Species and Salvation: Theology of History in the Anthropocene?

In this article I will discuss various thoughts of a few recent representatives of the tradition of the philosophy of history—Heinz Dieter Kittsteiner, Ulrich Beck, and finally Karl Rahner—and bring them into a conversation with Dipesh Chakrabarty's work on the problems of human species history and the Anthropocene. The aim of this undertaking is to gain greater clarity on the question of the work that theology continues to do for historical thought. I argue that Rahner's notions about “inclusivism”—according to which the possibility of salvation is vested in the species history of humanity rather than in the history of Christian revelation—and his related notion of an irresolvable tension between “anonymous” and what one might then call “onomastic” histories signal the continuing significance of a theology of the baptismal sacrament for historical thought. Rereading Rahner's thought sheds light on certain quandaries of the Anthropocene discussion, regarding the way in which species history can be related to other kinds of history writing, and the novel opening for theodicy generated by the breakdown of the culture–nature divide.

Roland’s Confession and the Rhetorical Construction of the Other Within

The chapter focuses on Roland’s confession scenes in the Oxford Roland, the Châteauroux version of the epic, and the vernacular translation of the Pseudo-Turpin chronicle. Viewing the scenes through a rhetorical lens, the chapter examines the ways in which each uses ethos, pathos, and logos to create a relationship between interiority and the audience. In the Oxford Roland, Roland creates a self of memories and evokes audience empathy as he offers a lesson on how to die as a warrior. Shifts in the Châteauroux version direct the message to the common man who must think about heaven and hell as much as to a warrior audience. The Pseudo-Turpin reveals an emphasis on salvation theology and a confession of faith in the presence of a witness to position Roland in a place of common humanity, as a soul in need of a proper death.

Did Calvinists Have a Guilt Complex? Reformed Religion, Conscience and Regulation in Early Modern Europe

This essay assesses ideas and evidence about the response of Calvinists to sin during the Early Modern period. It takes as a starting-point the analysis provided by Max Weber about the development of Reformed salvation theology in later Calvinism. Weber suggested that Calvinists came to connect the eternal fate of their souls with their behaviour on earth, and attempted to exert systematic controls over their own conduct. Calvinists, Weber argued, developed a mind-set of methodical self-analysis and exhibited constant vigilance, concern and guilt about ongoing sin. Some early modern Calvinists certainly did demonstrate this highly refined personal anxiety about their wrong-doing, and worried about what their lack of enthusiasm and commitment to true religion and moral conduct might mean. However, most Reformed ministers across the Continent seem to have been rather more concerned that members of their congregations did not feel guilty enough about their sins, and alongside encouraging self-discipline through sermons and catechizing, turned to elders and, where possible, to state authorities, to enforce high standards of morality on often recalcitrant parishioners.