Philip Geister & Gösta Hallonsten (red.), Faithful Interpretations: Truth and Islam in Catholic Theology of Religions

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The Teaching of Pope Francis About Synodality in the Context of Contemporary Theological and Ecumenical Reflection

The article deals with the ecclesiology of the local Church and synodality. Both topics have been present in Catholic theology since the time of the Second Vatican Council, which laid the foundation for the ecclesiology of the local/particular Church, collegiality of bishops and synodality. This ecclesiology was developed both theoretically and practically in the post-conciliar period, but there are some theologians who believe that during the pontificate of John Paul II there was a return to the universalist ecclesiology, as evidenced by the documents published by the Roman Curia, especially Communionis notio. Pope’s Francis teaching on synodality and strengthening the Church at local and regional levels addresses the demands of those theologians who believe that Chapter III of the Lumen Gentium Constitution has not yet been properly implemented. The Pope emphasizes, that synodality is a constitutive dimension of the Church and therefore what the Lord is asking of us is already in some sense fully present in the word “synod” itself.

“But Such a Mind, Mak’st God Thy Guest”

Ben Jonson’s Eupheme poems and Anthony van Dyck’s portrait of Venetia Digby as Prudence have often been seen as art works fiercely at odds, and that particularly Jonson’s overall brash dismissal of the visual arts is epitomized in his poems in praise of Venetia’s life. Yet ample evidence within Eupheme supports the idea that not only are Jonson’s poems in peculiar ekphrastic conversations with Van Dyck’s painting but that Jonson conceives of the ekphrasis as a device for guiding viewers and readers into rare contemplative poetic spaces. The nature of the interplay between Van Dyck’s painting and Jonson’s poems shares similarities to how Jonson conceived of the courtly masque as a cooperative, unitive experience of visual and verbal elements. In addition, the influence of emblems of Alciato on Jonson’s poetry is instructive in this regard, as these emblems exhibit a cooperative interplay between discrete visual and verbal (body and soul) elements. Issues arising from the artistic cooperative interplay between the body and the soul are linked to the Catholic theology of prudence through the subject of both Jonson and Van Dyck’s works. Specific Catholic contexts hitherto not considered are suggested for both the painting and poems, and especially Jonson’s poem “To My Muse” (the last poem in Eupheme), but these theological contexts are also established in relation to the two titles of Jonson’s poems, which take for their subject Venetia’s body and mind. Furthermore, various loose ends such as the dating of Van Dyck’s painting and the idea that Sir Kenlem had commissioned it to reconstruct Venetia Digby’s reputation are brought up and considered throughout the essay with an eye to these contexts.

Culture, Religion, and Corruption/Prosperity (A), (B), (C), (1), (2)

This chapter characterises the relations between culture, religion, and corruption/prosperity. It advances the explanations of the prosperity–religion nexus from the perspective of cultural attributes (e.g. trust, individualism, familialism) by comparing Roman Catholic and Protestant theologies.Protestant denominations have mostly relinquished their founding principles, while “Rome never changes” as per the Italian saying. Despite the progress after Vatican II, Roman Catholicism has not markedly altered its beliefs and practices or its institutional founding principles (i.e. Canon Law) since medieval times. The political repercussions of an ecumenism in “Rome terms” are beyond its theological or religious implications.Liberation theology urged the Latin American Roman Church to break away from its imperialist origins and favouritism for landlords, industrialists, and power elites. However, liberation theology never became the mainstream or hegemonic Catholic theology in Latin America.Distinct Protestant theologies and organisational forms have led to distinct outcomes. New forms of Protestantism (i.e. Pentecostalism) placing less emphasis on education are less likely to have a positive social impact than previous (historical) Protestant versions. Some Protestant denominations still adhere to intertextual historicist biblical interpretation and hold the belief that the papacy continues to be “Satan’s synagogue” today.The heavily criticised Prosperity Gospel (PG) movement has syncretic roots in Pentecostalism, New Thought, and African American religion, and is composed mainly of the middle classes and blacks.While syncretism has been a natural process in all religions, Jews and historical Protestants have tended to be more anti-syncretic given their Scriptural base of beliefs. In turn, the importance of traditions, in Roman Catholicism for instance, has led to include more non-orthodox rituals in its practice.

Event-Review: Chinese Church Music since the Tang Dynasty

This short review is dedicated to the long-awaited event ‘Beijing Symposium of Sinicised Catholic Theology – The Chinese Face of Jesus Christ’ and deals with the historical background of some its events. It is also a personal document filled with statements derived from the given observations.

Dimensi Eko-Eskatologis dalam Mitos Penciptaan pada Masyarakat Manggarai Nusa Tenggara Timur

One of the problems suspected to be faced by human is environmental problems. Whereas in various traditions generated by the ancestors, it encourages harmony between human life and nature through mythology, including the teachings of eschatology. The ecological crisis that occurred because of leaving the concept of eco-eschatology in religion and culture. This paper aims to find the ecoeschatological dimension in the creation myth of the Manggarai Community, NTT. The study used qualitative approach with ethnographic methods. Data were obtained through interviews with several key informants from several villages in Manggarai. The results of the study found two myths that have the eco-eschatological local wisdom, namely the myth of the origin of humans and the origin of plants. There are several eco-eschatological meanings in the creation myth, those are everything was created by Morin, all creations have an eschatological future, and there is continuity and discontinuity between the old creation in the world and the new creation in the eschatological world. These meanings bear some resemblance to the teachings in Catholic theology of creation. This finding contributes to the Church in efforts to sensitize the people in relation to the ecological crisis. In addition, local wisdom is also the basis for the environmental conservation movement.

The Criteria of “Authentically” Catholic Theology: Reading Theology Today a Decade Later

In light of the fecundity and diversity of Catholic theology since Vatican II, a 2012 report of the International Theological Commission (ITC) identified perspectives, principles, and criteria—distinctive family traits—of Catholic theology, what Pope Benedict XVI called its “genetic code”: primacy of the Word of God; the faith of the Church as its source, context, and norm; the science of faith; drawing constantly on the canonical witness of Scripture; fidelity to the Apostolic Tradition; attention to the sensus fidelium; responsible adherence to the ecclesiastical magisterium; practiced in collaboration with the whole company of theologians; in dialogue with the world; giving a scientifically and rationally argued presentation of the Christian faith; integration of plurality in the intellectus fidei; and sapiential. This article marks the 10th anniversary of the ITC report by offering a critical commentary on the criteria, examining the possibilities, limitations, and tensions inherent in each, and the ongoing relevance of these criteria for contemporary Catholic theology. It argues that although the aim of the ITC report is not to promote uniformity but to avoid fragmentation, and its framework is an ecclesiology of communion, when the interpretative possibilities of theology are discussed, the report tends to retreat from these possibilities and adopt a restrictive emphasis on conformity. The article then examines what Pope Francis (2013–) says about the characteristics of Catholic theology and the role of theologians in his major documents and his addresses to faculties of theology. It argues that Francis makes a distinctive contribution to consideration of what is “authentically” Catholic theology, and may offer a less restrictive understanding of such theology for the diverse academic, cultural, and ecclesial contexts in which Catholic theologians find themselves.

From National Catholicism to Romantic Love: The Politics of Love and Divorce in Franco's Spain

In the early 1970s, when the Franco dictatorship (1939–75) was coming to an end, some Catholic intellectuals began to defend people's right to end their failed marriages and seek happiness with a new partner. In so doing, they recognised that love was the primary purpose of marriage; if it was absent the union ceased to be valid. These intellectuals thus broke with a discourse that had until then been deep-seated in both Catholic theology and Francoist morals and laws. According to these, love was only a secondary end of marriage and the conjugal union was indissoluble, leaving people no choice but to tolerate it if it was an unhappy one.