Is it possible to discover ‘the one’ intended meaning of the biblical authors?

2014 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-194
Author(s):  
C. Jason White
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Biblical Studies ◽  
Intended Meaning ◽  
Major Purpose ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
History Of ◽  
Objective Meaning ◽  
The One ◽  
Reference Tools

AbstractA major pursuit of biblical studies, especially since the dawn of the Enlightenment, has been to discover the one, intended, objective meaning of the various biblical texts. Over the last several hundred years, a plethora of methodological paradigms, biblical language and reference tools, historical studies, sociological analyses, comparative linguistic investigations, and anthropological and cultural examinations have all been published through many outlets by a host of people for the purpose of finding THE meaning the biblical authors wished to convey to their respective audiences. Although the results of all these works have positively contributed to our knowledge of scripture in profound ways, the problem is this: none can claim that they have actually discovered this one objective meaning. This is not to say, however, that there are not better understandings of scripture which point more adequately to the originally intended meaning, but simply that the best anyone can do is interpret scripture. The consequence of interpretation, though, is the relativity of meaning. In other words, there are several interpretations of scripture which can validly point to the intended meaning of the biblical authors and texts. One purpose of this article, then, will be to explore why it is not possible to find the one intended meaning of scripture, by defining some key concepts (e.g. tradition and presupposition) in the work of Hans-Georg Gadamer, who is one of the most influential names in the history of philosophical hermeneutics of the twentieth century, as interpreted by Merold Westphal.Some scriptural interpreters, especially evangelicals, are frightened by the idea that biblical meaning is relative because such a pluralistic approach can lead quickly to the demise of biblical infallibility and authority. A second major purpose of this article will be to help ease such fear by offering a biblically grounded theological justification for the interpretative plurality of scripture by looking at the relativity of meaning through the lens of the doctrine of the Trinity. This justification will suggest that the more we rely upon the Holy Spirit and act out our faith in God through Jesus Christ in and outside of the church, the better our interpretation of scripture will become.

scholarly journals RELEVANSI TRINITAS BAGI HIDUP MANUSIA MENURUT KARL RAHNER

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-76
Author(s):  
Herman Punda Panda
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Trinitarian Theology ◽  
Karl Rahner ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
History Of ◽  
The One ◽  
The Trinity

Karl Rahner made a major contribution to the trinitarian theology in this post-modern era. He has attempted to reconcile the classical doctrine of the Trinity with contemporary thought. Rahner spoke about the topic of the oneness and triadity of God. Regarding the oneness of God, Rahner did not speak about the one ousia / divine essence, but rather the unity or perichoresis of the three divine persons. What is called God here, is not the essence of divinity but the Father who is the source of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, Rahner emphasizes the identification and relationship between the immanent Trinity and the economic Trinity which according to him is the important point in the theology of the Trinity. Consequently, the only starting point for developing a theology of the Trinity is the history of our experience with God, in which God reveals Himself in two ways, namely through the Word and the Spirit. This article presents Karl Rahner's thoughts on the Trinity and its relevance to human life. First of all, the author describes about the place of Trinitarian theology in the general framework of Rahner's anthropological theology. Next, it discussed his thoughts on the Trinity itself and at the end, the relevance of the Trinity to human life. This relevance becomes evident in Rahner's thought about the communication of God to man in the form of His Word and Spirit.

Martin Luther and the Holy Spirit

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lois Malcolm
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Martin Luther ◽  
Biblical Theology ◽  
Biblical Exegesis ◽  
Literary Genres ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
History Of ◽  
History Of Theology ◽  
The One ◽  
The Trinity

Although often neglected in historical and theological studies of Martin Luther’s work, an understanding of the Holy Spirit undergirds his signal contributions to the history of theology and is essential to any case for his ongoing relevance to contemporary theology and practice. Drawing on biblical exegesis, Luther would reinvigorate the doctrine of the Holy Spirit he inherited from the Western theological tradition and from the Ancient Church. Nonetheless, he wrote in a variety of literary genres and in response to a range of issues. To address this linguistic and historical complexity, this article examines the role the concept of the Holy Spirit plays in his theology by providing readings of texts that have been influential on later appropriations of his work. In doing so, it focuses on two intertwined themes in his theology. First, it examines his understanding of the Holy Spirit in relation to justification—that is, the righteousness of God we receive as a gift by faith—looking at his early biblical theology and two especially influential texts, “The Freedom of a Christian” (1520) and his “Lectures on Galatians” (1535). Second, it discusses his portrayal of the Holy Spirit as sanctifier—that is, as the one who creates holiness or sanctification in us—in his most well-known catechisms, in the “Confession of 1528,” and in his “Lectures on Genesis” (1535) and “Sermons on John” (1537). Throughout, attention will also be given to his understanding of the Trinity, Word and sacraments, faith, hope, and love, and the themes of promise and gift. The article concludes with a sketch of historical work and a discussion of the influence of Luther’s pneumatology on later theology and current areas of research.

The Spirit

2019 ◽  
pp. 293-308
Author(s):  
Wolf Krötke
Keyword(s):  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Karl Barth ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
The One ◽  
Bear Witness ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Trinity

This chapter presents Barth’s understanding of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Jesus Christ. It demonstrates the way in which Barth’s pneumatology is anchored in his doctrine of the Trinity: the Holy Spirit is understood as the Spirit of the Father and of the Son, the One whose essence is love. But Barth can also speak of the Holy Spirit in such a way that it seems as if the Holy Spirit is identical to the work of the risen Jesus Christ and his ‘prophetic’ work. The reception of the pneumatology of Karl Barth thus confronts the task of relating these dimensions of Barth’s understanding of the Holy Spirit so that the Spirit’s distinct work is preserved. For Barth, this work consists in enabling human beings to respond in faith, with their human possibilities and their freedom, to God’s reconciliation in Jesus Christ. In this faith, the Holy Spirit incorporates human beings into the community of Jesus Christ—the community participates in the reconciling work of God in order to bear witness to God’s work to human beings, all of whom have been elected to ‘partnership’ with God. Barth also understood the ‘solidarity’ of the community with, and the advocacy of the community for, the non-believing world to be a nota ecclesiae (mark of the church). Further, to live from the Holy Spirit, according to Barth, is only possible in praying for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Trinity

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter van Inwagen
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Christian Theology ◽  
Holy Trinity ◽  
De Doctrina Christiana ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
The Face ◽  
The One ◽  
The Trinity

The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is a central and essential element of Christian theology. The part of the doctrine that is of special concern in the present entry may be stated in these words: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are each God; they are distinct from one another; and yet (in the words of the Athanasian Creed), ‘they are not three Gods, but there is one God’. This is not to be explained by saying that ‘the Father’, ‘the Son’ and ‘the Holy Spirit’ are three names that are applied to the one God in various circumstances; nor is it to be explained by saying that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are parts or aspects of God (like the leaves of a shamrock or the faces of a cube). In the words of St Augustine: Thus there are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and each is God and at the same time all are one God; and each of them is a full substance, and at the same time all are one substance. The Father is neither the Son nor the Holy Spirit; the Son is neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son. But the Father is the Father uniquely; the Son is the Son uniquely; and the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit uniquely. (De doctrina christiana I, 5, 5) The doctrine of the Trinity seems on the face of it to be logically incoherent. It seems to imply that identity is not transitive – for the Father is identical with God, the Son is identical with God, and the Father is not identical with the Son. There have been two recent attempts by philosophers to defend the logical coherency of the doctrine. Richard Swinburne has suggested that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be thought of as numerically distinct Gods, and he has argued that, properly understood, this suggestion is consistent with historical orthodoxy. Peter Geach and various others have suggested that a coherent statement of the doctrine is possible on the assumption that identity is ‘always relative to a sortal term’. Swinburne’s formulation of the doctrine of the Trinity is certainly free from logical incoherency, but it is debatable whether it is consistent with historical orthodoxy. As to ‘relative identity’ formulations of the doctrine, not all philosophers would agree that the idea that identity is always relative to a sortal term is even intelligible.

scholarly journals A critical analysis on African Traditional Religion and the Trinity

2013 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jele S. Manganyi ◽  
Johan Buitendag
Keyword(s):  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Traditional Religion ◽  
African Culture ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
African Traditional Religion ◽  
The One ◽  
The Trinity ◽  
Supreme Being

To what extent do the resources of African Traditional Religion (ATR) contribute towards Christian theological discourse and benefit the African church? ATR is accommodated in the African Initiated Churches (AICs). The members of these churches aim to be Christian without losing their African identity. ATR is a religion that was practised throughout Africa before the arrival of the Western missionaries. The core premise of ATR is the maintenance of African culture and its main feature is loyalty to the ancestors and the accompanying rituals that express this loyalty. This study addresses the appropriateness of ATR’s resources in terms of their contribution to the doctrine of the Trinity. When the early church worshipped God the Father and God the Son (Jesus) in the presence of the Holy Spirit, a tension developed. The questions of monotheism versus polytheism and the nature and position of Jesus within the Trinity were put forward and addressed. The doctrine of the Trinity is uniquely Christian and includes the belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who alone mediates between God and men. There is, on the other hand, an understanding that Africans worship one Supreme Being and venerate ancestors as intermediaries to the one Supreme Being, without clear roles being ascribed to Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. This article enquires whether the process of Africanisation and contextualisation consciously or unconsciously downgraded Jesus Christ as Mediator who came to reveal who God is and to reconcile humankind to him.

scholarly journals Quranic Christology in Late Antiquity. ‘Isa ibn Maryam and His Divine Power (Energeia) in the Islamic Revelation

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 979
Author(s):  
Marco Demichelis
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Late Antiquity ◽  
The Other ◽  
Potential Influence ◽  
Son Of God ◽  
Divine Power ◽  
Early Islam ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
History Of ◽  
The One

Christology and monotheism have been dogmatically linked in the long history of Islam-Christian dialogue since the beginning of the 8th century. The Qur’an, in an analytical perception of religious otherness, specifically in relation to Christianity, assumed a dual discernment: on the one hand, it adopts a sceptical position because Christians are assimilationist (2: 120, 135, 145; 5: 51), sectarian and made Jesus the son of God (4: 171; 5: 14–19, 73; 9: 30; 18: 4–5; 21: 26); on the other hand, they are commended over the Jews and ‘Isa ibn Maryam has been strengthened with the Holy Spirit by God himself (2: 59, 62, 87, 253; 3: 48; 5: 47, 73, 82, 85, 110). The importance of enforcing the consciousness of a Quranic Christology, specifically where it concerned the potential influence that Christological doctrines such as adoptionism and monoenergism had on early Islam in late antiquity, where it was based on the proto- Islamic understanding of Jesus, and where it was rooted in Patristic orthodox-unorthodox debates, fell into oblivion. How was the Quranic canonization process affected by the ongoing Christological debates of the 7th century? Could Heraclius’ monoenergism have played a concrete influence on Quranic Christology? And in which way did early Kalam debates on God’s speech and will remain linked to Quranic Christology?

scholarly journals Konsep Kesatuan Yesus dan Allah Bapa Dalam Injil Yohanes 17:22 Untuk Menghadapi Doktrin Subordinansi Tritunggal Saksi Yehuwa

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Yanjumseby Yeverson Manafe ◽  
Yenny Anita Pattinama
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Jehovah’S Witnesses ◽  
Jehovah's Witnesses ◽  
Great Debate ◽  
Triune God ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
The One ◽  
The Trinity

Doktrin Trinitas atau doktrin Allah Tritunggal adalah pengajaran tentang Allah yang menyatakan diri-Nya dalam tiga pribadi, yaitu Allah Bapa, Allah Anak (Yesus Kristus), dan Allah Roh Kudus yang ketiganya adalah esa. Di satu sisi, doktrin tersebut merupakan doktrin yang sangat penting dan unik dalam kekristenan. Dikatakan penting karena doktrin ini berbicara tentang Allah Tritunggal yang menjadi pusat pujian, penyembahan dan pelayanan orang percaya. Dikatakan unik karena doktrin tersebut tidak terdapat dalam agama manapun di dunia ini. Namun, di sisi lain, doktrin tersebut merupakan doktrin yang sulit dipahami dan diterima oleh akal manusia bahkan menjadi bahan perdebatan yang hebat di berbagai tempat, masa dan kalangan manusia. Dengan studi eksegetis Yohanes 17: 22 sebagai dasar evaluasi kritis terhadap doktrin subordinasi Tritunggal dalam theologia Saksi Yehuwa, maka dapat diketahui bahwa doktrin subordinasi Tritunggal dalam theologia Saksi Yehuwa adalah doktrin yang menyimpang dari kebenaran Alkitab.   The doctrine of the Trinity or the doctrine of the Triune God is the teaching of God revealing Himself in three persons, namely God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit of which all three are one. On the one hand, the doctrine is a doctrine that is very important and unique in Christianity. It is said to be important because this doctrine speaks of the triune God who is the center of the worship, worship and service of believers. Said to be unique because the doctrine does not exist in any religion in this world. However, on the other hand, the doctrine is a doctrine that is difficult to understand and accepted by human reason and even becomes a matter of great debate in various places, times and circles of humans. With the exegetical study of John 17: 22 as the basis for a critical evaluation of the doctrine of the subordination of the Trinity in the theology of Jehovah's Witnesses, it can be seen that the doctrine of the subordination of the Trinity in the theology of Jehovah's Witnesses is a doctrine that deviates from Bible truth.

scholarly journals Monotheisme Yahudi Kuno dan Doktrin Trinitas

JURNAL LUXNOS ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-94
Author(s):  
Deky Hidnas Yan Nggadas
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Gospel Of John ◽  
Early Christianity ◽  
Biblical Studies ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Greco Roman ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
Divine Identity

Abstract: This study examines ancient Jewish monotheism and compares it with the doctrine of the trinity in the Bible, particularly in Paul's epistles (Ephesians) and the Gospel of John. Researchers used qualitative methods with an emphasis on biblical studies. Researchers conclude that triadic patterns are central to Paul's theology in Ephesians. On the other hand, from the point of view of the practice of worship and devotion, early Christianity seemed to be dominated by a binitarian or diadid pattern of worship (as Hurtado argues). Was the Holy Spirit worshiped in the worship practices and devotion of early Christianity? The evidence from the NT forces us to refrain from giving positive answers to this question. This does not mean that the Holy Spirit is not presented as God (cf. John 14-16; etc.), but that the objects of recipients of worship and devotion in the NT pages are dominated by the Father and the Son. This pattern of worship finds its background not in the Greco-Roman religions, but in ancient Jewish monotheism. From ancient Jewish monotheism too, we find reference to the Christology of divine identity which was so dominant in the NT.  Abstrak: Penelitian ini mengkaji tentang monoteisme Yahudi kuno dan membandingkannya dengan doktrin trinitas dalam Alkitab, khususnya dalam surat Paulus (Surat Efesus) dan juga Injil Yohanes. Peneliti menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan menitikberatkan pada kajian biblika. Peneliti menyimpulkan pola-pola triadik merupakan pusat teologi Paulus dalam Surat Efesus. Di sisi lain, dari segi praktik penyembahan dan devosinya, Kekristenan mula-mula tampaknya didominasi oleh pola penyembahan yang binitarian atau diadik (seperti argumentasi Hurtado). Apakah Roh Kudus disembah dalam praktik penyembahan dan devosi Kekristenan mula-mula? Bukti-bukti dari PB memaksa kita untuk menahan diri dalam memberikan jawaban positif terhadap pertanyaan ini. Hal ini tidak berarti bahwa Roh Kudus tidak dipresentasikan sebagai Allah (bnd. Yoh. 14-16; dll.), namun memang objek penerima penyembahan dan devosi dalam halaman-halaman PB didominasi oleh Bapa dan Anak. Pola penyembahan ini, mendapatkan latar belakangnya bukan dalam agama-agama Greco-Roman, melainkan dalam monotheisme Yahudi kuno. Dari monotheisme Yahudi kuno juga, kita mendapati acuan bagi Kristologi identitas ilahi yang sangat dominan dalam PB.

scholarly journals The Ascension of Christ and Permanent Ecclesiogenesis: A Contribution to Pneumatological and Eschatological Ecclesiology

2021 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 75-94
Author(s):  
Andrzej Napiórkowski
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
The Other ◽  
Holy Trinity ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
History Of ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Temporal Reality ◽  
The One ◽  
The Church

What is the Ascension? Is it merely a narrative of a post-paschal community? In what spatio-temporal reality has it been fulfilled? How should we understand its placement in time: forty days after the Resurrection, and ten days prior to the Descent of the Holy Spirit? The Ascension should be analyzed integrally in connection with the mystery of death and the Resurrection. This paper presents an attempt at deepening New-Testament ecclesiogenesis while also moving away from the narrowed understanding that the Church emerged solely as a result of the words, deeds and person of Jesus Christ. On the one hand, it is a reference to the five stages of the Church's emergence as an event of the entire Holy Trinity in the still-unfinished history of salvation. On the other: it is a presentation of the typically ignored of the Ascension, which is usually reduced to the event of the Resurrection of the glorious Lord. Analysis of the Ascension – performed in the light of ecclesiogenesis – leads to uncovering the pneumatological and eschatological components, which are most interesting in reference to the multi-dimensional establishment of the Church and its mission.

The New Testament and Intellectual Humility

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grant Macaskill
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Intellectual Humility ◽  
Christian Communities ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Sacrificial Love ◽  
The One ◽  
The Mind

This book examines how the New Testament scriptures might form and foster intellectual humility within Christian communities. It is informed by recent interdisciplinary interest in intellectual humility, and concerned to appreciate the distinctive representations of the virtue offered by the New Testament writers on their own terms. It argues that the intellectual virtue is cast as a particular expression of the broader Christian virtue of humility, which proceeds from the believer’s union with Christ, through which personal identity is reconstituted by the operation of the Holy Spirit. Hence, we speak of ‘virtue’ in ways determined by the acting presence of Jesus Christ, overcoming sin and evil in human lives and in the world. The Christian account of the virtue is framed by this conflict, as believers within the Christian community struggle with natural arrogance and selfishness, and come to share in the mind of Christ. The new identity that emerges creates a fresh openness to truth, as the capacity of the sinful mind to distort truth is exposed and challenged. This affects knowledge and perception, but also volition: for these ancient writers, a humble mind makes good decisions that reflect judgments decisively shaped by the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ. By presenting ‘humility of mind’ as a characteristic of the One who is worshipped—Jesus Christ—the New Testament writers insist that we acknowledge the virtue not just as an admission of human deficiency or limitation, but as a positive affirmation of our rightful place within the divine economy.

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