Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 245

UPON OUR VIEW OF THEOLOGY

Chap. V]

221

tury than in the days of Abraham and Moses, of David and Hence it is from no evil Isaiah, of Christ and his Apostles. intent, at least not

among men

(of Satan

we do

not speak),

but simply the necessary consequence of the lack of a personal experience of palingenesis, that, so far from acknowl-

edging them, modern theological development cannot rest until

it

has dispossessed

all

religious

phenomena

of their un-

and has included them in the scope of the normal development of our human consciousness. And it is but the consequence of principle, which is compulsory from this point of view, that the authority of the Holy Scriptures is attacked, and that the conflict against the Holy Scriptures must be continued until at length all that they offer us is reduced to the proportions of the ordinary. And this gives rise to the question whether from this naturalistic point of view there can still be a theological science, and whether there is still room for a theological facThis question is not answered by a rehearsal of the ulty. gigantic labors of modern Theology in breaking down the Breaking down is so-called antiquated representations. And though it is indisputably the task of not building up. science to combat error, it is plain that this negative effort

common

character,

Thus the quesdoes not justify the existence of a faculty. When once the old building tion should be put as follows :

have been taken dcwn entirely, so that without causing any more concern, antique Theology, properly catalogued, shall have been carefully put by in the museum of scientific antiquities, will there then still remain a work of a peculiar character like Theology which as such will justify the existence of a separate faculty ? And this must be answered in the negative. It can be said superficially, that from this view-point also the five questions present themselves to the shall

— concerning

own

and bodily existence, and his relation to his fellow-men, to nature and to his from this point God but and this is the decisive point One no of view the very existence of God is questionable. doubt says there is a God; but another denies it. And among those also who acknowledge the existence of God, some hold thinking mind

;

—

his

spiritual

—

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