Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 255

Chap.

I]

§ 56.

THE NAME

231

development of the word logos, which at first indicated a collected mass, then a word, and only later reason or thought, ^eoXo'709, 6eo\oyeiv^ and deoXo'yCa also were conceived as a knowledge of or concerning a god or the gods. Since the etymology admits so many possibilities, the more accurate knowledge of the term "Theologia" should be gleaned from the usage of the word. With Lucian and Plutarch deoXojo'i occurs in the general sense of one Avho treats of the gods, and Augustine declares in de Civ. Dei, XVIII., c. 14: "During the same j)eriod of time arose the poets, who were also called theologians, because they made hymns about the gods." With Aristotle OeoXoyelv indicates, to

be a theologian, or to act as a theologian.

''E'maTTJfir]

means with Aristotle QMetaph. X. 6)

knowledge

OeoXo^LKrj

a

while with Plato, " theology " occurs as a speaking about the gods, and with Aristotle in the

concerning the divine

;

plural number, " Theologies " were investigations into divine

things QMetereol.

2. 1).

Thus

far in all these combinations

the general conception was implied of engaging oneself with the matter of the gods or deity, either in consultation with tradition, or in reflection for the sake of

understanding.

With

the

a

more accurate

name "Theology,"

this general conception has been adopted by Christian writers, modified according to the requirements of their point of view, and

upon a large scale. He who reads the exhaustive explanation of Suicer, Thes. graec, under the words 6eo\6<yo<i, carried out

and OeoXoyelv perceives at once how greatly the use words was increased and how much more deeply the

deoXoyia, of these

thinking consciousness entered into the sense of these words, than with the classical writers. That the apostle John was early ctdled the Theologian (o ^€0X0709), even in the title of the Apocalypse, cannot properly be exjolained from his refer-

ence to the Logos in the prologue to his Gospel and in his first Epistle but indicates that John was esteemed to be more ;

versed in the divine mysteries than any other apostle. This readily accounts for the fact that he is indicated as such in the title of the Apocalypse

In a like sense

all

and not

in the title of his Gospel.

the writers of the Old and

New Testaments,

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