When is theology "biblical"?—Some reflections

Biblical Theology Bulletin, Spring, 2003 by Roland E. Murphy

At that time it was easier for a dogmatic theologian to be overwhelmed by the mass of exegetical detail that claimed attention, even when it did not yield mere hypotheses. Since then, the 1993 document of the Pontifical Biblical Commission on The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church describes the progress made in biblical studies. It also surveyed (not without adding some cautions) the new approaches coming from sociology, anthropology, psychology, and the current interests in liberation and feminist theology. Moreover, the playing field has been changed in the radical postmodern hermeneutic by the denial of an objective text, and by deconstruction and the hermeneutics of suspicion. The 1993 document rightly held the historical critical methodology to be "indispensable," but it did not examine its bearing on dogmatic theology.

Rahner's conversation of some 40 years ago aimed at a kind of reconciliation: that the exegete should realize he/she is a theologian and should build bridges to dogmatic theology, and the professional theologian should become more proficient in biblical awareness. The current situation marks a vast improvement. Yet, outside of specific areas, such as christology, the relation between the two disciplines has been far from symbiotic; there is considerable room for collaboration. On the American scene, two examples of bridge-building, which never went anywhere, come to mind. Raymond Brown's study, PRIEST AND BISHOP (1970), contained the seed for a revision of dogmatic teaching concerning ordination and hierarchy. The studies of Bruce Vawter on divorce in the New Testament (references in Vawter, 1986), had they been received as they should have been, could have rendered unnecessary or at least reduced the number of marriage annulments so common today.

When is theology not biblical? When it depends upon traditions outside a biblical range. Here one might think of the mariological exaggerations of past and present, as indicated already in 1977 in the Marialis Cultus ([subsection] 36-37) of Pope Paul VI. With respect to moral theology or ethics, it must be admitted that the cutting edge of many moral questions is beyond specific guidance from the Bible. Also, dogmatic theology can become abstract, clouded in hermeneutical density, or even driven by a philosophy, an understanding of reality that is either remote from or even unfaithful to biblical data. All would grant the need to express the biblical message in terms that go beyond a crippling literalism and are in harmony with current modes of apprehension. The real task has always been to remain faithful to the biblical message and the development of dogma or belief through the ages of the Church. This essay intends to illustrate the role of the Bible in the theological work of a few scholars. Obviously these are merely examples; there is no intention of examining the theological validity of their conclusions.

Jacques Dupuis: Religious Pluralism

The documents of Vatican II (Unitatis Redintegratio and also Lumen Gentium) made admirable progress regarding ecumenism in general, and they displayed high respect for the beliefs of others, mentioning specifically Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. This careful and cautious opening has pressed theologians for more details: What is the relationship of the revelation of God in Christ to other religions? In what sense do they reveal God, and how necessary is Christ to all this? One may accept that venerable texts like 1 Timothy 2:3-7 were operative in the openness that marked Vatican II. But do the biblical data address the new questions that have arisen--how to understand the mediatorship of Christ? There are other texts to be considered, such as the testimony of Peter in Acts 4:12 about the centrality of Christ: "There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved." That fits neatly into the limited Greco-Roman world of the early Christians, but how is it to be understood today? More biblical exegesis is needed to sustain and to further the position of Vatican II.