Relationality and the Concept of God

Erscheinungsjahr 1995
ISBN: 978-90-5183-812-1
Verlag: Brill | Rodopi

Buch, Englisch, Band 10, 257 Seiten, Format (B × H): 15 mm x 22 mm

Reihe: Currents of Encounter

Classical theism, the dominant tradition in Christian theology, has stressed the metaphysical concept of God, i.e., God's ontological transcendence and independence from the world. In this century, however, this concept of God has increasingly met with criticism. On the basis of the Bible and new philosophical considerations, it is argued that a relational concept of God better answers the fundamental concerns of the Christian faith. In this book the author investigates the questions of whether one can conceive of God apart from the metaphysical attributes and whether reflection on the biblical depiction of God leads necessarily to a relational concept of God. The author explores the questions by examining the relational concepts of God found in two contemporary German theologians, Jürgen Moltmann and Wolfhart Pannenberg, and uses the divine attribute of immutability as a focus for the discussion. He argues that the relational concept of God presupposes another metaphysical conception of God, which raises problems as serious as those in classical theism, and that the Bible itself, because of its nature as a narrative text, is ambiguous in many respects as far as God is concerned. A truly Christian doctrine of God must take both the metaphysical and relational aspects of God into account.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Jansen, Henry

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface. 1. Introduction: Stating the Problem. 2. Classical Theism: Thomas Aquinas and Herman Bavinck. 3. Relationality: Reasons and Background. 4. Jürgen Moltmann: God as Community. 5. Wolfhart Pannenberg: God as the Infinite Field of Love. 6. Concepts of God and Scripture. Samenvatting (Dutch Summary). List of Works Consulted. General Index.