Lectures

May 2009

Kelly, Tyrrell
During middle ages: human beings are in dynamic movement to the transcendent.
3 fundamental theological presuppositions
1. primacy of the divine/sacred/transcendence over human/secular/immanence
2. ultimate realization of our goal is completely dependent on God.
3. primacy and independence of faith over reason.

these reverse into the modern era. starting with luther's center on human subject. Actually brought in by Cajetan (Thomist). Abelard also had a problem here.

theism > realism
providence > deism (Locke - accepts revelation, but says it has to be reasonable)

> human subject

quietism - is a response (adumbrados > molinos > acrie) devout humanism, mysticism, rest content in God: Guyon. Pure, disinterested love. Guyon spread it in convents, leading to neglect of external prayer and works. Bossuet critiques from a rationalistic, Decartes perspective. Fenelon promotes. Guyon imprisoned, Kony imprisoned. Fenelon goes beyond the mountain 'ultramontes' against politicized French church of Bossuet and Gallicans.
condemnation of quietism ends up quashing mysticism. Politicization of religion (in the modern sense) starts here.
Ultramontanism rises as a counterpoint to Gallicanism; it later takes on a life its own, aside from the Gallicanism, and UM takes on elements of Gallicanism.
De Caussade is afraid to talk about mysticism.
British modernists -
Bossuet also got condemnation of critical research on pentateuch.
Von Hugel says simultaneous condemnation of historical critical and mystical approach to religion / bible. They try to reintegrate these aspects. Spirituality becomes devotional and clerical led; theology becomes rationalistic, magisterial, authoritarian, dogmatic, doctrinal, scholastic, speculative, propositional, cognitive. Tyrell critiques. Monolythic power supports monolythic theology: manual tradition. Faith is an intellectual assent, deductive. It was a more political than spiritual.

Restoration thinkers:
Modernists are aware of all the above.
After the french revolution - Bonald 1754-1840 - founder of traditionalism, essentialism, hand on static facts of faith. Maistre - The Pope - Lay people who want to restore the church after the french revolution, they look to papacy for the stability and divine right of kings that has been lost. Neo-ultramontanism; inspired by french nobility. Pope is spiritual and political source of stability - shift from Gallicanism, they put the pope at the head of their Gallican construct. He saw church outside the world, and above the chaos; in fact it was part of the world and part of hte problem.

Church moves to external form of religion, the church accepted the call of the ultramontanes, seeing it as a way to shore up their power. LaMene? switched sides, which Von Hugel says shows he was only interested in political gain. Wants to stand outside world condemning modern thinking, also veuillot

Bremont 17 volumes on 17-18 century french spirituality - first volume. Accepts Fenelon. Blondel uses word 'tradition' which as a conservative word, but he uses it in a liberal way.

Liberal catholics different from modernism which is more comprehensive - when it embraces historical critical method.

Wiseman and restoration of english hierarchy is more Roman than Rome. Same in Ireland. Wiseman is instrumental in framing doctrine of papal infallibility.
Immanentism schliermacher is seen in mysticism.
Greatest thinkers were

Tyrrell

6 Feb 1961 - Father was editor, died 61, family poor, unsettled life. Older brother lorded it over George, put him down, we see this come up later in anti-authoritarianism. Attended All Saints in Dublin north side high Anglo Catholic from a sense of taking up the cause. Also Jesuit church on Garden street. Became with Robert Dowling - important in social service in London - invited Tyrrell to London so immerse him in Anglicanism 1879 though he knew he would probably move to Rome. 14 days after arrival in england, went to Jesuit Farm Street for instruction. One month later he converted. Asked to enter the day of baptism. Reading LaCordaire, Aquinas and book on Jesuits. Jesuit = militant commitment to Catholic cause - he was a radical. He goes to Malta for one year probation, didnt' really like jesuits, but liked it as a system. Problems in the novitiate - novice master advised him to leave. Only positive experience: conferences on God, LaCordaire: Augustine, appeal to head and heart. Philosophy @ stonehurst, conflict with professors who he says teach thomas according suarez. Wanted authentic thomism as against scholasticism. Finishes 1884. Newman also big influence. Teaches 3 years in Malta. Writes for the month for the first time 1886, good writer; opposite of von hugel. Theology @ St. Beunos. Ordained 1891, retreat, then oxford. Reviewed books, corresponds with Wilfred Ward. Tries to reconcile Newman and Aquinas. One year in parish - spiritual director and writer. But appointed professor @ stonehurst 1984. Teaching Aquinas and has conflict with other professors. Moves to the Month 1896. First book 1897 new and old, nova et vetra, Schylla and Chardbis. Von Hugel connected with Tyrrell in 1897, and became a big inflence on him. Storm clouds start to build from Hard Sayings 1898. 1899 Relation of Theology to Devotion article in the Month - brief compendium of all his thought. "Jesuits protect Tyrrell from himself." Problems with censors, he decides to use pseudonymns or publish privately. A private letter in answer to fictive professor. It was translated, exerpted, by "an english jesuit." Tyrrell said he didn't translate or exerpt, so he wouldn't retract. Expelled 1906.
Publised lex credendi, (pascendi - not directly at him, but he 'replied' - two articles to the times "no catholic" = "no scholastic". Sense Von Hugal was instigator, Tyrrell sacrificed as the spokesperson. 1908 Mercier pastoral naming Tyrrell. Tyrrell very poor and sick. Tyrrell puts style into Von Hugel's Mystical Element in Religion. Tyrrell in two room house. Had stayed at Storrington Abbey for rent, so moved to cottage of Maude Petre. Seriously ill July 15 1909 he died after short illness. Bremond also on the fringes, friend of Tyrrell.

Relation of Theology and Devotion

Scholasticism is seen as sacred theology on a par with revelation.
Revelation: original expression in the the imagination of the 'prophet.' Later this is systematized. Experience > Prophetic Writing > Systematization. Experience and philosophy challenge and validate each other. = lex orandi and lex credendi. Tradition mediates these (in its living sense, not its static sense of being embodied in the pope).
Religio Poetae / Poet's religion. 1893.
May 1907 "Revelation" distinction between prophetic and theological language. Can't use prophetic language as proof texts.
1900, Nova et Vera: Informal Meditations, London: Longmans Green.
1901, External Religion: Its Use and Abuse, St Louis: B Herder.
1902, The Faith of the Millions, London: Longmans Green.
1903, The Church and the Future, Edinburgh: Turnbull & Spears.
1903, Lex Orandi or Prayer and Creed, London: Longmans Green.
1904, Hard Sayings: A Selection of Meditations and Studies, London: Longmans Green.
1906, A Much-abused Letter, London: Longmans Green.
1906, Lex Credendi: A Sequel to Lex Orandi, London: Longmans Green.
1907, Oil and Wine, London: Longmans Green.
1907, Through Scylla and Charybdis or the Old Theology and the New, London: Longmans Green.
1909 [1994], Medievalism: A Reply to Cardinal Mercier, Tunbridge Wells: Burns & Oates.
1909 [1963], Christianity at the Crossroads, London: George Allen & Unwin.
1914, Essays on Faith and Immortality, London: Edward Arnold.
"fallacy of misplaced abstraction", "fallacy of misplaced concreteness"
Experience > Record > Abstraction
Revelation > Scripture > Theology
Subjective capacity for the supernatural - so God Connects with this, it is not implanted from without. Religion is primarily impressed upon us, it is impressed upon us from without, so with revelation. Faith is like hearing, not like speaking. So with salvation. Natural potency for faith is passive - we can't activate ourselves. Intrinsic, over agaisnt extrinsicism which Blondel speaks of. God is revealed in total experince, not simply intellectually. Prophetic formulations are used for analogical sense, not for literal sense. Revelation doesn't develop, but subsequent contact of God with the people. Understanding develops. Dogmas are merely fences around a certain insight about revelation, mainly from a defensive position. Sole faith content resides in their protective value. The underlying truth doesnt change, the dogma always points to an insight. Church has a 'catholic' instinct that it brings to theology, philosophy, science, etc. But these aren't the forte of the church. The instinct is right, even if the argument is used is not right.

Sept 2008

May 2009 Tyrrell Relation of Theology and Devotion Sept 2008 May 7, 2008 Roger Burggraeve Georges Hansel Richard Cohen April 2008 Public Lectures Gender Studies and Patrology - B. Dehandschutter Prof. Schmidt Geldhof: Susan Roll - St. Paul Ottawa

International symposium on Paul Ricouer / Fundamental Theology in a Postmodern Context

Open Narrative - Recontextualization starts from the presupposition that Christian Faith is never independent of Context. Context co-constitutes the truth that is expressed. Therefore when contexts shift, something happens because the tradition developed in context A is read in context B. This risks shifting the meaning of the text. We read our concept of person into the text of Calcedon. When we think of revelation today, the same bond has to become operative today. The same process of discovering the meaning has to be repeated today. Theology before Aquinas developed in the monastic context. 12th century on cities and universities begin. Bachelor in Philosophy is Aristotle - they think aristotelianly. Then theology in the Master - neo-Platonic. Franciscans (Bonaventure - went for wisdom - stayed in the Augustinian framework). Dominicans followed the university trend. Not a complete breach. Thomas didn't rupture tradition, but used the instruments at hand at the time. Rahner was neo-Scholastic and idealism / Heidigger. Then went to transcendentalism. Schillebeccx: you have to look to horizons - the message of jesus in relation to context of jesus is proportional to the NT in its context, is proportional to Theology of the Fathers in Patristic Church, etc. There is continuity in the relation of the message to the context, not in the precise expressing. So the job of theologians is to look in their context for language to understand and express the continuity and discontinuity of christian faith. 1277 year Thomas was condemned posthumously.


Recontextualizing today - look at the way in which our culture understands itself and see how faith can be understand there. The double challenge is to understand yourself where you stand in the culture - is Christianity rightly criticized by the culture. Once you find the links with culture, then can you understand yourself better, and as a christian. See Xn faith in the context, see the context in the faith. Philosophy is the ancilla for this. (ancilla is lighting the way, or carrying the train)


Wolfgang Welsch - context is fundamentally characterized by fundamental plurality. No one story can claim hegemony - the plurality would critique this. This is a result of modernization - there is a falling away of all the great stories, capitalism, marxism, christianity, metaphysics. All that is left is plurality. Delegitimization. We can't mourn this because this gives the potential of freedom, energy, creativity. It is not just relativism, indifferentism. People have to learn to make the choices. New Rationality: transversal rationality - not a meta-rationality - but an ability to step from one rationality (role) to another. Intermediary rationality. In interreligious dialogue - you have to develop from your own tradition, but discuss them as they are. (failure of Habermas) Radial heterogeneity - otherness in the midst of plurality - many others.


Jean-Francois Lyotard - plurality is not static it is dynamic - choosing is loosing - if you choose A, you cannot choose B. Radical Heterogeneity. After sentence A, many sentences can follow. But how do you link the sentences. Each discourse has a logic of concantenation of sentences, thoughts to reach the goal: joke, teaching, narrative, etc. We used to have mastering discourse: grand narratives, but there is no reason it has to be that narrative. The linking which seems obvious, and there is the expectation that the decision will be made to continue the narrative. Once the decision is made it is often forgotten that other decisions could have been made (la difference). This pregnancy is a radical openness - the sentence that follows always disappoints because it can't fulfill the expectation. Hegelian dialect programs the linking. Capitalism is programmed by the logic of exchange. He said postmodernism is remembering the forgotten sentences. La difference. Striving for a just society, but remembering that we commit injustice. Utopic thinking has fallen with the fall of metanarratives: progress, capitalism, marxism, christianity, ecologic degradation, militarism.


Rorty Radical plurality (the early Rorty). We should get away from the mirror narrative, philosophy is not the mirror of nature. Language is the house in which we live, the structure of language is the structure of our rationality. We use certain languages, vocabularies, and these give place to all the other vocabularies. But vocabularies shouldn't be thought of as objective. Our vocabularies are tools, they are biographic - they work, some work better than others. Xnity worked in the middleages, but it's usefulness is over. Philosophy solves problems by shifting language. E.g. the gender of the angels. It doesn't matter now - but it was debated in the middle ages. Philosophies are narratives because they say who we are. Postmodernity is the consciousness of contingency. Governing language is the one spoken by most people.


Habermas rationality is about reaching consensus. It claims to be the universal. Interpersonal consensus builds to universal consensus. Particularity is overcome by bringing them all into dialogue. Communicative rationality brings understanding: truth, social reality, aesthetics: true / good / beautiful.


Synthesis Plurality = heterogeneity.

http://www.theo.kuleuven.ac.be/goa/englisch/index.php
http://www.philosophyandscripture.org/Issue3-2/Boeve/Boeve.html

May 7, 2008

Responsibility, God and Society - Theological Ethics in Dialogue - “Levinas, Biblical Thought and Ethics”

Roger Burggraeve

• (K.U.Leuven) Face-to-Face with Levinas in Leuven and Paris - Face is physical, but cannot be reduced to physicality - we are not what we are - but it has a psycho social cultural meaning. It can't be reduced to its appearance. Animals are physically like humans, but also there is a face in the psycho social cultural sense as well; hence vegetarianism. Other is not only object, but also subject of ethical responsibility - this is the miracle of the human being.

• Belgian Savings and Loan Lecture - Ethics of Money, Loans and Savings. Social dimension of money - facilitation of trade and for mutual responsibility. Totalitarian state has poisoned itself for the other. 1) Progressing state, 2) Human Rights, 3) Freedom of Speech, 4) Small goodness of the unique one for the unique other. This is the face-to-face-ness that wins out in the end against all odds.
  

Georges Hansel

• (Paris, France) Emmanuel Levinas and Christianity: Uncompromising Proximity - Levinas' Son-in-Law. For the young Levinas Christianity was a closed world that persecuted Judaism for 20 centuries. XXX brought him to think of two ways of truth, jewish and christian. Hitlerism challenged the basis of european civilization, namely freedom. Christianity gives: release from sin through the cross; transcendence of the person; therefore equal dignity for all. Judaism and Christianity oppose hitlerian paganism. At this time, the central thought is religion through religion. After WWII, he turned to ethics. Levinas shifted idea of the infinite to concrete relationships. Freedom is called into question as the source of ethics, and all values.

• Everything that can't be reduced to interpersonal relation is primitive religion. Ethics then is religion, only focus is different: duty or mutuality. 1) Opposition of dogma to social gospel: e.g. humani generis; 2) he didn't like trinitarian reading of the old testament; 3) Talmud is his focus and doesn't like Christian opposition of justice and charity. Law is incarnation of God.
  

• Totality and Infinity - ego encounters the other / other book shows even before encounter the person has responsibility for the other. God-man humility of God who relinquishes transcendence. Incarnation is a defection of identity. Salvation can't substitute the responsibility. He sees Christianity as not the child of Judaism.
  

Richard Cohen

• (University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA) The End of the World: Levinas and Kant on Religion and Ethics - There is a future because we work for justice - justice is the transcendence of what is, but is not yet. Freedom / Kant / religion & philosophy. Ethics is fulfilling God's commands (Kant) Everything that can't be restored to interpersonal relationship is primitive. (Levinas). Moral goodness and Justice is the highest end of religion and ethics. Ethics founded in intersubjectivity. Kant brings freedom from causality - rationalism. He sees freedom as difficult, rather than pure as Kant did. Freedom is not found in autonomy, but in responsibility for the other. Kant's rational being conforms to law, but doesn't take in to account the flesh and blood reality - the real suffering of the other that evokes a compassionate response.

1. constitution of the self begins in the body a) self-sensing enjoyment inwardmost; b) praxis maintaining the world; c) abstraction of the world.
   

2. Morality begins with transcendence - height and depth of the other in relationship to the subject. Responsibility is moving from for itself to for the other.
   

3. Jusitice / equality arises at the level of society as an extension of the morally responsible self. To give all to one is to give nothing to others, thus is injust.
   

4. Highest end is morality and justice - in a fully just world, all humans are morally responsible for each other. Justice demands a world of plenty - against heidiger science and technology are required for respect of the rights of humanity.
   

*Justice to neighbor brings me close to God: difficult freedom - freedom on tablets of stone. From dense book of talmudic moral maxims. Freedom is inseparable from its subject, object, means, etc. Ideal jew is a living torah - tzadiq. Torah is to be followed, not just studied. Law is freedom, joy, the good life, it is pagan pleasure, hedonism. It is not pleasure, but immoderate pleasure that is censured. Charut / cherut = graven / freedom. People are not just in the world, but toward the book / The Book. Torah study is a human entry into God's world - loving Torah more than God is loving the neighbor as yourself - loving the neighbor IS the self, and is the only face of God. To deserve the help of God, one must want to do what must be done without his help. Justice is the Opus Dei.

April 2008

Public Lectures

Temporal Goods: Definition

• Latin and eastern Code
  

• 1917 all goods of moral persons in the church were ecclesiastical goods.
  

• 1983 only goods of public juridical persons are considered ecclesiastical goods
  

• CCEO All goods of Juridic Persons are ecclesiastical goods.
  

• Elements of ownership: acquisition, retention, administration, and alienation. Alienation not foreseen in the 1917 code - it was extraordinary. But it is in 1983 code and CCEO it is there.
  

• Purposes of Goods - worhsip, support of clergy, apostolate and charity. Orsy - leading canon for the book because it is important to understand purposes to know the juridical system. In 1917 it was support, and religious ends - this tended to a hording fo goods rather than effusiveness for apostolate and charity. This is the principal ends, there could be others. Could also include promotion of culture - it is related, and perhaps it is part of apostolate. Is there a priority in the list. Canon 282.2 seems to say support of clergy first. In the eastern code it is listed last. The order of listing is not a prioritization, or it is different in east and west. Priority may also be adapted to place and time and needs.
  

• Categories: Stable patrimony, movable and immovable. None of the categories is defined in law. The determination finds its source in usage and in commentaries.
  

• Alienation - New way of doing business makes it hard to determine the applicated of old norms. Alienation is transfer of ownership, or worsen patrimonial position. 1291, 1295. How does ownership arise and exists. A juridic person may or may not be the civil owner. Owner is the undivided owner of the goods. 1284.2 Owner must take care that civil means are used to ensure ownership (proprietas) is protected, whether fully or partially. 1) church owns land, govt owns building, 2) benefactors give to the institute, not to the ecclesiastical sponsor, 3) government owns institute and Church does the work. Full canonical ownership would imply all four indicia above.
  

• Current requirements:
  

• Permission for administration: ordinary and extraordinary. (1291, 1292.) 638.3 proper law of institute followed. Congregation for clergy gives permission.
  

• Lawful assignment or stabilization - are any goods automatically stable?
  

• Value: cost, declared, market value, depreciated value, insurance value. However, market value controls in fact.
  

• Special Categories - 1292.2 Donated goods by vow; precious goods.
  

• Just cause must exist for alienation 1293.1.
  

• Proceeds to be invested or used for apostoalte.
  

• Special Cases - not alienation.
  

• Involuntary surrender of property - no permission required.
  

• Free capital can be used.
  

• restructuring or transfering title - with same canonical institute - or registering under a new civil title. Receiving mortgaged property - the acceptance isn't alienation. E.g. if retention is heavily taxed or is a burden, some say it isn't alienation. Others say that is the just cause for alienation itself. Renegotiate loans - not alienation.
  

• reorganizations may involve alienation, also joint ventures. Reserve powers in a canonical entity. Dual role: canonical and civil role with different fiduciary responsibilities. Joint ventures open lots of risks of alienation - e.g. healthcare system. Issues are canonical, ethics, tax. Are purposes of temporal goods followed, in the carrying out of the venture?
  

• There is a canon on IP in the CCEO. Relics can't be alienated.
  

Pope and Temporal Goods

• Papal States till 1860. 1929 Mussolini made the Lateran treaty with Gaspari to create the vatican city state. Vatican City State - is civil, Holy See is canonical entity. Full ownership of buildings is given in lateran treaty - The land is given for the use. Some of the goods cannot be sold - e.g. artistic value.
  

• Pope is bishop of rome and has a procedure for alienation - but he is above the law.
  

• Pope has control over ecclesiastical goods of all the church. acquisition, maintenance, and administration. In 1983 alienation. Pope has control over extraordinary administrative acts - in the 1917 code. Now alienation is an element, so that although it approves, it can't alienate as an act of extraordinary administration. Ukraine conflict, latin church, easterners celebrated - pope decided who got the church.
  

• Goods of the apostolic see.

Secular Institutes: 710-730. Early documents came in Provida Mater Ecclesiae; Primo Feliciter; Cum Sanctissimus. The first invited these movements according to form as secular institutes, the second document mandates that they form in this matter, the third gives guidelines on becoming such an institute, but doesn't mandate, and leaves freedom for the life form to develop.
It's about people because there isn't community, buildings, and corporate apostolate. 200 Secular institutes worldwide 60K members. Formation of two years. 5 years temporary. Vita Consecrata notes there has been a blurring of boundaries between religious and secular institutes. The code is a snap shot whereas the life is developing.

Loss of the clerical state: Canons 290-293 - two consequences of ordination: sacramental, and juridical. Juridic status of cleric can be lost, but the sacramental status is never lost. Old code called it 'reduction to the clerical state' but this was inconsistant with the clerical state.

• Three modes of loss:
  

• Declaration of invalidity - judicial procedure, administrative decree (procedure in canons 1708ff)
  

• Dismissal from the clerical state - expiatory penalty is punative, but not restorative. (censure is medicinal to FORCE the person to SUBMIT). Can be imposed through judicial procedure of tribunal of three judges - for violation that merits this penalty. It is not automatic, and can't be imposed by particular law. Due process is required.
  

• Rescript of the Apostolic See
  

• Laicization of Deacons - for serious cases.
  

• Laicization of Priests - granted by HS for most serious cases. Can speed it up in danger of death. Request, can't demand it. CV. Ordinary includes a list of pastoral interventions. Suspension should be sent if it has been done. If marriage is attempted, the suspension is automatic.
  

• Dispensation from Celibacy
  

• Effects of Loss of the Clerical State
  

• Return to the Clerical State
  

• Conclusion

Gender Studies and Patrology - B. Dehandschutter

Two main topics not in ancient church history in the broad sense: 1) Early christian hagiography; 2) gnosticism - particularly popular 30 years ago in feminist studies. Introduction: One could summarize in three "d"s Diversity, Difference and Distance.

• Diversity - now it seems self evident to speak of diversity, but it was not so 20-30 years ago. And certainly you wouldn't first on diversity, but on the unity, the mainstream. The focus is on orthodoxy, and not the fringe movements - the heterodox movements. It has been a discovery that the diversity is also important to understand it as a part of the unity. Now speaking more of early christianity rather than church history. You don't get the sense of the period if you impose the notion of institution we have today.
  

• Difference - we have to understand the differences in the concept of institutionalization but in every issue. E.g. We think of late antiquity different that we think of society today. Society at that moment was different to today's society. In early Christianity, slavery was an accepted notion, it can't be explained away, it is part of the fabric. It is hard to compare this with later social context. Position of women - there is no universal declaration of human rights - the context is different. Christian institutions are different, e.g. the office of bishop is completely the same - we speak of a continuity of institution, but early christianity had not 'canon law' you can't see the bishop in that context.
  

• Distance - In historical research you are confronted with sources. You want to know something of the past, so you go to the sources which could inform you about it. But there remains considerable distance between the text you have in front of you and the historical reality. When you read the Gospel of Philip, Christ kissed Magdalen - but what is the relation to the reality - what is the distance from the reality from the text. Christ choose 12 male apostles, but can we know that this was an historical fact - what is the distance between the literary phenomenon and the historical phenomenon. It has to be explored in terms of the distance between them. If we ignore this, we use the text as an argument.
  

• Hagiography. BD is interested in Christian martyrdom and its translation into early christian hagiography. It is a vast field. Women martyrs were considered to be the same on a certain level of historical evidence. There is no feminine reduction here - they are examples of Christian life and courage, and especially representing the truth of Christianity. The description of the vitae sanctae, there is a phenomenon. When you look to early christian vitae of women saints, from the gender point of view, because they are written by men and the bias is there (vita macrinae). Gregory holds the pen and he creates the idea of female sanctity. The dialog gives Macrina as the teacher, but the pen is in the hand of Gregory. (Ead - The Lady Vanishes). The positive evaluation of female sanctity is a product of the mail mine, but if you read the text, you see a beautiful image, but it separates female sanctity from male sanctity. Another notion: the acts of the apostles gives the focus of activity of male and female co-apostles. Acts of Paul and Thecla are primarily acts of Thecla - there is a recognition that the stories are of a woman. It is secondarily under the control of a male apostle in Paul - to make its reception acceptable. Paradigmatalization - there is the paradigm of feminist theology - you start from the notion that christianity is an egalitarian movement - there is something socially new about the gospel. There is a crucial text - there will be no more man / woman. It is taken as a text speaking of gender equality. The notion is that men and women equally contribute to evangelization. It then concludes in the later marginalization in the process of institutionalization. This excludes the presence, influence and contribution of women to women. Paradigm of marginalization. (Pagels - Gnostic Gospels.) This is an important theme, and from here one can return to the acts of Thecla which was called acts of Paul and Thecla to bring it under the control and supervision of a male. But it is difficult to see for sure if there was manipulation - it is a study to be done. Thecla continues to take a very special place in hagiography. She is celebrated as the first female christian martyr. (Stephen first man, Thecla first woman.) Macrina life receives the Thecla traditions.
  

• Gnosticism. This played an important role in feminist theology. 1) Gnostic anthropology. If you follow the gnostic way of thinking, you can overcome the way in which men and women are divided as sexual beings. Religious philosophy sees material creation as something negative. But sees in the creation of humanity has been divided by the creator to Man and Woman and created an internal tension that is also artificially put on humanity. It posits that it was not present in the ideal state of creation. There was a spiritual unity - even today, you can overcome this by acknowledging the spiritual unity. Creation in the image and likeness of God - but only God as spiritual being, but not a material God. Christian Gnostics emphasize this. Genesis 3 is another problem. 2) Leadership in christian communities. Coming back to the paradigm of marginalizations. The Gnostic Christianity is marginalized from the body of "orthodox" Christianity which is institutionalized. The Gnostics haven't been able to interject this notion of women's leadership is possible. Magdalen is brought further, they are first missionaries of the resurrection. Christian Gnostics see Mary Magdalen in tension with the male apostles. She receives the full attention of Christ and he finds in her the 'beloved disciples.' In the sayings to the women, Christ reveals his identity, he sends the men away. There is a dialog with Salome where Jesus identifies herself as a disciple and he then reveals himself to her. Like the encounter with Mary in the Garden. She knows an understands who He is. Then we go back to distance between these texts and reality. They are often interpreted too literally. If you look with a critical eye at gnostic message, you may doubt (e.g. in the Gospel of Marry) there is the impression it was fundamentally a discussion of the state of the soul, vis-a- vis the spirit. At the end she gives her opinion and peter is angry that the Lord would reveal something to a woman. But she is presented as the favored of the Lords. There are some Icons, also in Philip a romance. We have to consider what it means. Remember the distance. In late antiquity the kiss expresses the in-expressable, and outsiders may not understand. An outsider might see as intimacy, but that seems to be a fantasy. We have to have an equalized view of this.
  

• Conclusion - the church fathers / mothers. There is a lot written, but we have to recognize that those who were speaking were the people who were educated, with all their prejudices and ideas and theological presumptions about gender, etc. They were the intellectuals of the time. We need people who stand up in the christian communities as intellectuals in the good sense. Is there a new way to form the christian community that overcomes institutionalization and hierarchization?
  

• It can be a danger to idealize the notion of the beginning of Christianity - that they would the height of the reception of Christianity. Even the women friendly fathers, there is an uneasiness with Gal 3:28 and they explain one text by the others. Athanasius wouldn't understand our biblical criticism. Understand the method of the fathers, their method reached a certain result, and also started from a particular social context. Look not just at their conclusions, but their methods. We have a different method. Turning to the venerable past to solve the problems today is a bit anachronistic. Don't throw it away, but be careful in bringing it forward. We can discover the attention they paid, the methods they used, but we can't really look for answers.
  

• Gnosticism isn't dualistic in a platonistic sense. They were able to overcome these dualisms by claiming that what is important is the spirit - pneuma. There is a distinction between spirit and body, but also on accepting the original unity which as spiritual and bodily. The Christian Gnostics had a dualism that had a negative view of the body - but some authors treat this difficult issue in a complex text. Gospel of Thomas, e.g. Mary as a woman can obtain a spiritual status - I will lead her and she will become a man - not sexually speaking but in a spiritual fullness. Mary (Gospel of Mary) is singled out not as a women, but as a disciple. Dualism can be interiorized, or exteriorized. Denying sexuality isn't asceticism - gnostics instead interiorize this to an original humanity created in God's image. Gal 3:28 is received by the Gnostics as referring to undivided humanity. History won't answer our problems, but will give use interesting ideas - and offer context for thinking about issues. They inspire us to find our own answers. history to be an inspiration but not a burden. texts as mirrors. Christianity's spread is historically conditioned, it can spread in other times, cultures and places. and will have a different color.

Prof. Schmidt

Struggle of oriental Christians for linguistic survival and integrity. The languages developed their own scripts and had their own translations of scripture. Antiquity and holiness are important part of linguistic claims, also a love for the mother tongue. Linguistic diversity of babel is seen as natural richness, a divine grace, God sent different languages like rain. Just as variou scolors make beauty and there are differences of stature, so there are differences of languages. (1271 Areweltsi.)


Syrians are innocent of the blood of Christ - their language was not on the cross which had Hebrew Latin and Greek. Latin - law and government, Greek wisdom, Hebrew revelation. These are neither ancient or sacred. God spoke Syriac to Adam.


Georgian - God will pronounce the last judgment in Language. This language lies asleep till the last day - it is the language of Lazarus.


Armenian alphabet came from the hand of god to the monk Mashtots.


Greeks weren't interested in oriental Christians - thought of them as lesser tongues. But the orientals were more than happy to have the translation from the Greek, not distinguishing native from Greek. "The translator decorated our country and made our language sweet and flourish." (Giorgi Mtatsmideli 1065) It was to enrich the local corpus. The Greeks through these languages weren't refined enough to render difficult theological notions. Armenian celebrates a feast of translators. Syriac translations to Arabic brought Greek works to Europe.

Geldhof:

Thematic theological introduction by prof. dr. Joris Geldhof.

Mysteriousness of sexual difference. Some things escape reason - they are beyond reason, but not irrational. Corporeal constitution is like this, including gender, size, skin color - why is this? E.g. pain is personal to me, I know what it is, but I don't know your pain. Is universality cognitive, or corporeal - we all have bodies, perhaps then it is corporeal.


God is always first - there is a principle of interiority of a thing - God has an unending engagement with us Emet. God is first, we are second, faith is response. Liturgy is response. By incarnation, God respected the either/or ness of corporeality - he chose a man. (So far as we know, because if historically God was incarnated as a women, people wouldn't have paid attention, and it would have passed without any historical record - perhaps it has happened.)

Susan Roll - St. Paul Ottawa

Five Persons took on the legal personhood of women in Canada. Long legal dispute about personhood women simply assumes without question that men are persons. Are baptized female persons configured to Christ - Christic. We assume that men have enough Christic image to participate in other sacraments. Through baptism, Christians share in death and resurrection of Christ, and thus are a new creation. Ex opere operato - is a mechanistic generation of grace by sacraments; Mystici Corporis and mediator dei affirm that ritual is suffused with the presence of Christ, and oozes grace. The whole assembly is a new creation with full and active participation. Common priesthood is represented in prayers of faithful.


All women's Easter Triduum in north Wales. Holy Thursday to Easter Monday. No formal plan. Came together and read and shared around readings and from this planned liturgies. 6am - women came to the tomb. But women are witnesses, never the Christ.


Christ as women on cross - gruesome image. Image of suffering woman too erotic? What about a resurrected woman. Same as the mystery of childbirth - risk of death to give new life.


Christic identity and abuse. Christianity, Patriarchy and Abuse. The social construction of patriarchy is the source of so many poor and marginalized women's problems.


Woman read's Christ in passion.


Women in the Church - "there are no women in The Church" it's an old boys' club. - women are baptized from the beginning.


What is not assumed is not saved - can a male savior save women? Metaphorical hearing and gender jump - future of liturgical language. CCC - 1992 to english standard inclusive. retranslated to sexist - it isn't naieve it is edgy. Advent 2009 new roMAN missal.


Can women reflect the living face of Christ. - backlash. Women across cultures are seen as less than.