of human life. To demonstrate how this happens, first, the idea of family as a locus for peace, and as a legal, theological and sociological concept is delimited at three basic levels. Second, while highlighting some ways through which peace can be propagated and attained, especially in our postmodern world, the centrality of love and collaboration as the bases for peacebuilding and conflict resolution will be emphasized.","PeriodicalId":32990,"journal":{"name":"Cuestiones Teologicas","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67502562","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a05
Hans Van Reisen
This contribution starts with a brief outline of Augustine’s life and then proceeds with the various ways by which his works have been named and set in order. Recent digital developments were key to the removal of apologetic and theological assumptions from the list of Augustine’s works: objective, alphabetical and chronological lists have become more mainstream. These digital technologies have also been put to good use to find unknown Augustinian texts hidden in old manuscripts. The same means can be deployed to check whether texts were really authored by him. This may certainly enhance our esteem of former Augustinian researchers for their achievements in this field. In particular, one may bring to the fore their retrieval of Augustine’s letters and sermons, both in times long past and in recent decades. The next part of this article continues by looking closer into the research of Augustine’s Bible exposition and homiletics. Special attention is given to the relationship between the sermons that are catalogued as sermones ad populum and related sermons from the expositions of all 150 Psalms over against those that cover the whole gospel of John. New discoveries also raise questions about the way Augustine’s many short sermons relate to his long homilies. These questions are a reason to reconsider the way Augustine’s sermons are constructed and structured. Finally, we outline how new digital techniques are of help to reinvestigate the sermons in the way he uses words and Scripture in order to show in more detail Augustine’s pastoral profile. This pastoral fine-tuning is illustrated with three examples.
{"title":"Increasingly pastor: Innovations in the research of biblical explanations and homiletics of St. Augustine","authors":"Hans Van Reisen","doi":"10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a05","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a05","url":null,"abstract":"This contribution starts with a brief outline of Augustine’s life and then proceeds with the various ways by which his works have been named and set in order. Recent digital developments were key to the removal of apologetic and theological assumptions from the list of Augustine’s works: objective, alphabetical and chronological lists have become more mainstream. These digital technologies have also been put to good use to find unknown Augustinian texts hidden in old manuscripts. The same means can be deployed to check whether texts were really authored by him. This may certainly enhance our esteem of former Augustinian researchers for their achievements in this field. In particular, one may bring to the fore their retrieval of Augustine’s letters and sermons, both in times long past and in recent decades. The next part of this article continues by looking closer into the research of Augustine’s Bible exposition and homiletics. Special attention is given to the relationship between the sermons that are catalogued as sermones ad populum and related sermons from the expositions of all 150 Psalms over against those that cover the whole gospel of John. New discoveries also raise questions about the way Augustine’s many short sermons relate to his long homilies. These questions are a reason to reconsider the way Augustine’s sermons are constructed and structured. Finally, we outline how new digital techniques are of help to reinvestigate the sermons in the way he uses words and Scripture in order to show in more detail Augustine’s pastoral profile. This pastoral fine-tuning is illustrated with three examples.","PeriodicalId":32990,"journal":{"name":"Cuestiones Teologicas","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67502194","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a12
J. Grabau
This review article concerns Augustine of Hippo’s (354-430 A.D.) specific and sustained reception of John’s gospel. Here, the author summarizes and evaluates a series of research methods for contextualizing core elements of the bishop of Hippo’s theological points of departure and exegetical practice. Section one identifies the twin theoretical considerations of this retrospective account, including the nature of 4th-century African Christianity and late antique emergence of Pauline commentaries in Latin. Section two then identifies the central advances in methodology of the research, further identifying and reconsidering both textual and theological elements that contribute to Augustine’s Johannine commentary. Section three explores primary results for both theological lines of approach of already completed research: in particular, the author determines aspects of an Augustinian view of Christ and the Church, the ecclesial reality of passing controversy and biblical interpretation, as well as openings for further research on human emotion and eschatology. The result exercises renewed attention toward Augustine’s reading on John and the Johannine corpus, with implications for works of his corpus to include not only the Tractatus in euangelium Iohannis (“Tractates on the Gospel of John”) but also various popular sermons, other biblical commentaries, polemical and doctrinal works.
这篇评论文章是关于河马的奥古斯丁(公元354-430)对约翰福音的具体和持续的接受。在此，笔者对希波主教的神学出发点和训诂实践的核心要素语境化的一系列研究方法进行了总结和评价。第一节确定了这一回顾性叙述的双重理论考虑，包括4世纪非洲基督教的性质和晚期出现的保罗拉丁文注释。第二部分然后确定研究方法的中心进展，进一步确定和重新考虑对奥古斯丁约翰注释有贡献的文本和神学元素。第三部分探讨了已经完成的研究的两种神学路线的主要结果:特别是，作者确定了奥古斯丁对基督和教会的看法，通过争论和圣经解释的教会现实，以及对人类情感和末世论的进一步研究的开放。结果使人们重新关注奥古斯丁对约翰和约翰文集的解读，他的文集不仅包括《约翰福音文集》(Tractatus in euangelium Iohannis)，还包括各种流行的讲道，其他圣经注释，辩论和教义作品。
{"title":"Methodological approaches for comparative theological research on St. Augustine of Hippo and The Gospel of John","authors":"J. Grabau","doi":"10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a12","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a12","url":null,"abstract":"This review article concerns Augustine of Hippo’s (354-430 A.D.) specific and sustained reception of John’s gospel. Here, the author summarizes and evaluates a series of research methods for contextualizing core elements of the bishop of Hippo’s theological points of departure and exegetical practice. Section one identifies the twin theoretical considerations of this retrospective account, including the nature of 4th-century African Christianity and late antique emergence of Pauline commentaries in Latin. Section two then identifies the central advances in methodology of the research, further identifying and reconsidering both textual and theological elements that contribute to Augustine’s Johannine commentary. Section three explores primary results for both theological lines of approach of already completed research: in particular, the author determines aspects of an Augustinian view of Christ and the Church, the ecclesial reality of passing controversy and biblical interpretation, as well as openings for further research on human emotion and eschatology. The result exercises renewed attention toward Augustine’s reading on John and the Johannine corpus, with implications for works of his corpus to include not only the Tractatus in euangelium Iohannis (“Tractates on the Gospel of John”) but also various popular sermons, other biblical commentaries, polemical and doctrinal works.","PeriodicalId":32990,"journal":{"name":"Cuestiones Teologicas","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67502984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.18566/cueteo.v49n111.a13
Gerardo Martí
Theologians are widely embracing ethnographic research to accomplish their theological work. However, since most theologians are not substantively trained in social scientific methods, their sophistication with this methodology is limited, leading to distortions in recorded observations and proffered interpretations. This essay seeks to address this lack of depth by articulating some of the most essential sensitivities that are crucial to the best practices associated with exemplary scholarship emerging at the intersection of ethnography and theology. Among the most important distinctions that theologians must recognize is a simple, heuristic distinction between “found theologies” and “imposed theologies”. Ethnographers know that reporting our findings always requires a careful examination of the assumptions that may unwittingly constrain what we recognize, let alone “see.” The distinction offered between “found theologies” and “imposed theologies” serves to remind theologically concerned field workers that unexamined ideals and prejudices as well as deeply held values and convictions can radically direct our attention and creatively reshape our perceptions. It also allows insightful focus on the dynamics of power as well as inclusion of marginalized peoples. My modest goal, therefore, is to further equip theologically-oriented scholars to produce original, social-scientifically conscientious, yet substantively rich and responsible works that further innovate the use of social science methodology among theologians. Ultimately, by further substantiating the ethics of ethnographic practice among theologians, students and scholars will accentuate the integrity of findings and produce streams of scholarship that will foster the unexpected and urgently needed theologies of the future.
{"title":"Ethnographic Theology: Integrating the Social Sciences and Theological Reflection","authors":"Gerardo Martí","doi":"10.18566/cueteo.v49n111.a13","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18566/cueteo.v49n111.a13","url":null,"abstract":"Theologians are widely embracing ethnographic research to accomplish their theological work. However, since most theologians are not substantively trained in social scientific methods, their sophistication with this methodology is limited, leading to distortions in recorded observations and proffered interpretations. This essay seeks to address this lack of depth by articulating some of the most essential sensitivities that are crucial to the best practices associated with exemplary scholarship emerging at the intersection of ethnography and theology. Among the most important distinctions that theologians must recognize is a simple, heuristic distinction between “found theologies” and “imposed theologies”. Ethnographers know that reporting our findings always requires a careful examination of the assumptions that may unwittingly constrain what we recognize, let alone “see.” The distinction offered between “found theologies” and “imposed theologies” serves to remind theologically concerned field workers that unexamined ideals and prejudices as well as deeply held values and convictions can radically direct our attention and creatively reshape our perceptions. It also allows insightful focus on the dynamics of power as well as inclusion of marginalized peoples. My modest goal, therefore, is to further equip theologically-oriented scholars to produce original, social-scientifically conscientious, yet substantively rich and responsible works that further innovate the use of social science methodology among theologians. Ultimately, by further substantiating the ethics of ethnographic practice among theologians, students and scholars will accentuate the integrity of findings and produce streams of scholarship that will foster the unexpected and urgently needed theologies of the future.","PeriodicalId":32990,"journal":{"name":"Cuestiones Teologicas","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67501381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a02
M. Knotts
This article addresses the following question: Is it possible, and if so, to what extent, to draw upon sources from different contexts or disciplines to perform theological research? The first part describes the historical origins and contemporary application of the handmaiden model of theology (“philosophy is the handmaiden of theology,” philosophia ancilla theologiae). In the second section, I consider two closely related objections to this model, namely confirmation bias (or eisegesis) and anachronism. Section three demonstrates that while these objections should be carefully considered, they do not preclude altogether the possibility of engaging with sources across temporal or disciplinary boundaries. Gadamer’s hermeneutical philosophy grounds the possibility of such interaction. The remainder of the article provides a more specific vision of how this model can be practiced. First, I look to the theological tradition itself, in particular Augustine’s interpretive principles as applied to Genesis 1 (Confessiones 12) and Michael Fishbane’s appropriation of the Jewish hermeneutical tradition. Finally, the contemporary scholars William Desmond and Cyril O’Regan exemplify the responsible constructive engagement with the sources. I argue that practitioners of the handmaiden model must take seriously objections to and concerns about their methodology. Nonetheless, once critically adapted to present circumstances, this model is feasible for a contemporary scholarly context. One can respect the integrity of the sources while also interpreting them in ways which apply to present theological interests. A key implication of this research is that for each to function properly, historical theology and systematic theology must consistently interact with each other.
{"title":"Notes on a Method: Engaging with Augustine at the Intersection of Philosophy, Theology, and History","authors":"M. Knotts","doi":"10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a02","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18566/cueteo.v49n112.a02","url":null,"abstract":"This article addresses the following question: Is it possible, and if so, to what extent, to draw upon sources from different contexts or disciplines to perform theological research? The first part describes the historical origins and contemporary application of the handmaiden model of theology (“philosophy is the handmaiden of theology,” philosophia ancilla theologiae). In the second section, I consider two closely related objections to this model, namely confirmation bias (or eisegesis) and anachronism. Section three demonstrates that while these objections should be carefully considered, they do not preclude altogether the possibility of engaging with sources across temporal or disciplinary boundaries. Gadamer’s hermeneutical philosophy grounds the possibility of such interaction. The remainder of the article provides a more specific vision of how this model can be practiced. First, I look to the theological tradition itself, in particular Augustine’s interpretive principles as applied to Genesis 1 (Confessiones 12) and Michael Fishbane’s appropriation of the Jewish hermeneutical tradition. Finally, the contemporary scholars William Desmond and Cyril O’Regan exemplify the responsible constructive engagement with the sources. I argue that practitioners of the handmaiden model must take seriously objections to and concerns about their methodology. Nonetheless, once critically adapted to present circumstances, this model is feasible for a contemporary scholarly context. One can respect the integrity of the sources while also interpreting them in ways which apply to present theological interests. A key implication of this research is that for each to function properly, historical theology and systematic theology must consistently interact with each other.","PeriodicalId":32990,"journal":{"name":"Cuestiones Teologicas","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67502120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-01DOI: 10.18566/cueteo.v49n111.a14
Eric E. Richter
El libro se enfoca en el uso de la expresión μὴ γένοιτο por parte de Pablo en la Epístola a los Romanos, específicamente considerando el género o forma literaria en la cual se enmarca esta obra del Apóstol. Está compuesto por cuatro capítulos, más una bibliografía final.
{"title":"Velardo, Leandro J. (2021). Retórica y teología: Μὴ γένοιτο como vehículo del pensamiento teológico paulino en Romanos. Libertador San Martín: Editorial Universidad Adventista del Plata, 106 Pp.","authors":"Eric E. Richter","doi":"10.18566/cueteo.v49n111.a14","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18566/cueteo.v49n111.a14","url":null,"abstract":"El libro se enfoca en el uso de la expresión μὴ γένοιτο por parte de Pablo en la Epístola a los Romanos, específicamente considerando el género o forma literaria en la cual se enmarca esta obra del Apóstol. Está compuesto por cuatro capítulos, más una bibliografía final.","PeriodicalId":32990,"journal":{"name":"Cuestiones Teologicas","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"67502503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：