The Holy Scriptures as a Recognition- and Witnessing-Authority
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Ida Heikkilä
Abstract
This chapter deals with the role and authority of the Holy Scriptures in the life of the church. The topic is approached through an analysis of the German Catholic-Lutheran dialogue document “Communio Sanctorum. Die Kirche als Gemeinschaft der Heiligen” (2000, transl. “Communio Sanctorum: The Church as the Communion of Saints”). In this dialogue, the Scriptures are understood as one of five authorities of witness and recognition (Bezeugungsinstanzen), authorities through which the church can recognize the truth and witness to it. The chapter shows how this approach leads to a theological model where the Scriptures coordinate the other authorities but can, nevertheless, never be interpreted outside of the interplay with the other authorities. It also shows how the unwillingness to lift one of the witnessing authorities above the others makes way for a strong pneumatology, where the right balance between the authorities is maintained by the Holy Spirit. The chapter further argues that Communio Sanctorum submits all five witnessing authorities, the Scriptures included, to the one, apostolic Tradition. It recognizes remarkable commonalities between the statements of Communio Sanctorum and Catholic teaching on the one hand and, on the other, agrees with those Protestant critics who claim that the document’s emphasis on the Scriptures’ embeddedness in the rest of the ecclesial tradition is quite problematic from the Lutheran point of view.
Abstract
This chapter deals with the role and authority of the Holy Scriptures in the life of the church. The topic is approached through an analysis of the German Catholic-Lutheran dialogue document “Communio Sanctorum. Die Kirche als Gemeinschaft der Heiligen” (2000, transl. “Communio Sanctorum: The Church as the Communion of Saints”). In this dialogue, the Scriptures are understood as one of five authorities of witness and recognition (Bezeugungsinstanzen), authorities through which the church can recognize the truth and witness to it. The chapter shows how this approach leads to a theological model where the Scriptures coordinate the other authorities but can, nevertheless, never be interpreted outside of the interplay with the other authorities. It also shows how the unwillingness to lift one of the witnessing authorities above the others makes way for a strong pneumatology, where the right balance between the authorities is maintained by the Holy Spirit. The chapter further argues that Communio Sanctorum submits all five witnessing authorities, the Scriptures included, to the one, apostolic Tradition. It recognizes remarkable commonalities between the statements of Communio Sanctorum and Catholic teaching on the one hand and, on the other, agrees with those Protestant critics who claim that the document’s emphasis on the Scriptures’ embeddedness in the rest of the ecclesial tradition is quite problematic from the Lutheran point of view.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Foreword VII
- Scripture and Theology in Context: An Introduction 1
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Part 1: Scripture and the Web of Meanings
- An Anthropological Analysis of Ezekiel 13:17–21 35
- Messiahs and Redeemer Figures in Postexilic Texts 57
- Early Divine Christology: Scripture, Narrativity and Confession in Luke-Acts 89
- Why is the New Testament Called “New Testament”? 119
- Disassembling Provenance: Origin Stories and Why They Matter for Scripture 149
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Part 2: The Bible at Work: Historical Case Studies
- Power Dynamics in the Preached Word: A Fourth Century Case Study 165
- Augustine without a Theodicy of a Condemning God 195
- Philosophy in Aquinas’ Exegetical Work and Its Meta-Theological Implications 235
- Hamann between Luther and Hume 261
- Let Everything that Hath Breath Praise the Lord 283
- The Divine Forwards: Karl Barth’s Early Exegesis of the Pauline Epistles 305
- Karl Rahner’s Use of the Bible 327
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Part 3: Informing Theological Discourse: Systematic Perspectives
- Canonical Theology, Social Location and the Search for Global Theological Method 345
- Quadriga without Platonism 375
- Reinventing the Quadriga 397
- The Theological Art of Scriptural Interpretation: Lessons from von Balthasar 415
- The Holy Scriptures as a Recognition- and Witnessing-Authority 433
- The Relationship of Scripture and Tradition in the Light of God’s Revelation 453
- Deriving Theology from Scripture 473
- List of Contributors 487
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Foreword VII
- Scripture and Theology in Context: An Introduction 1
-
Part 1: Scripture and the Web of Meanings
- An Anthropological Analysis of Ezekiel 13:17–21 35
- Messiahs and Redeemer Figures in Postexilic Texts 57
- Early Divine Christology: Scripture, Narrativity and Confession in Luke-Acts 89
- Why is the New Testament Called “New Testament”? 119
- Disassembling Provenance: Origin Stories and Why They Matter for Scripture 149
-
Part 2: The Bible at Work: Historical Case Studies
- Power Dynamics in the Preached Word: A Fourth Century Case Study 165
- Augustine without a Theodicy of a Condemning God 195
- Philosophy in Aquinas’ Exegetical Work and Its Meta-Theological Implications 235
- Hamann between Luther and Hume 261
- Let Everything that Hath Breath Praise the Lord 283
- The Divine Forwards: Karl Barth’s Early Exegesis of the Pauline Epistles 305
- Karl Rahner’s Use of the Bible 327
-
Part 3: Informing Theological Discourse: Systematic Perspectives
- Canonical Theology, Social Location and the Search for Global Theological Method 345
- Quadriga without Platonism 375
- Reinventing the Quadriga 397
- The Theological Art of Scriptural Interpretation: Lessons from von Balthasar 415
- The Holy Scriptures as a Recognition- and Witnessing-Authority 433
- The Relationship of Scripture and Tradition in the Light of God’s Revelation 453
- Deriving Theology from Scripture 473
- List of Contributors 487
