Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 73

Chap. IV]

NO ONE-SIDEDNESS

§ 30.

To

the other.

49

be able to write an Encyclopedia of Theology-

must be fixed beforehand what you conceive to be Theology and in order to know which of the several theologies that present themselves shall be your Theolog}^, it must first be determined what the object is which you give Theology to It is evident therefore that the theological Eninvestigate. cyclopedist cannot possibly furnish anything but an EncyFor though this may be denied, clopedia of Ids Theology. and it be made to appear that a Theological Encyclopedia in the general sense is given, the outcome always shows it

;

that in reality the writer claims universal validity for his

Theology. JVo One-sidedness

§ 30.

This

a self-deception which nevertheless contains a

is

If in order to

of truth.

the existence of the object of his Theology, the claim itself

germ

be a theologian one must believe in is

of

implied that what he takes to be valid must also be

valid to every one else.

the immediate

This

is

no presumption, but only which is

result of the firmness of conviction

the motive for his scientific investigation.

causes science to wither. obligation.

Just this

:

But from

this

All scepticism there flows an

to point out in the other theologies

and inconsequent, to appreciate what is relatively true, and to a certain extent to show the necessity of their existence. No one Theology can claim to be all-sided and completely developed. This is not possible, because every Theology has to deal with an object that is not susceptible to an abstract intellectual treatment, and which can

what

is

therefore

untenable

only be

development in

life.

known

in connection with its historical

Aberrations very certainly occur which

furnish only negative or reactionary results for the knowl-

edge of the object of Theology, and these can only be refuted. But there are also elements in this object of Theology, which do not find an equally good soil for their development with every individual, with every nation, or in every age. Every theologian, therefore, knows that neither he himself, nor the stream of history in which he moves, are

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