Autor: Crowe, Frederich E., S.J.

Buch: Theology of the Christian Word

Titel: Theology of the Christian Word

Stichwort: Antizipation (Schrift, Kirchenväter): Geschichte als Wort Gottes

Kurzinhalt: There is another anticipation in early Christian times of the idea that history is a word of God ...

Textausschnitt: 107a Our regular procedure of searching the ancient documents for anticipations of an idea thematized much later yields good returns here. There are some remarkable hints of our theme in the scriptures. There is, first of all, an orientation to history as the place where God acts and reveals what he is. Thus, in the Old Testament we have assertions to the effect that God covered himself with glory in the exodus (Ex. 15:1-21), or that he made his judgment known from heaven in the defeat of the enemy (Ps. 76[75]), or that he will reveal his holiness by his justice (Is. 5:16). This orientation shows history as a source for our knowledge of God, though it does not articulate the notion of God's using history as a medium to speak a word to us. Nor does a series of passages in the New Testament that continue this way of thinking and show the same orientation. For example: "Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, and that is God's own proof of his love towards us" (Rom. 5:8). Again, God's "love was disclosed to us in this, that he sent his only Son into the world to bring us life" (1 Jn. 4:9). And the evangelists attribute this mentality to Jesus too: When the Baptist sent to ask whether he is the one who is to come, "Jesus answered, 'Go and tell John what you hear and see [...] '" (Mt. 11:4). As John says, he revealed himself: "This deed at Cana-in-Galilee is the first of the signs by which Jesus revealed his glory" (Jn. 2:11). (Fs)
108a However, other New Testament passages seem to take a distinct step forward. The letter to the Hebrews begins: (Fs)

When in former times God spoke to our forefathers, he spoke in fragmentary and varied fashion through the prophets. But in this the final age he has spoken to us in the Son whom he has made heir to the whole universe. (Fs)

108b There is question here of a word God spoke, and it is related to the prophetic word of the Old Testament, which it completes in final form: The suggestion is that the Son himself, in his very being, is God's new and final word. In any case, that is the conclusion to be drawn from a passage in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians. The context here is trifling, almost puerile. The Corinthians have evidently accused Paul of being fickle in that he changed his purpose of visiting them. Paul rejects the charge, appeals to God's truth as witness, and suddenly breaks forth in this magnificent statement: (Fs) (notabene)
109a There is another anticipation in early Christian times of the idea that history is a word of God, and it is found in the emergence of typology. The New Testament writings make fairly extensive use of this device, beginning with St. Paul. He speaks of certain Old Testament events as types, or, in the translation of the New English Bible, as symbols, meant to provide a lesson for us: "These events happened as symbols to warn us not to set our desires on evil things" (1 Cor. 10:6). Again, "All these things that happened to them were symbolic, and were recorded for our benefit as a warning. For upon us the fulfillment of the ages has come" (1 Cor. 10:11). The basic meaning seems much the same as in our modern usage, when we speak of "making an example" of some offender, but Paul's use of the basic idea is overlaid by his sense of the whole Old Testament as pointing to "the fulfillment of the ages" that has come in Christ. This usage, which naturally goes beyond Philo through its application to the Christian message, runs through the New Testament; with varying nuances it is found in 1 Peter and the Pastorals, in 2 Peter, and very markedly in Hebrews. This letter, using a number of Greek words to convey the same general idea, speaks of the law, cult and sanctuary, gifts and sacrifices, and other institutions of the Old Law, as copies, shadows, symbols, of what is found in the New (8:5; 9:23, 24; 10:1; etc.).3 (Fs)

109b Jean Danielou has investigated several examples of the patristic use of typology: Adam, Noah and the flood, the sacrifice of Isaac, Moses and the exodus, and other Old Testament figures or events are seen by the fathers as types of Christian realities.4 Danielou maintains further that typology is a true sense of scripture, where allegory is not.5 This brings us very close indeed to an explicit formulation of the idea to which this chapter is devoted. (Fs)