Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 354

330

THE RELATION OF

§ 65.

an influence in protest against

the stages of

all is,

its

development.

[Div. Ill

What

"sye

that theology should be thought to exist

merely for the sake of rendering this auxiliary service, and that the Church by itself should be considered not to be able

.

"'

to do without

/:^C>^f^'" '

'

Spiritually the

it.

centuries without

on

it.

But

it,

and in so

Church has prospered long

far can never be

dependent

on the other hand, again, theology should not be

explained from utility. That it did originate, is accounted for by the nobility of our human thought, which cannot rest,

domain within reach which Thinking man, converted to God, has felt himself called to cause the honor of God's truth to shine also in the world of our representations and concepIf that which God causes us to perceive of Himself tions. were limited to a mystic esthesia, we might philosophize about this phenomenon, but we would never be able to anaso long as there

it

is still

has not annexed to

a single

itself.

lyze this perception theologically.

dry times and in divers manners fathers,

and thus

light

Since, however, at sun-

God

has spoken unto the

upon Crod has arisen in our conscious-

ness, that revelation itself has impelled a scientific investi-

gation,

and Christendom would have done violence to the its consciousness if it had lived without theology.

impulse of

Theology, therefore, like every other science, aims at as complete and accurate a laiowledge of its object as possible. It too is born from the thirst after insight and clearness, and cannot rest so long as there is still a possibility of makTheology should ing the insight into its object more clear. all and thereof science, ideal character this denied not be in knowing God, and sought should ever be fore its motive Religion and Chrisnot in knowing religion or Christianity. tendom by themselves are excellent and important subjects, l)ut as such they do not cover a necessary department in our consciousness. But this is entirely different with respect

In every human consciousness of higher development, or at least in the general consciousness of humanity, there is a vacant space, which can only be filled to the Eternal Being.

by the knowledge of the Eternal One. If, therefore, as was shown above, theology is to find its object only in the re-

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