Additional information
| Author Name | Jean-Claude Larchet |
|---|---|
| Format | ED |
| Publication Date | 20240116 |
| Imprint | |
| Publisher | |
| Translator | Michael Lomax |
| Language | English |
| Book Dimensions | 0 |
| Format Detail | eBook |
Description
Orthodox theology is intimately linked to spiritual
experience. Thus it has a very different meaning to the present usage of
“theology” coming from academia. The scientific methods developed in the West
since the seventeenth century can be of benefit in many regards; however, strong
roots in the Orthodox tradition are needed to avoid the risk of theology being
“eaten up” by the human sciences.
These roots are in the mystical tradition of the Church as passed down
from the beginning and as expressed in the Holy Scripture, the Councils, the
writings of the Fathers, the lives of saints, and its iconography; and as
nourished in the liturgical life of the Church. This tradition “expresses the
faith of the Church beyond time, the permanent faith of the Church, which is
fundamentally the faith in Christ who ‘is the same yesterday, today and forever’
(Hebrews 13, 8).”
The author presents a work that has both a theoretical and a practical
scope, and is of relevance to all Christians.
Contents
Foreword
INTRODUCTION
Chapter I. THEOLOGY: ORIGINAL NATURE, SUBSEQUENT EVOLUTIONS AND
SHAPES
- Theology in its most elevated sense: mystical theology
- The practice of theology in the Church: catechetical, apologetic and
doxological theology - The birth and development of speculative theology
- The conditions for practicing theology in an Orthodox
setting - The birth and development of academic theology
Chapter II. THE USEFULNESS OF SCIENTIFIC METHODS IN THEOLOGY
- Bibliographic research
- The critical editions of texts and their use
- Historical criticism
- The use of references (precise and exact)
- Rational argumentation
Chapter III. DOGMATIC THEOLOGY
Chapter IV. SACRED SCRIPTURE AND ITS EXEGESIS
- The status of Sacred Scripture in the Orthodox
tradition - The deleterious character of modern Protestant exegesis and Catholic
exegesis - Principles of Orthodox exegesis
Chapter V. PATROLOGY
- The essential place of patrology in the teaching of Orthodox
theology - The importance of knowledge of the Fathers in theological knowledge
and understanding - The need for reference to the Fathers in the practice of
theology - On the proper use of the Fathers in the practice of
theology - Thinking in the spirit of the Fathers
- The continuing relevance of the Fathers today
- Studying the Fathers in their works and not in the commentaries on
them - Methodology of patristic studies in the field of
research
Chapter VI. CHURCH HISTORY
Chapter VII. MORAL THEOLOGY AND BIOETHICS
- Moral theology
- Bioethics
Chapter VIII. HAGIOLOGY
Chapter IX. ICONOLOGY
Chapter X. STUDY OF THE CANONS
Chapter XI. PASTORAL THEOLOGY AND HOMILETICS
Conclusion
Notes
Index
