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Philosophy of God, and theology,
Book by Lonergan, Bernard J. F
- GenresTheology
74 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1974
About the author
Bernard J.F. Lonergan
44 books52 followersFr. Bernard Joseph Frances Lonergan, SJ, CC (Ph.D., Theology, Gregorian University (Rome), 1939; B.A., University of London, 1930), was an ordained Roman Catholic priest of the Jesuit order. As an economist and philosopher-theologian in the Thomist tradition, he taught at Loyola College (Montreal) (now Concordia University), Regis College (now federated within the University of Toronto), the Pontifical Gregorian University, Harvard University, and Boston College. He was named by Pope Paul VI one of the original members of the International Theological Commission.
He is the author of Insight: A Study of Human Understanding (1957) and Method in Theology (1972), which established what he called the Generalized Empirical Method (GEM). The University of Toronto Press is in process of publishing his work in a projected 25-volume collection edited by staff at the Lonergan Research Institute at Regis College.
"Lonergan is considered by many intellectuals to be the finest philosophic thinker of the 20th century."
—TIME Magazine
He is the author of Insight: A Study of Human Understanding (1957) and Method in Theology (1972), which established what he called the Generalized Empirical Method (GEM). The University of Toronto Press is in process of publishing his work in a projected 25-volume collection edited by staff at the Lonergan Research Institute at Regis College.
"Lonergan is considered by many intellectuals to be the finest philosophic thinker of the 20th century."
—TIME Magazine
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July 26, 2024
THREE LECTURES BY THE FAMED CATHOLIC THEOLOGIAN
Bernard Lonergan (1904-1984) was a Canadian Jesuit priest who was one of the most important theologians of the twentieth century; he wrote many books, such as 'Method in Theology,' 'Early Works on Theological Method,' etc.
He stated in the Introduction to this 1973 book, "By philosophy of God is meant knowledge of God that is not logically derived from revealed religion. By the functional specialty, systematics, is meant a specialty that receives revealed truths from other specialties and seeks some imperfect understanding of them. Finally, the relationship between the two at all times is that they are quite distinct... Our basic concern, accordingly, will be an attempt to grasp certain fundamental contours relevant to an understanding of variations in philosophic context."
He explains, "My concern is with a state of culture. A theology mediates between a religion and a culture. Its function is to express in terms of the culture the significance and value of the religion. And it does it differently when you have a different culture." (Pg. 15)
He argues, "(natural theology and systematic theology) just marvelously fit together, and to want to pull them apart just creates repetitions. You can do philosophy of God in a philosophy department for people who aren't going to do theology later on. But if people are going to do theology, too, I'd say why break that up?" (Pg. 42) He adds, "the question of God arises of a series of successive levels, that it may begin as a purely metaphysical question but it becomes a moral and eventually a religious question, and that to deal with all of these levels requires putting an end to the isolation of philosophy." (Pg. 52)
He laments, "I have pointed out the havoc wrought on people's faith when their philosophy is jettisoned without being replaced." (Pg. 58)
This brief volume will be of interest to anyone studying Catholic theology/philosophy.
Bernard Lonergan (1904-1984) was a Canadian Jesuit priest who was one of the most important theologians of the twentieth century; he wrote many books, such as 'Method in Theology,' 'Early Works on Theological Method,' etc.
He stated in the Introduction to this 1973 book, "By philosophy of God is meant knowledge of God that is not logically derived from revealed religion. By the functional specialty, systematics, is meant a specialty that receives revealed truths from other specialties and seeks some imperfect understanding of them. Finally, the relationship between the two at all times is that they are quite distinct... Our basic concern, accordingly, will be an attempt to grasp certain fundamental contours relevant to an understanding of variations in philosophic context."
He explains, "My concern is with a state of culture. A theology mediates between a religion and a culture. Its function is to express in terms of the culture the significance and value of the religion. And it does it differently when you have a different culture." (Pg. 15)
He argues, "(natural theology and systematic theology) just marvelously fit together, and to want to pull them apart just creates repetitions. You can do philosophy of God in a philosophy department for people who aren't going to do theology later on. But if people are going to do theology, too, I'd say why break that up?" (Pg. 42) He adds, "the question of God arises of a series of successive levels, that it may begin as a purely metaphysical question but it becomes a moral and eventually a religious question, and that to deal with all of these levels requires putting an end to the isolation of philosophy." (Pg. 52)
He laments, "I have pointed out the havoc wrought on people's faith when their philosophy is jettisoned without being replaced." (Pg. 58)
This brief volume will be of interest to anyone studying Catholic theology/philosophy.
Displaying 1 of 1 review