scholarly journals A critical investigation of Romans 4:3: Its determinative value for justice and righteousness

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 321
Author(s):  
Peter Nagel
Keyword(s):  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Faith Communities ◽  
Modern Concept ◽  
Literary Context ◽  
Justification By Faith ◽  
Critical Enquiry ◽  
Theological Thought ◽  
Conceptual Relationship ◽  
Critical Investigation

The theological significance of Romans 4 is undisputed and within it the explicit citation in Romans 4:3 is pivotal. It has informed theological thought, stimulated debates, and shaped faith communities for millennia. But does the concept of ‘justification by faith’ or ‘righteousness through faith’, as portrayed in Romans 4:3, hold enough essential universal elements for it to inform faith communities in particular and society in general? How did Paul arrive at the idea that through faith one can be declared righteous? Is there any hint in Romans 4:3 to a conceptual relationship between justice and righteousness? The aim of this paper is to critically investigate Romans 4:3 within its literary conceptual context to determine if it has anything significant to offer for societal concepts of justice and righteousness. Such a critical enquiry must include considering Paul’s concept of justice and righteousness in comparison to a more modern concept of these terms. This investigation will also demand a critical reflection on Genesis 15:1-21 and Paul’s interpretation of the text. One also ought to deal with this matter within the literary context of Romans 3:21-4:25.

Feminist Methodologies

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 72-87
Author(s):  
Catherine Caufield
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Academic Discipline ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Spiritual Experience ◽  
Faith Communities ◽  
Interdisciplinary Work ◽  
Social Discourses ◽  
Humanities And Social Sciences ◽  
Theological Thought

Abstract Given changing contexts and social discourses, it is theoretically enriching to enlarge the research emphasis of the secular academic discipline of Religious Studies to consider ways in which women who self-identify as religious contribute to their various traditions in ways that deepen spiritual experience for the communities as a whole and make contributions to their larger social contexts. Religious Studies scholars value scientific approaches but also, to be respectful of the communities studied, must recognize that they do a disservice to those communities if they reduce findings to the confines of these approaches. Interdisciplinary work that draws on methodological concepts developed in feminist theological thought, together with naturalist approaches, serves to increase knowledge about and by women in faith communities. By continuing to develop theology in rigorous and thoughtful ways, modern women are carrying forward an important interpretive tradition that strengthens analyses of religion in the secular humanities and social sciences.

“God’s Righteousness Is Revealed in Every Believer from Faith to Faithfulness” (Rom 1.17): A Possible Reading

2021 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-116
Author(s):  
Yongbom Lee
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Christian Life ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Literary Context ◽  
Justification By Faith

This study proposes understanding Rom 1.17 as: “For God’s righteousness is revealed in every believer from faith to faithfulness, as it was written, ‘The righteous will live by faith,’” based on various exegetical considerations in both its syntagmatic and literary context and its role in the overall shape of Romans. It highlights Paul’s holistic and dynamic picture of Christian life in which justification by faith produces its fruits in a believer’s everyday life.

Jeremiah as yhwh’s Stronghold (Jer 1:18)

2014 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 640-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christl M. Maier
Keyword(s):  
Literary Context ◽  
Royal Ideology ◽  
Book Of Jeremiah ◽  
Iron Pillar ◽  
And Function ◽  
Meaning And Function ◽  
The Temple ◽  
Critical Investigation ◽  
Call Narrative

In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet proclaims that Jerusalem will be destroyed by a foreign nation. According to the call narrative, however, Jeremiah himself is transformed into “a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall” (Jer 1:18). While these architectural metaphors have often been explained with regard to Egyptian royal ideology, the article further explores their meaning and function within their literary context. Comparing characterizations of both the prophet and personified Jerusalem, the essay argues that Jer 1:18 offers a late comment to the book: Jeremiah functions as a stand-in for yhwh’s favorite city. A text-critical investigation of Jer 1:18 demonstrates—in contrast to former studies—that the mt pluses deliberately elaborate the prophet’s role by rendering him a substitute for the temple.

Faith-Based Health Education Project

2003 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgia N. L. Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Faith Communities ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Community Ownership ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Program Success ◽  
Project Sustainability ◽  
Critical Components ◽  
Pastoral Support ◽  
Volunteer Commitment

Working with faith communities in health promotion is widely acclaimed and yet not readily practiced. This article describes a study conducted among four faith communities to determine the process required for sustainable faith-based programs. Face-to-face interviews were conducted among 12 community volunteers who participated to identify their perceptions of the project. Two staff members were also interviewed to identify the process from their perspectives. Project-related documents were also analyzed to provide details and triangulate the data from the interviews. The study followed the project for 2 ½ years. Several factors were identified as significant influences on participation and project sustainability. These included value, active pastoral support, program success, and volunteer commitment. The results of this study indicate that pastoral support and faith community ownership are critical components that should be included in faith-based community building efforts.

Proving God's Existence? A Reassessment of al-Rāzī’s Arguments for the Existence of the Creator

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah C. Erlwein
Keyword(s):  
Islamic Theology ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
The Past ◽  
Theological Thought ◽  
Thematic Context

Arguments for God's existence, it has often been argued in the secondary academic literature, form an essential part of classical Islamic theology (ʿilm al-kalām) and philosophy (falsafa). In the past decades, numerous scholars have dealt with what could be termed the Islamic discourse on arguments for God's existence, and have commonly analysed these arguments making recourse to Immanuel Kant's (1724–1804) categorisation of such arguments as cosmological, teleological, or ontological. The great Ashʿarī theologian Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d. 606/1210) is, unsurprisingly, seen as no exception to this: he, too, has been regarded as a participant in the aforementioned discourse, and in several of his major kalām works he introduces four methods to ‘prove the existence of the creator’. In this article, I will, however, argue that al-Rāzī had no concern for proving God's existence; the arguments in his kalām works, which, in the secondary academic literature, have been described as seeking to prove that God exists, it shall be suggested, serve a different purpose. This shall become clear when al-Rāzī’s commentary on the Qur'an, al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, is taken into account. Previous studies of al-Rāzī’s (alleged) arguments for God's existence have only focused on his kalām works proper, however, in the Tafsīr al-Rāzī not only presents the very same four kalām methods to ‘prove the existence of the creator’ and stresses that they originate in Qur'anic forms of argumentation, but he also places them in a thematic context which, in his theological works, is oftentimes lacking. This article therefore clarifies the objective underlying al-Rāzī’s arguments for the existence of the creator and explains their significance in his broader theological thought.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document