1323 results in Unisa Press
3 - The problematic character of theological language
- Brian Gaybba, Rhodes University, South Africa
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- Book:
- God is a Community
- Published by:
- University of South Africa
- Published online:
- 22 February 2020
- Print publication:
- 30 July 1998, pp 45-48
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Summary
I would like to conclude this all-too-brief introduction to the nature, methods and types of systematic theology by alerting the reader to the unique problems that theology has as regards the language it uses. Like all other disciplines it must communicate its ideas through language. And like all other disciplines it has its own array of technical terms. But no matter how much one refines even technical terminology, there is a major problem confronting theological language that is unique to theology. In a nutshell, the problem is this: how does one describe the infinite, transcendent God? No other discipline claims to describe what is truly infinite in all respects, what by definition transcends anything we can conceive.
One way is by metaphors – for example to refer to God as a lion, a judge, a king, a father, a mother. We know that God, strictly speaking, is none of these things. And yet there is something about each of these that helps us understand something about God's nature. Another way of getting around the problem is through the use of anthropomorphism – for example speaking of God's hands, talking about God seeing us, hearing us. God does not have hands, has no physical eyes and lacks an ear-drum. Yet clearly the Christian faith teaches that God is able to do things and be in communication with us.
The more abstract terms that we use for God such as beauty, goodness, love, infinitude and justice go beyond metaphors and anthropomorphism. At least they go beyond that on the surface. But the problem is that the content we put into terms such as ‘beauty’, ‘goodness’ and ‘love’ is the content derived pretty much from our own experience of these terms. What do these terms really mean when applied to God? What is ‘infinite’, ‘transcendent’ beauty really like?
When one reflects on the problematic character of the language theology uses of God (and remember that all theological language is theological only to the extent that it relates something to God), one can begin to understand why the question can be asked whether theological language has any meaning at all. Do theological terms convey any information about God to us at all? Or are they simply pictures we build up about the way we imagine God to be, pictures that do not convey any accurate information about God?
6 - The Christian doctrine of God: (2) The Trinity
- Brian Gaybba, Rhodes University, South Africa
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- Book:
- God is a Community
- Published by:
- University of South Africa
- Published online:
- 22 February 2020
- Print publication:
- 30 July 1998, pp 83-104
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Summary
Introduction to the theme of the Trinity
As we have seen, it is impossible for Christians to reflect on God, even in a general way, without taking into account their belief that God has an inner life, shared by three persons. This is known as the doctrine of the Trinity.
Scripture does not talk about three persons in one God. But it does talk about Father, Son and Spirit in such a way that the development of some sort of trinitarian view of God was inevitable. By a ‘trinitarian view of God’ I mean a way of thinking that regards not only the Father but also the Son and the Spirit as being in some way or other part of the divine side of things and as having distinct roles to play in humanity's creation and salvation.
The first section of our study of the Trinity will therefore be historical. In it we will devote most of our attention to the development of a trinitarian view of God as well as the main theoretical ideas and models that Christians developed to try and understand God’s trinitarian structure. As will be seen, the historical development of the doctrine of the Trinity was also one in which it became so abstracted from Christian life that it ceased to have any relevance for the way in which Christians understood and practised their faith.
The second section of our study will therefore focus on the relevance of the doctrine of the Trinity.
Let us begin then with the historical overview of the doctrine's development.
Historical overview of the doctrine's development
It is crystal clear from the biblical documents that the God of the Judaeo-Christian tradition is anything but a philosophical abstraction. On the contrary, in that tradition God is presented as a God primarily of personal relationships. In the scriptures many images were used to convey this conviction, three of which were to play a decisive role in the development of the doctrine of the Trinity. They are ‘father’, ‘son’ and ‘spirit’.
2 - Theology's soures
- Brian Gaybba, Rhodes University, South Africa
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- Book:
- God is a Community
- Published by:
- University of South Africa
- Published online:
- 22 February 2020
- Print publication:
- 30 July 1998, pp 15-44
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Summary
Having examined theology's essential nature and purpose, let us pass on now to look at the way it goes about its job. And the first thing we need to examine is theology's sources. Theology studies God and creatures in their relationship to God in the light of revelation. Where do we gain the information we require for this study? This is the question of theology's sources.
The Bible
As we saw, what is distinctive about Christian theology is that its study of God and creation is based on God's revelation. The most important question that can be asked about theology's sources therefore is the question: Where do we find God's revelation? Where do we find God's Word?
All Christians will agree that the most authoritative source of that revelation is the Bible. All Christian theologians – perhaps I should say ‘most’ since I suppose there may be some who would disagree, though I don't know of any! – would therefore regard the Bible as their primary and most authoritative source.
The relationship between the Bible and revelation is a complex one. To appreciate this, let us glance for a moment at the concept ‘revelation’. This word can be taken both actively and passively. Actively, it refers to the act of revealing something, such as the process whereby it was revealed to the apostolic Church that Jesus was truly God's Son. Passively, it refers to what is revealed, for example Jesus’ being God's Son.
Now, the Bible is first and foremost a record of, a testimony to, both the process and the content of revelation. For example, it is a record of the way in which Jesus was revealed as God's Son and that he was revealed to be such. In such matters, then, the Bible is not itself God's revelation but a record of revelation. It would be more accurate therefore to describe it as containing God's revelation. In that sense it could be and always has been called God's Word.
However, this testimony is – according to traditional Christian belief (though many modern Christians will deny it) – a divinely inspired testimony. Hence it has come to be regarded as God's Word in a deeper sense, in the sense that God ‘spoke’ it by inspiring it.