Dialog-A Journal of Theology最新文献

Luther's Christology has long been suspected of deviating from the Chalcedonian Definition. Analysis of the suspicions raises in turn questions about Chalcedon as an incoherent compromise between the forces of Cyril and Leo. Complicating the issue is the metaphysical rendering of hypostasis as suppositum in medieval Western scholasticism. Luther's theopaschite Christology presses for the “repair” of Chalcedon by situating the Antiochene concern for Christ's human obedience within the divine self-donation of the Eternal Son according to the Alexandrians. In a Trinitarian Christology incorporating the Antiochene concern for the human obedience of Christ, there would be no competition between the personal union of the divine Son in taking on human body and soul and the Holy Spirit anointing this assumed flesh to create of it the new Adam.

The communicatio idiomatum (the exchange of divine and human properties or attributes), apparently discarded by the Council of Chalcedon in 451, becomes central to both Christology and the life of faith during the Lutheran Reformation. In our own century, the communicatio idiomatum has been expanded and deepened to incorporate all that is biological and even physical, turning the entire history of creation into the eschatological body of Christ, the second person of the Holy Trinity.

In order to refresh scholarly discussions about Luther's Christology, his discourse on Christ is analyzed in the present article with reference to his humanist background and texts, where he attacks scholasticism, philosophy, and logic and seems to promote a new theological methodology and novel ways of speaking about Christ the man-God.

The fact that Martin Luther King, Jr. held a moral philosophy of non-violence is well known. What is less familiar is that he made various exceptions to his prohibitions on violence. Given the absolute language he often used in condemning violent acts, he can give the impression of inconsistency in his ethics. The reality, however, is that his moral framework possesses both consistency and functionality. That is, it holds together logically and has practical usefulness. The key to understanding King is to view his moral philosophy through the lens of Virtue Ethics, not rule-based ethics. This approach to a philosophy of non-violence provides value and utility to adherents of both pacifism and Just War Theory, a difficult feat.

Into the debates about Christ's two natures, divine and human, and how they relate, Martin Luther threw his extended interpretation of the communicatio idiomatum, the communication of the person Christ's attributes. Luther's Christology is incarnational and it is fundamental to him that God can and will be known only as a human being (homo/Mensch), yet Christ's real presence is presented three dimensionally and in bodily intersectionality. Luther's complex understanding of Christ as really human and the Word incarnate is reflected in his intense work with the sacraments as well as with semantics and the art of translation. Luther aims at an inclusive Christology, sacramentology, and language. Hence Christ is human, not male; sacraments are seen as direct exchange between God and humans in the body of Christ; and ministry is reconfigured as a human function of preaching the Word (ministerium verbi), not a substitute representing divine sacredness.

Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ encompasses concerns about oppressed groups, the relationship between human beings and nature, and the welfare of the poor, and more importantly, how these issues are viewed in the context of the ecological crisis. This paper offers a Lutheran perspective on the encyclical, examining the intricate interplay between humanity and the natural world, the impoverished, anthropocentrism, and the crucial role of advancing intercultural dialogue. Pope Francis has emphasized the use of science and technology to establish an “integral ecology.” However, this paper argues that authentic faith generates personal awareness of the sinful aspects of the environmental crisis and inspires virtuous behavior. God created nature, therefore we need to care for it. This analysis makes an important contribution to the scholarly exploration of the connections between Christian theology and ecological issues. In addition, it provides a critical assessment of anthropocentrism, which should be more concerned with the value of other created beings.