Theological Metaphysics and Scriptural Interpretation

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Theologies".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 February 2024) | Viewed by 2895

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
St Mellitus College, East Midlands, Leicester LE1 5PZ, UK
Interests: historical theology (4th century trinitarian theology; 20th century theology); doctrine of god; christology

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
St Mellitus College, East Midlands, Leicester LE1 5PZ, UK
Interests: christology; the trinity; the apostle paul and his theology; historical-critical exegesis; theology of scripture

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
St Mellitus College, East Midlands, Leicester LE1 5PZ, UK
Interests: theological hermeneutics; historical Jesus research; the doctrine of scripture; the book of Hebrews

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to the Special Issue entitled “Theological Metaphysics and Scriptural Interpretation”. This edition seeks to facilitate an integration of two constructive theological domains: (i) the function of metaphysics vis à vis the doctrine of God and (ii) the theological interpretation of Scripture.

This Special Issue aims to engage in the methodology of Scriptural interpretation with respect to the underlying metaphysical substructure of that work. The question Jonathan Rowlands has addressed to those engaged in the study of the historical Jesus—namely to examine the underlying metaphysical assumptions of their work—is a question that ought also to be posed to systematic theologians in their interpretation of Scripture. In this, we welcome submissions that enquire into how the work of the theological interpretation of Scripture is affected if approached from, for the sake of argument, the basis of God as pure actuality as opposed to God’s absolute pronobeity (or vice versa). For example: how does the way in which the being of God is held in connection to the history of God’s act affect the way in which the interpreter of Scripture engages with the narrative of Scripture? Or, if God is God for us without remainder, then how does Scripture function in relation to the interpreter?

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • The relationship between metaphysics and the doctrine of God.
  • The intersection of the doctrine of God and Scriptural interpretation.
  • The role of metaphysical presuppositions in Scriptural interpretation.
  • Constructive proposals for theological interpretation of Scripture from a range of perspectives regarding the relationship between metaphysics and the doctrine of God.
  • Constructive proposals concerning the relationship between metaphysics and historiography (with particular attention to historiographical questions concerning Jesus of Nazareth).

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Alex Irving
Dr. Chris Tilling
Dr. Jonny Rowlands
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • theology
  • metaphysics
  • scriptural interpretation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

11 pages, 191 KiB  
Article
Wolfhart Pannenberg’s Theological Method and Metaphysics
by Kyungrae Kim
Religions 2024, 15(6), 714; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060714 - 10 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1841
Abstract
After the rise of logical positivism, even in the realm of theology, there was a trend to give up on accepting the actions of God in history as objective acts and to create an atmosphere of separating faith and reason. Wolfhart Pannenberg’s work [...] Read more.
After the rise of logical positivism, even in the realm of theology, there was a trend to give up on accepting the actions of God in history as objective acts and to create an atmosphere of separating faith and reason. Wolfhart Pannenberg’s work presents a compelling integration of theology with the rational and empirical rigors of the scientific age. Through a comprehensive theological method, he aimed to establish a dialogue between faith and scientific inquiry, challenging the exclusivity of logical positivism by proposing a theological metaphysics grounded in the concept of retroactive ontology. Pannenberg’s approach is distinguished by its systematic application of hermeneutics, considering the totality of history as the context for divine revelation, and positioning the resurrection of Jesus Christ as a pivotal event that embodies God’s influence on the world. His innovative ontology, which enables one to consider divine action as objective, seeks to validate theology as a science, engaging with natural sciences to foster a mutual enrichment between faith and reason. Pannenberg’s methodological rigor and metaphysical framework offer a robust foundation for a theology that is both intellectually defensible and deeply rooted in Christian faith, advocating for a theology of nature that reconciles the divine with the empirical world. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Theological Metaphysics and Scriptural Interpretation)
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