Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 298

274

§ 60.

ECTYP^NX THEOLOGY

[Div. Ill

assumed a scientific form, even if b}' another effort of the mind than that from which at present the science of Theology is born. Theology as a science would then have proceeded immediately and of necessity from Theology as the personal and universal knowledge of God, and it would never have entered the mind of any one to understand by the name of Theology anything but that God-knowledge itself. Scientific Theology also would rigorously have maintained its The three above-mentioned character as knowledge of God. revelation, faith and the logical action factors are and ever will be with acquired Theology also, which develoj)S of itself into scientific Theology, the three constituent elements of ectypal Theology. Without revelation nothing is known; without /aiY/i there is no apprehension nor appropriation of that revelation and without the logical action, that which has been perceived cannot be transmuted into subjective knowledge of God. We, however, may not rest content with this supposition of a sinless development. The development is a sinful one, and all closer insight into the nature of Theology must And yQi we do not deem the therefore deal with this fact. exposition superfluous of the relation which would have arisen in the case of a sinless development. It is rather a

—

—

;

significant fault that in later theological studies this has

been too

much

neglected.

We

understand what darkness is Pathology assumes the

only from the antithesis of light.

knowledge of the normal body. And so too the sinful development of our race and of its world of thought, in relation to intervenient grace, can never be understood except

leave sin out of account.

He

the straight line understands the crooked line. deviation, I

negative or

we

first

only Avho has before his eyes

To

note a

must know where the right path runs. And the privative character of sin makes this also neces-

sary with the study of Theology. soteriological interpretation of

By

the too exclusively

Theology we have become

unaccustomed to this while the theologians, who avoided this danger, weakened the fact of sin, and so lost more or less the whole antithesis. Formerly, liowever, in the days ;

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