"Sophia" Discourse from Antiquity to Christianity

Author(s): Yevhen Kharkovshchenko / Language(s): English Issue: 56/2019

Sophia doctrine was evolved in European philosophical and religious creativity and was developed in the pre-Christian period (Socrates, Parmenides, Plato), was represented in Gnosticism (Valentinus) and Neoplatonism (Plotinus), in the writings of prominent theorists of Christianity – the Fathers of the Church (Athanasius the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Macarius the Great, Gregory the Theologian), the ancient teachers of Christianity (Hilarion, Klim Smoliatich). The doctrine of Sophia, The Wisdom of God is shown in the Proverbs of Solomon Biblical Book, and also in the non-canonical books of the Old Testamentum – Solomon’s Wisdom and the Jesus’ the son of Syrah Wisdom. The Sophia doctrine as mysterious wisdom is described in Kabbalah. It was also reflected in the temple architecture and iconography of the Orthodox East, in the wider use of it at the spiritual and moral level. This doctrine has got a systematic form represented by the doctrine of sophiology in medieval mysticism (M. Eckhart, J. Böhme, E. Swedenborg), and “philosophy of unitotality” (V. Solovyov, S. Bulgakov, P. Florensky). These periods of the Sophia doctrine’s development are inherent in such ideas as a natural philosophy’s theme of understanding the world as the integration, anthropological doctrine of the relationship between nature and the absolute, the existence of God in its close association with the world.

"Wiara i poszukiwanie Boga". Lumen fidei w perspektywie teologii religii

Author(s): Bogdan Ferdek / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2014

Lumen Fidei (The Light of Faith) is intended as the guiding magisterial document for the Year of Faith. Faith is the gateway to salvation. To reach eternal , it is necessary to have been baptized sacramentally and to die sincerely professing the Catholic faith.

(rec.) Richard Swinburne, Czy Jezus był Bogiem?, tłum. Małgorzata Wiertlewska, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Kazimierza Wielkiego, Bydgoszcz 2014

Author(s): Jacek Grzybowski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 4/2018

(rec.) Teresa Obolevitch, Filozofia rosyjskiego renesansu patrystycznego, Copernicus Center, Kraków 2014

Author(s): Justyna Kroczak / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2015

1949-1982 Yılları Arasında Din Psikolojisi Alanında Yazılan Eserlerin Doküman Analizi Nitel Bir Değerlendirme

Author(s): Beyazıt Yaşar Seyhan / Language(s): Turkish Issue: 13/2021

It has been tried to do document analysis together with content analysis about some terms in the works written between 1949 and 1982, which is assumed to be the first period of the psychology of religion. The terms researched are “şuur (consciousness)” and its derivatives in Ottoman, and “consciousness”, “subconscious”, “unconscious” terms which is the modern usage of the term “şuur” and “adolescent, puberty” terms of Western origin which correspond to the meanings of “ergen ve argenlik”. The frequency of the use of these terms in the books was determined and it was examined whether there was a change in time, and the scientific language in using the terms of the psychology of religion was tried to be understood in line with the qualitative method. As a result, the psychology of religion changes some of these terms over time, while others still use them. By examining whether the purposes and bibliographies of the early psychology books were similar or different, it was understood that these terms used in the books of the early psychology of religion kept pace with the language and psychology science language of that period and their changes over time. In addition, it is understood that the works written by theology-based religious psychologists do not only serve the science of psychology of religion, but also they have an individual, educational, political and social goals.

A Bigger God and the Pre-Creation Situation: Some Remarks Inspired by William Hasker

Author(s): Jacek Wojtysiak / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2022

In the present essay, while entering into discussion with William Hasker, I addressed two divine dilemmas in “the pre-creation situation.” My considerations focused on the reasons for creating a world—the love (grace) reason and the manifestation reason—which in some way prevailed over the reasons against creating a world (the no need reason and the imperfection reason) and whose concurrence prompted the image of an (rather relatively) optimal creatable world. It turns out that the latter resembles both our world and the world suggested by Hasker’s theism. In that world, God has brought to existence both what is unworthy (thus showing his grace in a special way) and what displays high degrees of excellence (thus manifesting his glory). On this view, the eschatological conclusion of the world would be the full actualization of divine grace and of the manifestation of God. In the final part of the essay, I attempted to show that my view does not entail the rejection of the idea of divine impassibility.

A Case of Sceptically-based Christian Moralism: Isidore of Pelusium’s Epistles 1217 and 773 (II, 273)

Author(s): John A. Demetracopoulos / Language(s): English Issue: 28/2022

Scholars have claimed that Isidore of Pelusium’s Epistle 1217 forms a contribution to biblical exegesis. This seems inaccurate, for a closer examination of the text shows that what Isidore states is that certain things in the world (not in the Bible) are patently knowable, other things are not but nevertheless can be known by drawing conclusions from evident knowledge, whereas some things simply are beyond our reach. Actually, this insurmountable limit is, in the last resort, a positive element, because it gives us a moral lesson, teaching us humility. The true meaning of the Epistle is revealed mainly through its direct textual sources, which include passages from Sextus Empiricus, Philo of Alexandria, Basil of Caesarea, and John Chrysostom. In addition, the main point of Epistle 1217 is contextualised in Isidore’s thought by comparing it to certain other letters he wrote, primarily Epistle 773 (II, 273), which, as shown, is a development of Epistle 1217.

A Comparative Study of "Godmanhood" (bogochelovechestvo) in Russian Philosophy. The Eighth Day in V. Solovëv, S. Bulgakov, N. Berdiaev, and S. Frank

Author(s): Katharina A. Breckner / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2013

A Contextual and Philosophical Analysis of Aquinas’ Fourth Way

Author(s): Matthew W. Knotts / Language(s): English Issue: 59/2014

The task of this essay is a reconsideration and rehabilitation of the fourth way of Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae. The argument ex gradibus is first presented with attention to the philosophical-theological context of the five ways, in addition to matters of historical context. It will become clear that the arguments are enthymematic and should thus be read charitably in connection with other aspects of Aquinas’ philosophy (cf. Copleston 1976; Fogelin 1990; Kerr 2001). Moreover, in contrast to the prevailing sentiment that the fourth way should be read primarily in a Platonic light (cf., e.g., Van Steenberghen 1980), I argue that the fourth way should rather be read in connection with other crucial aspects of Aquinas’ metaphysics of being (cf. Urban 1984). Finally, I reconsider some of the fundamental aspects of the argument, e.g., the ‘principle of the maximum’ (cf. Flew 1966, Kenny 1969, Van Steenberghen 1980, Doolan 2008). The upshot is a clearer understanding of what Aquinas actually means in the fourth way, which in turn enables a more informed evaluation of the argument itself.

A CRITICAL STUDY OF THE VIEWS OF SAYYED HOSSEIN NASR ON THE PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATION OF ISLAMIC SCIENCE

Author(s): Muhammad Junaid Mughal,Muhammad Mumtaz Ali / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2022

In recent years, Muslim scholars have written on the need of the revival of Islamic science and its philosophical foundation. The main aim of this paper is to examine the views of Sayyed Hossein Nasr, who is considered as one of the pioneers in the area of the revival of Islamic science. Other than Nasr, Muslim scholars argued that the Islamic science is different from modern Western science in terms of its purpose and philosophical foundation and delineated their viewpoints within the philosophical foundation of modern Western science. In terms of method, Islamic science may not be different from modern Western science but it differs in its philosophy and purpose. This paper uses a qualitative method employing content analysis to examine the insights of Seyyed Hossein Nasr critically and analytically with reference to other scholars such as Muzaffar Iqbal, Naquib al Attas, Osman Bakar, Alparsalan and Ziauddin Sardar.

A MAN IS FREE AS HE IS THE IMAGE OF GODLY FREEDOM. FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY’S FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT FREEDOM

Author(s): Iwona Magdalena Perkowska / Language(s): English Issue: 21/2013

The article presents Fyodor Dostoevsky’s considerations of freedom based on both The Brothers Karamazov and The Idiot. The writer shows, that dealing with own freedom is one of the greatest tasks in human life and man's future fate depends wholly on how he copes with this task. Freedom is a fundamental concept in a philosophical anthropology of the Russian novelist. According to his grasp of the problem of evil this is a man, who appears the source of all misery, which he brings upon himself, among which not atheism but false understanding of God is the greatest one.

A Neo-Lockean Theory of the Trinity and Incarnation

Author(s): Joseph Jedwab / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2022

I present two problems: the logical problem of the Trinity and the metaphysical problem of Incarnation. I propose a solution to both problems: a Neo-Lockean theory of the Trinity and Incarnation, which applies a Neo-Lockean theory of personal identity to the doctrines of the Trinity and Incarnation.

A New Supplement to Spiritual Leadership from Spiritual Intelligence Conceptions and Etymologic Research

Author(s): Michael Hagemann / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2022

In recent years, both the topic of "Spiritual Leadership" and "Spiritual Intelligence" have been described many times independently of each other. Furthermore, in none of the various studies is the original meaning of "spiritual" referenced, nor are the definitions of “Spiritual Intelligence" integrated into the concept of "Spiritual Leadership”. This study, therefore, pursues a twofold objective: First, commonalities between different concepts of "Spiritual Intelligence" are used to formulate a new construct with four main principles. Then, the origin and original understanding of "spiritual" will be researched and discussed. Both are applied to the concept of "Spiritual Leadership” and supplement its structural framework.

A Note on Theological Fatalism

Author(s): Alex Blum / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2007

We contend that a very seductive argument for theological fatalism fails. In the course of our discussion we point out that theological fatalism is incompatible with the existence of a being who is omnipotent, omniscient and infallible. We suggest that ‘possible’ formalized as ‘‘ is to be understood as ‘can or could have been’ and not simply as ‘can’. The argument we discuss conflates the two. We end by rounding out, hopefully, some left over corners of serious concern to the theist.

A posztmodern: átok vagy áldás? (1)

Author(s): Attila Daly / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: 05/2016

A propos de la décision chez A. Badiou ou peut-on être atheiste

Author(s): Jelica Riha / Language(s): French,Macedonian Issue: 1/2006

Je ne me propose pas d’éclairer la pensée d’A. Badiou. Le sujet est trop vaste pour être abordé de manière exhaustive. Il est nécessaire donc de trouver une approche, un angle d’attaque, si je puis dire, plus restreint. Le propos qui suit vise un point et un seul: le point où se dessine la ligne de partage entre la philosophie et l’antiphilosophie: la décision.