Autor: Lonergan, Bernard J.F.

Buch: The Trinune God: Systematics

Titel: The Triune God: Systematics

Stichwort: Divinarum Personarum; Theologie (Grenzen); theologisches Vestehen 6-11; 3 Quellen d. Wahrheit für Th.; Offenbarung -> Kirche -> Dogmen;

Kurzinhalt: [Theology ]... can still acquire the formality of truth from elsewhere, and that in three ways... Second, in the sources of revelation themselves and in their infallible interpretation by the church, there are contained many absolutely certain truths ...

Textausschnitt: 747c Sixth, although a theological understanding of itself does not lead to a truth but to a hypothesis, and one that is imperfectly understood, it can still acquire the formality of truth from elsewhere, and that in three ways. (Fs)

First, since theology is knowledge of God and of all other things in relation to God, and since there is much that we know by our natural reason about God and other things, this natural knowledge is an important starting-point and foundation for theology. This foundation, however, since it is incomplete and includes none of the truths of supernatural faith, is not sufficient in itself. (Fs)

747d Second, in the sources of revelation themselves and in their infallible interpretation by the church, there are contained many absolutely certain truths about both God and all other things as related to God. From these truths, therefore, as from premises, one can determine with certitude, or at least with probability, whether the formality of truth may be granted to a theological hypothesis. (Fs)

749a Third, one can begin from a theological hypothesis itself to make deductions. The more fully and accurately their conclusions agree with what we believe or know from other sources, the more probable the theological hypothesis itself can be judged to be. (Fs)

749b Seventh, there will be progress from the tentativeness of a hypothesis to the dignity of a theory if a theological understanding is the sort of synthesis that encompasses all or virtually all revealed truths together, if this synthetic understanding is conceived through an integral system, if this system both arises from natural knowledge and is consonant with supernatural knowledge, and if, finally, it enjoys the explicit and reiterated approval of the teaching church, or indeed, is even prescribed by church authority.1

749c Eighth, since, however, even the truth of a system is derivative and not equally certain in all particulars, one must always distinguish between those things that have been revealed and are believed by divine faith, those that are defined by the church and are believed by Catholic faith, and those to which theologians attach lower theological qualifications. (Fs) (notabene)

749d Ninth, the meaning of any truth is measured by the understanding from which that truth proceeds. Hence, since revealed truth proceeds from God's understanding, it is measured by God's understanding alone. Besides, since in this world God has given divine revelation to no one but the church to be faithfully preserved and infallibly interpreted, it is not for a theological system which proceeds from imperfect human understanding but solely for the teaching office of the church to determine the meaning of both the revealed truth and the sacred dogmas (DB 1788, 1800, 1818; DS 3007, 3020, 3043; ND 217, 136, 139). (Fs) (notabene)

749e Tenth, it is not at all contrary to this that in the course of time theological understanding, knowledge, and wisdom should increase, while nevertheless keeping the same meaning of the revealed truth, the same dogma, and the same content of faith (DB 1800, DS 3020, ND 136). (Fs) (notabene)

749f For the increase of theological understanding, knowledge, and wisdom consists, not in a closer approximation to a still unknown truth by way of increasingly probable theories, but in an ever more comprehensive understanding, knowledge, and wisdom regarding the same truth that has long been believed. The natural sciences, beginning as they do from sense data, find ever more probable and useful theories as their understanding grows, but without knowing the truth until everything is perfectly understood. Theology can by no means be equated with such sciences, since theology begins from a truth of faith and increases in such a way that it always adheres to the same truth; and this adherence is certainly necessary, so that if some other truth besides the one that was revealed were to be understood, then that understanding would not be theological. (Fs) (notabene)