scholarly journals God’s Will as the Foundation of Morality: A Medieval Historical Perspective

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 362
Author(s):  
Janine Idziak
Keyword(s):  
Fourteenth Century ◽  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Strong Sense ◽  
Philosophical Theology ◽  
God's Will ◽  
Ethical Status ◽  
Historical Literature ◽  
Divine Will ◽  
The Will ◽  
Theological Voluntarism

Theological voluntarism places the foundation of morality in the will of God. The formulation of such a thesis warrants further refinement. Different formulations of theological voluntarism were put forward in medieval philosophical theology involving the relation of God’s will to the divine intellect (reason) in determining ethical status. The fourteenth century Franciscan Andrew of Neufchateau maintained a purely voluntaristic theory in which it is God’s will alone (and not the divine intellect) that determines ethical status. Subsequently Pierre d’Ailly worked with a divine will which is identical with the divine intellect in a strong sense while still maintaining that it is properly assigned to the divine will to be an obligatory law. Later, Jean Gerson, a student of Pierre d’Ailly, spoke explicitly of God’s will and reason together as involved in God’s activity in the ethical realm. In this paper, we set out these three different formulations of theological voluntarism, tracing the evolution of medieval formulations of theological voluntarism. Although the paper is historical in nature, we conclude with some reflections on how contemporary philosophers and theologians interested in theological voluntarism might profit from study of this historical literature.

Davenant on the Will of God and the Divine Decrees

2021 ◽  
pp. 147-160
Author(s):  
Michael J. Lynch
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Extended Treatment ◽  
God's Will ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Divine Will ◽  
God's Love ◽  
The Will ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Will Of God

This chapter discusses another important doctrine relative to John Davenant’s hypothetical universalism: the divine will. Observing that the doctrine of God’s will in early modern scholastic theology, including among Reformed theologians, involved a plethora of scholastic distinctions, the chapter shows that Davenant’s theology of the divine will was heavily influenced by these distinctions, which were themselves ways of making sense of apparent contradictory claims in Scripture. Davenant’s employment of these medieval distinctions, such as between God’s love of simple complacency and his absolute will, are given extended treatment. This chapter also gives attention to the difference between a divine conditional and an absolute will. Finally, tying all these distinctions together, this chapter explains how Davenant employs them to buttress his hypothetical universalism.

Peter Lombard’s on God’s Will: Sententiae, Book I, Distinctions 45-46

2018 ◽  
pp. 136-152
Author(s):  
R. Tkachenko
Keyword(s):  
Free Will ◽  
God's Will ◽  
Doctrine Of God ◽  
Divine Will ◽  
The Will ◽  
Biblical Texts ◽  
The Given ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Theology Proper

The global Peter Lombard research continues, but the Master of the Sentences’ theology proper is still to be analyzed in detail. In particular, a more thorough exposition of the distinctions 45-48 of his Book of Sentences, which deal with the notion of God’s will and its relation to the human free will, has for some while remained a desideratum. The given article partly fills this lacuna and elucidates on the doctrine of the divine will as presented by the Lombard. In particular, it is shown that for him there exist two ways of speaking about God’s will: «simply and absolutely» and «not simply and absolutely» which may be identified with intransitive and transitive use of the verb «to will,» respectively. The will is primarily understood in terms of execution of one’s will (active willing) but its relation to one’s desires and inclinations (wanting) are downplayed or altogether omitted from the Lombardian doctrine of God. The divine will is by definition free and efficient but Lombard highlights that there is place for human free will, too. His explanation of the relationship between the divine and the human wills seems somewhat unconvincing but the unfolding of his theory on the basis of a few biblical texts should be acknowledged a peculiar theological exercise.

scholarly journals Obedience as a Religious Virtue

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 164-179
Author(s):  
Rudi te Velde
Keyword(s):  
Natural Law ◽  
Human Person ◽  
The Other ◽  
Moral Virtues ◽  
God's Will ◽  
Divine Will ◽  
The Will ◽  
Love Of God ◽  
Theological Virtue ◽  
Made In

Summary This essay explores Thomas’ thoughts about the virtue of obedience (based on STh II-II, q.104), which is particularly valued as a link between the moral virtues and the theological virtue of charity (love of God). Obedience generates in the human person the moral disposition required for all the other virtues, a disposition which consists in the readiness of the will to submit itself to the rule of God’s will. Reflecting on the question whether one should be obedient to God in every respect, Thomas is confronted with an objection pointing to the story of how God commands Abraham to kill his innocent son, which is prohibited by natural law. I use the scarce but intriguing remarks Thomas made in response to this objection to propose a meaningful interpretation of obedience as a religious virtue, essentially different from its distorted imitation which consists in an immediate identification of one’s own will with the presumed divine will.

scholarly journals Hamba Tuhan sebagai Aktor Utama di Era Transisi dari Specialization kepada Globalization (Eksposisi Konteks Postmodern dan Teks Efesus 5:15-21)

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-48
Author(s):  
Stevri Indra Lumintang
Keyword(s):  
Transition Period ◽  
Great Change ◽  
Main Role ◽  
God's Will ◽  
The Will

The movement of globalization caused postmoderns to "replace the modern worldview" with "postmodern worldview". That means there are massive and fundamental changes. Therefore, this transition period is a period of great change, which is not easily accepted by many people because it has caused many major problems with humanity. Globalization presses in many directions, so that nothing is lost. Globalization has made many people and organizations become voracious and ferocious. That means using the time available. Nothing is greater than God's will. The will of globalization is under God's will. This is the strong foundation of a servant of God acting as the main actor of globalization. The main role of God's servants as the main actor of globalization, namely preaching the Word.  Gerakan globalisasi menyebabkan kaum postmodern “mengganti worldview modern” dengan “worldview postmodern”. Itu artinya terjadi perubahan besar-besaran dan mendasar. Karena itu, masa peralihan ini merupakan masa perubahan besar, yang tidak mudah diterima oleh banyak orang karena telah menyebabkan banyak masalah yang besar terhadap humanistas.  Globalisasi menekan ke banyak arah, sehingga tidak ada yang luput dari pengaruhnya. Globalisasi telah membuat banyak orang dan organisasi tertentu menjadi rakus dan ganas tiada ampun. Itu artinya menggunakan waktu yang ada. Tidak ada yang lebih hebat dari pada kehendak Allah. Kehendak globalisasi berada di bawah kehendak Allah. Inilah dasar yang kuat dari seorang hamba Tuhan berperan sebagai aktor utama globalisasi. Peran utama hamba Tuhan sebagai aktor utama globalisasi, yaitu memberitakan Firman.

scholarly journals Is ‘divine healing’ in the ‘Faith Movement’ founded on the principles of healing in the Bible or based on the power of the mind?

2009 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan P. Pretorius
Keyword(s):  
Medical Treatment ◽  
Positive Thinking ◽  
Healing Ministry ◽  
Divine Healing ◽  
God's Will ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Will ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Faith Movement ◽  
The Devil

Many people plagued with incurable diseases or diseases that seem to be resistant to medical treatment, in desperation turn to preachers who claim to administer divine healing. These divine healers make certain claims, based on their interpretation of the Scriptures and a so-called revelation of God’s will. They furthermore preach that healing and health are included in atonement and that nobody should be sick. Illness is an indication of a lack of faith on the part of the believer. It could also be attributed to an attack from the devil. In order to obtain healing, a process of ignoring the symptoms, followed by an unyielding and repeated confession of the healing needed, based on selected verses from the Scriptures, is proposed.This article is based on the contention that the healing practised by these divine healers is nothing more than a ‘mind-over-matter’ approach, leading people into confessing over and over that they have been healed. These practices are reminiscent of the utilisation of affirmations that lead to positive thinking, which will evidently result in a change of behaviour on the part of the confessor. No indication of Godly intervention seems to be evident in this healing ministry, and neither is any submission to the will and purpose of God.

Descartes on the immutability of the divine will

2003 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
DAVID CUNNING
Keyword(s):  
Analytic Method ◽  
God's Will ◽  
Divine Will

Descartes holds that God's will is immutable. It cannot be changed by God and, because He is supremely independent, it cannot be changed by anything else. Descartes' God acts by a single immutable will for all eternity, and there is no sense in which it is possible for Him to will or to have willed anything other than what He in fact wills. Passages in which Descartes might appear to be suggesting a different view are simply manifestations of his analytic method.

scholarly journals “In Harmony with Reason”: John Duns Scotus’s Theo-aesth/ethics

Open Theology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oleg Bychkov
Keyword(s):  
Natural Law ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Divine Command ◽  
Moral Norms ◽  
God's Will ◽  
Accurate Model ◽  
The Past ◽  
Freedom Of The Will ◽  
The Will ◽  
The Way

AbstractOver the past two decades, the debate has intensified over the nature of John Duns Scotus’s (meta) ethics: is it a purely voluntarist “divine command” ethics or is it still based on rational principles? The former side is exemplified by Thomas Williams and the latter by Allan Wolter. Scotus claims that even the divine commandments that are not based on natural law are still somehow “in harmony with reason.” But what does this mean? Richard Cross in a recent study claims that God’s reasons for establishing certain moral norms are “aesthetic.” However, he fails to show clearly what is “aesthetic” about these reasons or why God’s will would follow “aesthetic” principles in legislating moral norms. This article clarifies both points, first, by painting an up-to-date picture of what constitutes “aesthetic” principles, and second, by providing a more accurate model of the way the human volitional faculty operates and addressing the problem of the “freedom of the will” from a present-day point of view.

scholarly journals Pandangan Al Zamakhshshari Tentang Ayat-Ayat Pluralisme Dalam Tafsir Al-KasshaF

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 46-60
Author(s):  
Achmad Zainul Arifin ◽  
Wina Valestin Valestin
Keyword(s):  
Good Life ◽  
Religious Diversity ◽  
God's Will ◽  
The World ◽  
The Will ◽  
Will Of God

Pluralism is the most beautiful gift and sunnatullah that must be accepted in this life. In reality a country must have diversity in terms of ethnicity, culture, and even religion and Indonesia is a country with the highest application of pluralism in the world. That the country of Indonesia is a country formed from cultural, ethnic and diverse religious diversity not only one culture or one religion. Creating plurality or diversity is one of God's will, so God also creates various kinds of concepts so that plurality itself does not collide with each other even if there is a clash, then it can be resolved properly. Even in the Qur'an the plurality is highly valued, in the Qur'an there are also many verses that explain plurality. Starting from how pluralism is created, then recognizing the existence of something diferent from what is belived to appreciate any differences that exist. In the Qur'an there are guidelines in living a good life therefore Muslims are encouraged to learn and apply what is in it. Especially in understanding differences that in essence is the will of God. One of Al Zamakhsha>ri>'s opinions in his book, Al Kasyaf's interpretation, says that Allah creates a difference in this life so that people can know each other and not get caught up in their own stupidity then compete in terms of goodness.

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