Fundamental theology

Fundamental theology is a discipline of Catholic theology in research and teaching. It is a sub-discipline of systematic theology. Questions of fundamental theology also play a role in the Protestant theology, there as a " Systematic Theology " or under names such as " Prolegomena to Dogmatics ".

Purposes of classical fundamental theology

The task of fundamental theology is to justify the principles and characteristics of the Christian faith before reason, to analyze its requirements and to identify the main differences to other worldviews and religions systematic perspective. Find Especially in recent decades, in detail different kinds of self, methods and content priorities.

Their origins, the fundamental theology in the Apology of early Christianity and apologetics. The name itself came on in the 19th century.

From apologetics fundamental theology has inherited her three classical part areas or tracts:

• " Treatise religion" ( demonstratio religiosa ) in which it at all as rationally and traditionally was the confrontation with atheism to the analysis of religion.
• " Treatise revelation" ( demonstratio Christiana ), in which the Christian religion should be justified as revealed religion rationally ( traditionally separate from other religions).
• " Treatise Church" ( demonstratio catholica ), in which the own denomination as should be shown the proper and analyzed as an ecclesiastical institutionalized religion ( traditionally separate from other Christian denominations ).

In newer designs fundamentally theological occurs as the fourth often a " theological treatise epistemology " added, which is traditionally the grounds of cognition ( "Reason instances of faith " / " loci theologici " ) discussed. This topic overlaps with that of the philosophy of science of theology.

Specific forms and approaches

Turn of the Intrinsezismus

As the Medieval apologia of the provability of beliefs wavered with natural reason, she put external arguments in the center: wonder authentic witnesses. With the shift away from the neo-scholasticism in the mid 20th century, but already with the Immanenzapologetik Maurice Blondel this so-called Extrinsezismus is adopted. Karl Rahner founded in hearer of the word. At the foundation of a philosophy of religion (1941 ) fundamental theology on anthropological foundation. This quickly has become a consensus direction is often referred to ( by Max Seckler ) as Intrinsezismus.

Practical and political fundamental theology

At the center are historical, practical and political aspects. Especially the memory of the catastrophe of Auschwitz has marked this direction. A first and important representative is Johann Baptist Metz.

Ecumenical Fundamental Theology

Ecumenical concern is about Peter Knauer to the center.

Hermeneutic Fundamental Theology

Hermeneutic fundamental theology provides in advance to all reasoning questions, the question of the proper understanding of the faith, or sees both moments as inseparable. Formative representative of this accentuation is Eugen Biser. Many other concepts underline the relevance of the concern pursued in the hermeneutic approach.

A hermeneutic fundamental theology responds first to the question of what it is about the Christian faith in reason, and only then on the question of how this belief can be justified before reason.

The Christian faith is based on the Christian message ( gospel ), which sees itself as the "Word of God". The word "God" is introduced into the Christian message by the statement that the world is totally dependent on him, so he could not be without. God is " without whom is nothing." Faith itself only starts against the "Word of God " in Jesus Christ to believe the Son of God, is, due to its encounter each in today's proclamation of faith the word itself and the whole world in the eternal love of God for God the Father to the Son, into created to believe. In this faith lived as a certainty, no longer have to live in fear for themselves.

Faith and Reason

If this belief be justifiable before reason, all rational objections must be answered against him on their own field, are thus to refute by rational arguments. Because nothing can be believed, what a self -preserving their contradicts reason. In the understanding of the Christian faith can, what such contradicts reason, just be superstition. Therefore, the belief in the functioning of critical reason is highly interested. The critical reason is the " gatekeeper " ( Gospel of John 10.3 ) against any form of superstition.

Conversely, however, are to be believed nothing that can be attributed to mere reason. Everything from God is Different world and can not be believed; can be felt alone, which can only be understood as self-communication of God in this his world.

Although the Christian faith is not reducible to reason, but he sets the reason ahead (according to the scholastic " natural grace puts forward "). The reason has to faith is not primarily support function, but the function of a filter against superstition. Within the faith, it makes the important service to make the inner unity of all individual statements of faith clearly, which may be only unfolding of the one and only reason mystery of communion with God forever.

Only the content of the Christian message (God's love to the world, in advance to the love of the Father to the Son; revelation of the Incarnation of the Son, and the faith itself as the fulfillment of the Holy Spirit) make its claim understandable to be the Word of God. The claim of the Christian message, to be the Word of God in its truth is only the faith as the Spirit-filled knowledge accessible ( cf. 1 Corinthians 12:3).

This denies hermeneutic fundamental theology considers the classical fundamental theology, one can recognize the positive possibility of a divine revelation in advance to faith or it was possible with its contents to prove the faith in advance for referral than in accordance with reason. Faith can not be attributed to rational argument and so put it into a broader framework of Reason ( = rationalism and theological rationalism ), but must be precisely thereby accounting that only he and his concrete content than that everything else can be understood Comprehensive itself. From a fideism that refuses to faith before reason and so universal responsibility, this statement differs in that all rational objections may be refuted by rational arguments must.

The claim of the Christian message, to be the Word of God, the claim to comprehensibility of this word is given. Only those who hear the word of God and "understands" ( Gospel of Matthew 13:23 ), will be able to bear fruit. Although the mystery of the faith of the community is not readable with God in the world and comes only in the way the word for knowledge and is recognized only in faith itself as true; but it is not "incomprehensible " or " enigmatic ".

Account of the division of theological subjects

Hermeneutic fundamental theology are then accountable for the division of theology in historical and systematic subjects: Because the Christian faith " by hearing " (Romans 10:17 letter ) and it does not invent himself, is to ask historically what the Christian message as it encounters in respect to the faith actually says. Systematic is to ask how this so said can really be understood in the sense of the faith as a self-communication of God. Among the historical subjects include exegesis and church history as the history of the interpretation of Scripture; to the systematic courses include on the one hand dogma, which unfolds the content of faith in the individual, and on the other hand, practical theology, in which it comes to the terms of the transmission of the faith.

The ratio of the Christian faith to other religions and atheism

Finally Fundamental Theology examines the relationship of Christian faith to other religions and no religion. In all religions is ultimately about a whole life -supporting shelteredness; the Christian message is a service at the lowest and unsurpassable truth of all true religion and is incompatible with pseudo-religion, which amounts to the deification of created realities.

Fundamental theology is to a certain extent counsel for the unbelievers in theology. She is keen that all objections to the faith can be expressed and discussed in public; for only thus may reveal whether the Christian message withstand all objections and can be understood as the Word of God in a sense, which is the last word on all the reality of the world.

Ultimate justification of faith

Some systematic theologians have tried a auskommende with low assumptions justification of belief in a latest valid sense. These designs are in development, discussion and some criticism. Notable representatives with a different accent are Thomas Pröpper, Hans Jürgen Verweyen, partly Klaus Müller. Often this transcendental forms of argument will be addressed. Reference points are then often Hermann Krings, Karl- Otto Apel and Wolfgang Kuhlmann.