THEOLOGY

discipline of religious thought that is restricted in its narrower sense, because of origination and format, to Christianity, but in its broader sense, because of its themes, to other religions. The themes of theology are God, man, the world, salvation, and eschatology (or the study of last times). discipline of religious thought that is restricted in its narrower sense, because of its origination and format, to Christianity but that may be applied in a broader sense, because of its themes, to other religions. The themes of theology are God, man, the world, salvation, and eschatology (the study of the final events in the history of mankind). While the term theology as it originated in the works of Plato and other Greek philosophers denoted the teaching of myth, the discipline received its most distinctive content and methodology within Christianity. Largely because of its resultant reflection of the particular concerns and categories of one tradition, the concept of theology as a neutral scientific tool applicable to religions in general is difficult to define. To apply such a framework indiscriminately in the discussion of other religions can result in forced analogies and false conclusions. In certain Eastern traditions, for example, in which no concept of god in the Western sense obtains, the enterprise of theology is relevant only to a very limited extent and in a very modified form. An additional difficulty lies in what is generally regarded as the explicit intent of the theologian to explicate his or her own faith. Unlike the discipline of the history of religions, theology does not claim the perspective of detached observation and purely empirical analysis. Even though the extent varies from religion to religion, theology claims in some degree a normative elementarising out of the authority of a divine teacher, personal revelation, or some other kind of spiritual encounter that elicits commitment. The objects of the history of religions and those of theology, however, while they must be approached with different categories and criteria, resist strict separation. It is the precedent of authority that most clearly distinguishes theology also from philosophy, the tenets of which are generally based on timeless evidence apprehensible by autonomous reason. Nevertheless, theology does employ reason in addressing many of the same concerns as philosophy. In fact, much of modern philosophy may be viewed as the secularization of theological concerns. Additional reading Friedrich Schleiermacher, Brief Outline of Theology as a Field of Study, trans. by Terence N. Tice, 2nd ed. (1988; originally published in German, 1811, and 2nd ed., 1830), provides an overview of theology as a whole and in all its parts from a liberal Protestant perspective. Karl Rahner and Herbert Vorgrimler, Theological Dictionary (1965; originally published in German, 1961); and John Macquarrie, Twentieth-Century Religious Thought, 4th ed. (1988), together cover a vast range of topics and themes of theology, past and present. Walter A. Elwell (ed.), Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (1984), considers differing viewpoints on theological theories. Gerhard Von Rad, Old Testament Theology, 2 vol. (196265; originally published in German, 195760); and Rudolf K. Bultmann, Theology of the New Testament, 2 vol. (195155, reissued in 1 vol., 1970; originally published in German, 194853), are the most important texts dealing with Holy Scripture in modern times.thomas Aquinas, The Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas, trans. from Latin, 22 vol. (191225); and John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, trans. from Latin, ed. by John T. McNeill, 2 vol. (1960), are editions of probably the two most important classical statements of Roman Catholic and Reformed theology. Martin Luther, Christian Liberty, trans. from German, rev. ed. (1957, reissued 1988), while less systematic, does give a condensed statement of the Lutheran position. Arthur A. Cohen and Paul Mendes-Flohr (eds.), Contemporary Jewish Religious Thought: Original Essays on Critical Concepts, Movements, and Beliefs (1987), provides a summary of Jewish belief. An introduction to the world of Orthodox theology can be found in Kallistos Ware, The Orthodox Way (1979, reissued 1993).Mircea Eliade, The Myth of the Eternal Return (1954, reissued 1991; originally published in French, 1949); and Oscar Cullmann, Christ and Time, rev. ed. (1962; originally published in German, 1946), deal with Christianity as a historical religion in contrast to nonhistorical interpretations of religion. Adolf Harnack, History of Dogma, 7 vol. (189499, reissued in 4 vol., 1976; originally published in German, 3rd improved and enlarged ed., 3 vol., 188790), is the classic study of the history of Christian theology in relation to Greek thought. Jaroslav Pelikan, The Christian Tradition, 5 vol. (197189), is the most important history of Christian doctrine since Harnack, from whose analysis he differs on many points: Pelikan takes a more balanced view of the relationship between Christianity and Greek philosophy and is, on the whole, more sympathetic to the contributions of the Catholic and Orthodox traditions. Two works by Karl Barth, Protestant Thought from Rousseau to Ritschl (1959, reprinted 1987; originally published in German, 1947), and Church Dogmatics, 5 vol. in 14 (193677; originally published in German, 193270); and two by Paul Tillich, Perspectives on 19th and 20th Century Protestant Theology (1967), and Systematic Theology, 3 vol. (195163), represent two very different treatments of the Protestant tradition, the first conservative and evangelical, the second progressive and in dialogue with modern science and philosophy. Hans Urs Von Balthasar, The Glory of the Lord, 7 vol. (198391); and Karl Rahner, Foundations of Christian Faith: An Introduction to the Idea of Christianity (1978, reissued 1989; originally published in German, 1976), provide a comparable exposure to the diversity of Catholic perspectives. Richard P. McBrien, Catholicism, new ed. completely rev. and updated (1994), summarizes Roman Catholic theology in an easily accessible style. Juan Luis Segundo, Theology and the Church, trans. from Spanish, rev. ed. (1987), is an excellent brief introduction to the debate around liberation theology and to other struggles in contemporary Catholic theology. Two works by theologians, Leonardo Boff and Clodovis Boff, Introducing Liberation Theology (1987; originally published in Portuguese, 1986); and Gustavo Gutirrez, A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics, and Salvation, rev. ed. (1995; originally published in Spanish, 1971), have been especially influential among partisans of this theology.The disciplines of the history and the phenomenology of religions are introduced and illustrated by Rudolf Otto, The Idea of the Holy, 2nd ed. (1950, reissued 1980; originally published in German, 9th ed., 1922); and Mircea Eliade, A History of Religious Ideas, 3 vol. (197885; originally published in French, 197683). Among the more recent anthropological studies of religion, Clifford Geertz, The Interpretation of Cultures (1975, reissued 1993), has been especially influential among theologians. Gregory Baum, Religion and Alienation (1975), is a theologian's introduction to the sociological study of religion and pays considerable attention to theological implications. George A. Lindbeck, The Nature of Doctrine: Religion and Theology in a Postliberal Age (1984), argues for a postmodern cultural-linguistic interpretation of dogma. Elizabeth A. Johnson, She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse (1992), brings a feminist viewpoint to the study of Christian theology. Helmut Thielicke The Editors of the Encyclopdia Britannica