Introduction to Theological Studies Prof Felix Just S

Introduction to Theological Studies Prof. Felix Just, S. J. What Is Theology? (revised Jan. 27, 2005)

Theology < Greek Theos + Logos 4 Theos = “God” – not a personal name, but a generic title for the divine being – “God” vs. “gods” (more on this below) 4 Logos = “Word; Phrase; Speech; Reason” – Not just a single w-o-r-d, but any language-based thought – “Talking about…” ; “Study of…” • Anthropo-logy = “Study of Humans”; Bio-logy = “Study of Life” • Geo-logy = “Study of the Earth”; Zoo-logy = “Study of Animals”

Philosophy < Greek Philos + Sophia 4 Philos = “Love; Friendship” – Four Greek words for “love”: eros, philos, agape, storge – Philadelphia = lit. “Love of Brothers” (“City of Brotherly Love”) – Philanthropy = lit. “Love of Human Beings” (i. e. Charity) 4 Sophia = “Wisdom” – Wisdom vs. intelligence vs. knowledge vs. understanding 4 Philosophy = “Love of Wisdom” – Socratic Method: asking questions!

Love of Wisdom / Talking about God Quest for Knowledge / Search for Truth 4 Ancient World: – – Classical Greece: Philosophers Ancient Israel: Prophets & Priests Other Cultures: Magi, Physicians, Kings, etc. No separately specialized “Theologians” 4 Medieval Universities: – Four Disciplines: Philosophy, Theology, Medicine, Law 4 Modern Universities: – Liberal Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Engineering, Arts, Business, Education,

Types of Belief in God(s) – lots of “-isms” 4 Theism 4 Atheism 4 Agnosticism 4 Gnosticism, Polytheism 4 Pantheism, Deism 4 Henotheism, Monotheism 4 Paganism, etc.

Types of Belief in God (I) 4 Theism – Belief in the existence of a God or any gods – The generic term, of which other –isms are subcategories 4 Atheism – The opposite: Belief that God and/or gods do “not exist” 4 Agnosticism – “Not knowing” whether God exists; overall nonbelief 4 Gnosticism – A religious system that believes salvation comes

Types of Belief in God (II) 4 Polytheism – Belief in the existence of “many” (Gk. poly) gods • Egyptian: many gods, mostly in animal form • Greek & Roman: a large family of gods, on Mount Olympus 4 Pantheism – Belief that divinity resides “everywhere” (Gk. pan) • The whole universe is divine; divinity is within everything that exists • But there is no “God” separate from or external to the world 4 Deism – Belief that God created the world, but then abandoned it

Types of Belief in God (III) 4 Henotheism – Allegiance to “one” god over the others • All nations have their own “gods”; “Our god is better than your gods” 4 Monotheism – Belief in the existence of “only” one God • What others call “gods” are at most spirits, but not divine – Christians believe in one God, but Jesus & Spirit also divine • “Trinity” = one divine “nature, ” three divine “persons” (not 3 diff. gods) 4 Paganism – Religions of “others” who don’t believe in “our”

Identifying God (Titles & Names): 4 Generic Titles: – God / god, Deity, Divine Power, Elohim, etc. – Father, Mother, Creator, Lord, King, etc. 4 Proper Names: – Jewish: YHWH (Yahweh? Jehovah? ); Ya/Ja – Mesopotamian: Asherah, Baal; Ishtar, Marduk, Tiamat, etc. – Egyptian: Aten, Horus, Isis, Osiris, Ra, Seth, Thoth, etc. – Greco-Roman / Olympian: Zeus=Jupiter; Athena=Diana; etc.

Talking about God (Philosophically): 4 God is Absolute (positive & negative): – ALL: omnipotent (all powerful); omniscient (all knowing); omnipresent (everywhere); omnibenevolent (all merciful) – NOT: invisible (not seen); immutable (unchanging); immortal (not dying); infinite (not limited); etc. 4 Language is Limited (analogies & opposites): – God is transcendent (beyond) & immanent (internal)

Summary / Review 4 Philosophy & Theology – Philosophy < Greek Philos + Sophia – Theology < Greek Theos + Logos 4 Types of Belief in God (“-isms”) – Theism vs. Atheism vs. Agnosticism – Deism vs. Pantheism vs. Polytheism – Henotheism vs. Monotheism (incl. Trinitarian Christianity) 4 Talking about God – Generic Titles vs. Proper Names – Analogical Language: absolutes & opposites