Evangelical Theories of Biblical Inspiration


Book Description

The inspiration of the Bible is central to Christian faith, yet there is no general agreement on the nature of this inspiration. In this provocative book, Kern Robert Trembath reviews seven major evangelical explanations of inspiration and demonstrates that all either view the Bible itself as the actual recipient of inspiration or explain biblical authority on grounds more appropriate to the doctrine of God--in effect investing the Bible with characteristics that properly belong only to God. Building on the work of William Abraham, Trembath constructs his own theory of inspiration--one that regards inspiration as a tripartite concept involving the elements of initiator, means, and receiver. He insists that only a human being can be the recipient of inspiration and that the Bible must therefore be understood as the means, rather than the end, of the process. He goes on to articulate a new definition of biblical inspiration--as "a mediated enhancement of human experience by God, through the Bible"--and argues that this new understanding of inspiration is most compatible with a Thomistic doctrine of God, which insists that God's acts are mediated through the world, rather than immediately occurring in it.




What Are They Saying about Biblical Inspiration?


Book Description

Six major scholars selected for their contributions in the study of biblical inspiration and who provide a veritable cross-section of the diversity of viewpoints on this topic as found in Anglo-American scholarship are surveyed. Abraham Heschel James Burtchaell Bruce Vawter William Abraham Kern Trembath Paul Achtemeier This presentation offers a constructive criticism of these insights from a Roman Catholic perspective, synthesizes their significant contributions, and shows the continuing dialogue among North American scholars in the field of biblical inspiration. A unique contribution of this book is that it affirms the traditional understanding of biblical inspiration as set forth by the Catholic Church, most notably in Dei Verbum of the Second Vatican Council, while at the same time positing the continuity between past biblical inspiration and present spiritual illumination. Book jacket.




The Future of Catholic Biblical Interpretation


Book Description

Notable Catholic interpreters of Scripture discern the guiding values of biblical interpretation at the brink of a new era for the church. Under the influence of Benedict XVI and Francis, Roman Catholics, whether lay or religious, have found renewed interest in studying sacred Scripture. Yet the church has also grown and faces new challenges in the new millennium. What does the future of Catholic biblical interpretation look like? And how ought the church’s rich heritage of biblical interpretation continue to influence it? This volume collects essays by some of the most influential voices in Catholic biblical scholarship today. Covering a variety of topics, from the Old Testament to the New Testament and biblical theology, the essays are united by a common goal: to hear the word of God and proclaim and apply it within the church. The authors pay special tribute to Marie-Joseph Lagrange. This nineteenth-century French Dominican led the way in blending critical methodology with respect for the Church’s authority in order to put scriptural study in service to the good of souls. Featuring diverse and authentically Catholic perspectives, The Future of Catholic Biblical Interpretation represents fresh purpose and direction for the church’s long and fruitful tradition of exegesis.




Dark Passages of the Bible


Book Description

Following the lead of Pope Benedict XVI, in Dark Passages of the Bible Matthew Ramage weds the historical-critical approach with a theological reading of Scripture based in the patristic-medieval tradition. Whereas these two approaches are often viewed as mutually exclusive or even contradictory, Ramage insists that the two are mutually enriching and necessary for doing justice to the Bible s most challenging texts.




The Oxford Handbook of Catholic Theology


Book Description

The Oxford Handbook of Catholic Theology provides a one-volume introduction to all the major aspects of Catholic theology. Part One considers the nature of theological thinking, and the major topics of Catholic teaching, including the Triune God, the Creation, and the mission of the Incarnate Word. It also covers the character of the Christian sacramental life and the major themes of Catholic moral teaching. The treatments in the first part of the Handbook offer personal syntheses of Catholic teaching, but each offers an account in accord with Catholic theology as it is expressed in the Second Vatican Council and authoritative documentation. Part Two focuses on the historical development of Catholic Theology. An initial section offers essays on some of Catholic theology's most important sources between 200 and 1870, and the final section of the collection considers all the main movements and developments in Catholic theology across the world since 1870. This comprehensive volume features fifty-six original contributions by some of the best-known names in current Catholic theology from the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The chapters are written in an engaging and easily comprehensible style functioning both as a scholarly reference and as a survey of the field. There are no comparable studies available in one volume and the book will be an indispensable reference for students of Catholic theology at all levels and in all contexts.




From the Dust of the Earth


Book Description

The claim that evolution undermines Christianity is standard fare in our culture. Indeed, many today have the impression that the two are mutually exclusive and that a choice must be made between faith and reason—rejecting Christianity on the one hand or evolutionary theory on the other. Is there a way to square advances in this field of study with the Bible and Church teaching? In this book—his fourth dedicated to applying Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI’s wisdom to pressing theological difficulties—Matthew Ramage answers this question decidedly in the affirmative. Distinguishing between evolutionary theory properly speaking and the materialist attitude that is often conflated with it, Ramage’s work meets the challenge of evolutionary science to Catholic teaching on human origins, guided by Ratzinger’s conviction that faith and evolutionary theory mutually enrich one another. Pope Benedict gifted the Church with many pivotal yet often-overlooked resources for engaging evolution in the light of faith, especially in those instances where he addressed the topic in connection with the Book of Genesis. Ramage highlights these contributions and also makes his own by applying Ratzinger’s principles to such issues as the meaning of man’s special creation, the relationship between sin and death, and the implications of evolution for eschatology. Notably, Ramage shows that many apparent conflicts between Christianity and evolutionary theory lose their force when we interpret creation in light of the Paschal Mystery and fix our gaze on Jesus, the New Adam who reveals man to himself. Readers of this text will find that it does more than merely help to resolve apparent contradictions between faith and modern science. Ramage’s work shows that discoveries in evolutionary biology are not merely difficulties to be overcome but indeed gifts that yield precious insight into the mystery of God’s saving plan in Christ.




Faith Comes from What Is Heard: An Introduction to Fundamental Theology


Book Description

Faith Comes from What Is Heard: An Introduction to Fundamental Theology informs both the heart and mind as it brings together dogmatic and biblical theology, the Thomistic tradition, the teachings of the Fathers of the Church, and the contemporary Magisterium. Drawing heavily upon the works of St. Thomas Aquinas, Bl. John Henry Newman, Joseph Ratzinger, and St. John Paul II, the author examines the foundations of Catholic theology, or Fundamental Theology, “which is theology’s reflection on itself as a discipline, its method, and its foundation in God’s Revelation transmitted to us through Scripture and Tradition.” Although Faith Comes from What Is Heard is useful for all Catholics who want to understand the foundations of their faith, it is specifically designed to serve as a textbook for courses in Fundamental Theology in seminaries and in graduate and undergraduate programs in theology. It can also serve as a textbook for introductory theology and Scripture courses. The topics covered in Faith Comes from What Is Heard include: Revelation and FaithTheologyTradition and the MagisteriumBiblical Hermeneuticsthe Historicity of the Gospelsand Biblical Typology




Experiencing the Good News


Book Description

"For many years, biblical commentators have been calling for the incorporation of what the French call 'the human sciences' into New Testament interpretation. This book responds to that call. A global statement of what is at stake is found in the article on the need by Pierre Grelot in the June 1976 issue of Nouvelle Revue Theologique. Actually, much of the groundwork for this effort is available in the writings of Eugene A. Nida, many of which were composed in connection with his preparation of transcultural aids for translators of the Bible." --From the Introduction




Alfred Loisy and Modern Biblical Studies


Book Description

The French Catholic priest and biblical scholar Alfred Loisy (1857-1940) was at the heart of the Roman Catholic Modernist crisis in the early part of the twentieth century. He saw much of his work as an attempt to bring John Henry Newman’s notion of development of doctrine into the realm of Catholic biblical studies, and thereby transform Catholic theology. This volume situates Loisy’s better known works on the New Testament and theology in the context of his lesser known work in Assyriology and Old Testament studies. His early training in Assyriology taught Loisy a comparative historical approach to studying ancient texts, in addition to providing him the requisite training in ancient Near Eastern languages and literature. Loisy built upon this Assyriological foundation with his historical critical work in biblical studies, first in the Old Testament. In his biblical scholarship, Loisy combined the then current trends of historical biblical criticism with his more comparative approach. Prior to his excommunication in 1908, Loisy attempted in his more popular writings to defend the inclusion of historical biblical criticism in the repertoire of Catholic biblical interpretation. He saw this as an important step in reforming Catholic theology. The Modernist crisis set the stage for the major debates that would occur in the Catholic theological world for more than a century. The controversy over Modernism became one important conflict that helped pave the way for the Second Vatican Council. The issues raised during Loisy’s time, remain contested today. Examining how Loisy approached biblical studies helps readers better understand his overall work, and the place it played in the pivotal intellectual turmoil of his day.