Like medieval maps with their intricate illustrations, unusual proportions, and omission of seemingly crucial details, medieval works of theology were designed to provide not an objective lay of the land for disinterested study but an itinerary for individuals traveling a specific route. To read was to be taken by the hand and to join fellow travelers on a journey of participation -- and ultimately union -- with God.
In "Theology, Rhetoric, Manuduction," Peter Candler re-reads a number of medieval texts and demonstrates that they were intended as vehicles not for the transmission of data, but for the leading of readers to contemplation of God. Like medieval maps with their intricate illustrations, skewed proportions and omissions of details that to us today seem crucial, medieval works of theology were designed not to depict an objective overview for disinterested study, but were meant to provide an itinerary for individuals traveling a specific route. To read was to be taken by the hand, in a process called manuduction, and to join fellow travelers on a journey to a particular goal. In "Theology, Rhetoric, Manuduction," Candler is recovering this understanding of reading and doing theology and illustrates how it can enrich our present understanding of great works of medieval scholarship. He begins with the invention of printing in the 16th Century and the change of the bible from liturgy in worship and community to a physical object, a book and with it the birth of our modern understanding of scripture. He then turns to Augustine's understanding of rhetoric, examined in a critique of the Confessions. Then two texts, "Glossa Ordinaria" (a 12th-century glossed bible) and "Aquinas' Summa Theologiae" are read in terms of the concepts of memory and itinerary. The former, Candler believes, is an "iconic illustration of the mutual indwelling of Christ and the Church," rendering the notion of separating Scripture from tradition absurd and the latter he views as a "curriculum of persuasion" which leads readers by manuduction along a path towards union with God.
For some, Hooker and Anglicanism are basically reformed; for others, fundamentally Catholic; for some embodying a 'middle way' between Roman Catholic and Protestant extremes; and for others simply confused and incoherent. This book challenges those perceptions by showing that 'reformed' and 'catholic' are not intrinsically opposed. Reading Hooker alongside a representative theologian of each tradition (the 'catholic' Aquinas and the 'reformed' Calvin) on theological method, Hobday shows there is much greater congruity between theologies and theologians often considered in tension. On the role of scripture in theology, the theological capacity of human reason, and the place of tradition, these 3 theologians have far more in common than many subsequent commentators have understood. This book shows how both Hooker and the Anglicanism he defended in such elegant prose, can be coherently both 'catholic' and 'reformed' (rather than one, or the other, or some middle way). Relocating Hooker, and Anglicanism, in this way reveals them to be rich, fruitful conversation partners in ecumenical dialogue and theological debates across Christian traditions.
This book considers the work of Charles Taylor from a theological perspective, specifically relating to the topic of ecclesiology. It argues that Taylor and related thinkers such as John Milbank and Rowan Williams point towards an “Aesthetic Ecclesiology,” an ecclesiology that values highly and utilizes the aesthetic in its self-understanding and practice. Jamie Franklin argues that Taylor’s work provides an account of the breakdown in Modernity of the conceptual relationship of the immanent and the transcendent, and that the work of John Milbank and radical orthodoxy give a complementary account of the secular from a more metaphysical angle. Franklin also incorporates the work of Rowan Williams, which provides us a way of thinking about the Church that is rooted in a material and historical legacy. The central argument is that the reconnection of the transcendent and the immanent coheres with an understanding of the Church that incorporates the material reality of the sacraments, the importance of artistic beauty and craftsmanship, and the Church’s status as historical, global, and eschatological. Secondly, the aesthetic provides the Church with a powerful apologetic: beauty cannot be reduced to the presuppositions of secular materialism, and so must be accounted for by recourse to transcendent categories.
This volume of essays centers on the theme of doing Christian theology in the present postmodern context, a consistent theme of the teaching of John D. Castelein. The work will celebrate and honor John's years of service by representing reflections of his teaching in the thought of his students and colleagues. The essays range over such topics as theological reflections on the postmodern philosophical themes, the relations between Christian theology and culture, the contributions of philosophical hermeneutics for Christian theology, and the challenges of engaging in ministry in a postmodern context. The seventeen contributors to the volume are former students and both present and former colleagues involved in various ministries, be they in a college setting or in a local church.
In 85 new and updated essays, this comprehensive volume provides anauthoritative guide to the philosophy of religion. Includes contributions from established philosophers and risingstars 22 new entries have now been added, and all material from theprevious edition has been updated and reorganized Broad coverage spans the areas of world religions, theism,atheism, , the problem of evil, science and religion, andethics
Pro Ecclesia is a quarterly journal of theology published by the Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology. It seeks to give contemporary expression to the one apostolic faith and its classic traditions, working for and manifesting the church's unity by research, theological construction, and free exchange of opinion. Members of its advisory council represent communities committed to the authority of Holy Scripture, ecumenical dogmatic teaching and the structural continuity of the church, and are themselves dedicated to maintaining and invigorating these commitments. The journal publishes biblical, liturgical, historical and doctrinal articles that promote or illumine its purposes. Ways to subscribe: Call toll-free: 800-273-2223 Email: [email protected] For back-issues, please contact [email protected] Editorial inquiries: Joseph Mangina, [email protected] Submissions should be sent by email attachment in Microsoft Word, double-spaced, with identifying marks removed for the purposes of blind peer review. Book review inquiries: Chad Pecknold, [email protected] Advertising inquiries: Charles Roth, Jr., [email protected] Subscription inquiries: [email protected] ISSN: 1063-8512
How may the notion of Trinity become a practical, down to earth, living reality? The parable of the Good Samaritan must be one of the most familiar stories of Jesus. Yet we often miss what prompted it. Jesus asks the lawyer pointedly, "How do you read?" This workbook seeks to show how people may read their Bibles in a most constructive way that leads to their living with and so loving truly the triune God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, who shares life-giving Holy Spirit with his people. In nine study sessions, for either individuals or small groups, with Questions for Reflection after each, readers are taken through the Story of Salvation. From Abraham to the New Testament church's catechism, they are presented with a particular strategy on how to approach the Christian Scriptures that the central actor in the drama, the triune God, more readily comes into view. This workbook therefore addresses what seems an intractable problem. No longer a formal creed from the fourth century, and certainly not just a medieval scholastic "game," the goal is for the notion of Trinity to become a practical, down to earth, living reality, for the church and for individual disciples of Jesus.
The echo of Luther's hammer resounds in Asia, five hundred years after the Wittenberg controversy: the cross is a flashpoint in China; Korea seeks ecclesiastical reform; the mystical union thrives in Laos; even Kant whispers in old Batavia. The diversity of ideas and influences of the Reformation is as broad and fascinating as the continent--resisting reduction to the postcolonial movement and demonstrating an affinity with Protestant foundations that somehow remains uniquely Asian. This volume brings together the reflections of Christian academics from the continent to offer a sample of the theological work that remains largely inaccessible to the broader scholarly community, with contributions in the fields of theology, biblical studies, philosophy, and Christian higher education. If the quincentennial of the Reformation has revealed anything, it is the inauguration of Asia as the locus of biblical and theological scholarship for the next five hundred years.
For far too long the Bible has been studied as just one among many historical and cultural documents from ancient history. That it is a foundational text for Western civilization is clear. What is too often forgotten or ignored in academic discussions, however, is that the Bible has also inspired the lives of countless saints throughout history; men and women who sought to love God and love neighbor to the point of offering heroic sacrifices, sometimes giving up their very lives. Much of biblical scholarship over the past two centuries, however, has reduced the Bible to a dead historical document with little-to-no relevance for today, beyond intellectual curiosity. This, in part, lies at the root of the tragic separation of theology from biblical studies. That theology and biblical exegesis are at an impasse has become a commonplace in academic discourse. Liturgy and Sacrament, Mystagogy and Martyrdom is an attempt to bridge the gap between theology and exegesis. It seeks to develop a theological interpretation of Scripture relying upon the best of traditional Christian exegesis and modern biblical scholarship, so that the Bible can serve, once again, as the wellspring of Christian life.
