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Reinventing the Quadriga

Connecting Biblical Exegesis and Systematic Theology through the Anagogical-Eschatological Sense of Scripture
  • Arnold Huijgen
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Scripture and Theology
This chapter is in the book Scripture and Theology

Abstract

The present article seeks to promote the rapprochement between systematic theology and Biblical studies by retrieving the classical Quadriga or fourfold sense of Scripture in a new key. The anagogical or eschatological sense is key in bringing Biblical studies and systematic theology closer together. Traditional understandings of the anagogical sense focus on the future glory of believers, the beatific vision of God, but this article argues for reinterpreting the anagogical sense in terms of 20th century understandings of eschatology. The eschatological nature of God’s presence under the Old Testament, the New Testament eschatological expectations, the eschatological nature of truth as promise, and the idea of Christ as centre of Scripture are aspects of the eschatological sense of Scripture that are not only theologically viable but also stimulating for the interplay between systematic theology and Biblical studies. This approach overcomes the problems of Platonic approaches and can accommodate historical- critical methods, thereby narrowing the gap between Biblical studies and systematic theology.

Abstract

The present article seeks to promote the rapprochement between systematic theology and Biblical studies by retrieving the classical Quadriga or fourfold sense of Scripture in a new key. The anagogical or eschatological sense is key in bringing Biblical studies and systematic theology closer together. Traditional understandings of the anagogical sense focus on the future glory of believers, the beatific vision of God, but this article argues for reinterpreting the anagogical sense in terms of 20th century understandings of eschatology. The eschatological nature of God’s presence under the Old Testament, the New Testament eschatological expectations, the eschatological nature of truth as promise, and the idea of Christ as centre of Scripture are aspects of the eschatological sense of Scripture that are not only theologically viable but also stimulating for the interplay between systematic theology and Biblical studies. This approach overcomes the problems of Platonic approaches and can accommodate historical- critical methods, thereby narrowing the gap between Biblical studies and systematic theology.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents V
  3. Foreword VII
  4. Scripture and Theology in Context: An Introduction 1
  5. Part 1: Scripture and the Web of Meanings
  6. An Anthropological Analysis of Ezekiel 13:17–21 35
  7. Messiahs and Redeemer Figures in Postexilic Texts 57
  8. Early Divine Christology: Scripture, Narrativity and Confession in Luke-Acts 89
  9. Why is the New Testament Called “New Testament”? 119
  10. Disassembling Provenance: Origin Stories and Why They Matter for Scripture 149
  11. Part 2: The Bible at Work: Historical Case Studies
  12. Power Dynamics in the Preached Word: A Fourth Century Case Study 165
  13. Augustine without a Theodicy of a Condemning God 195
  14. Philosophy in Aquinas’ Exegetical Work and Its Meta-Theological Implications 235
  15. Hamann between Luther and Hume 261
  16. Let Everything that Hath Breath Praise the Lord 283
  17. The Divine Forwards: Karl Barth’s Early Exegesis of the Pauline Epistles 305
  18. Karl Rahner’s Use of the Bible 327
  19. Part 3: Informing Theological Discourse: Systematic Perspectives
  20. Canonical Theology, Social Location and the Search for Global Theological Method 345
  21. Quadriga without Platonism 375
  22. Reinventing the Quadriga 397
  23. The Theological Art of Scriptural Interpretation: Lessons from von Balthasar 415
  24. The Holy Scriptures as a Recognition- and Witnessing-Authority 433
  25. The Relationship of Scripture and Tradition in the Light of God’s Revelation 453
  26. Deriving Theology from Scripture 473
  27. List of Contributors 487
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110768411-016

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents V
  3. Foreword VII
  4. Scripture and Theology in Context: An Introduction 1
  5. Part 1: Scripture and the Web of Meanings
  6. An Anthropological Analysis of Ezekiel 13:17–21 35
  7. Messiahs and Redeemer Figures in Postexilic Texts 57
  8. Early Divine Christology: Scripture, Narrativity and Confession in Luke-Acts 89
  9. Why is the New Testament Called “New Testament”? 119
  10. Disassembling Provenance: Origin Stories and Why They Matter for Scripture 149
  11. Part 2: The Bible at Work: Historical Case Studies
  12. Power Dynamics in the Preached Word: A Fourth Century Case Study 165
  13. Augustine without a Theodicy of a Condemning God 195
  14. Philosophy in Aquinas’ Exegetical Work and Its Meta-Theological Implications 235
  15. Hamann between Luther and Hume 261
  16. Let Everything that Hath Breath Praise the Lord 283
  17. The Divine Forwards: Karl Barth’s Early Exegesis of the Pauline Epistles 305
  18. Karl Rahner’s Use of the Bible 327
  19. Part 3: Informing Theological Discourse: Systematic Perspectives
  20. Canonical Theology, Social Location and the Search for Global Theological Method 345
  21. Quadriga without Platonism 375
  22. Reinventing the Quadriga 397
  23. The Theological Art of Scriptural Interpretation: Lessons from von Balthasar 415
  24. The Holy Scriptures as a Recognition- and Witnessing-Authority 433
  25. The Relationship of Scripture and Tradition in the Light of God’s Revelation 453
  26. Deriving Theology from Scripture 473
  27. List of Contributors 487
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