2.Faith and Revelation

8/18/2019 2.Faith and Revelation

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2.Faith and Revelation – Rayan Lobo, SJ 1

Thesis- 2Faith and Revelation

The Catholic Church has articulated its doctrine of Christian God experience as Trinitarian (DV 2;

Eph 2:18) It originates in the historical event of Jesus the Christ (Heb 1:1-2; Jn 1:1-18; Jn 14:9)

who is the fullness of revelations (DV 2) The “obedience of faith is a personal and free entrusting

of one’s whole self to God (DV 5; Rom 16:26) The Church keeps alive, transmits and celebrated

the Revelation through scripture and Tradition and magisterial teaching (DV 8, 10)

The thesis places upfront the fact that one Christian experience of God is – God as a

Trinitarian God. The origin of this experience is in Jesus Christ who is the fullness of revelation.

We humans are called to respond in faith to this revealing God. And the thesis also explains how

the church keeps this revelation alive, and passes it on to future generations I would like to begin

with a title’

Historical background

At the time of Vatican I the church found itself facing 2 contradictory theories concerning the

theology of revelation. 1. Rationalism 2. Fideism

1. Rationalism: gave the pride of place to reason and logic and enquiry over and above the

experience of God. For rationalists, revealed religion was a (Philosophical impossibility)

2. Fideism: maintained that Faith is independent of reason. Fideists said that reason along (without

supernatural revelation) cannot help us really know God.

So Vatican I addressed the issues of 1. Natural revelation (Rom 1:20) and 2. Supernatural

revelation (Heb 1:1-2)

Vatican II at the time of Vat II the context was a little different. Many bishops were unhappy about

the way the idea of Christian revelation was framed in Dei Filius. They felt it had the coloring of

that time. They felt that revelation should no longer be explained mainly in terms of its relation to

reason. As including transcendent mysteries more personalistic.. more the idea of mystery.. which

at the same time are open to rational arguments for the sake of credibility. Therefore the CatholicChurch has articulated her teaching on revelation in 2 councilor documents 1. Dogmatic

constitution on Catholic Faith, Dei Filius (1870, Vat I)

2. Dogmatic constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum (1965, Vat II)

God Experience: The encounter with the divine is what we call religious experience. It consists of

divine initiative (revelation) and human response (faith). People have understood and articulated their

religious experience in different ways and forms conditioned by the place, culture and circumstances.

Thus we have several religious traditions with specific identity of their own, built on the religiousexperience as their common identity.


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1. The Catholic Church has articulated its doctrine of Christian God experience as

Trinitarian (DV2, Eph 2:18)

WE Christians understand God as Trinity, The Father and The Son and The Holy Spirit,

3 persons in 1 God.

DV 2 tells us that God in his goodness and wisdom chose to reveal himself and made

known the mystery of his will (paraphrased). (Eph 1:9) he has made known to us the

mystery of his will. Therefore the choice and the initiative was purely Gods.

Further DV2 says that his will was that all people should have access to the Father

through Christ in the Holy Spirit and thus become sharers in his divine nature. (2pet 1:4

share in God’s nature) here DV is making a reference to Eph 2:18 which says, “For

through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father” therefore DV2 us

emphasizing the self-communication of a Trinitarian God.

2. It originates in the historical event of Jesus the Christ (Heb 1:1-2; Jn 1:1-18; Jn 14:9) who

is the fullness of revelations (DV 2)

The origin of this experience of a Trinitarian God takes place at a significant and specific

moment in history - the incarnation the Christ event.. When the Word became flesh.

Revelation: means a “removing of the veil” or “disclosure” happened through a gradual

process in history. It happened in a way human beings could experience God in tangible

ways, in ways understandable to them. Therefore revelation is a historical revelation – God revealed himself in history in creation

(after the fall God promised redemption) God revealed himself to Abraham to Moses to the

prophets, in the event of the Exodus, as liberator of Israel..

Pope Francis said recently article consecrated life, ours is not a lab faith but a historical

faith; a journey faith.. Because God revealed himself as history not as an abstract truth.

And as DV4 and Heb 1:1-2 will say after God had spoken many times and in various ways

through the prophets, in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son. Therefore as DV2 puts it – the most intimate truth which this revelation gives us about God

shines forth in Jesus Christ. Therefore Jesus is both the mediator and the Sum total of

Revelation. DV2 He is the fullness of revelation.

Jn 1:1-18 says no one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son who has made him known.

Therefore this text clearly shows the Trinity understanding of God as revealed by Jesus.

Jn 14:9 Jesus tells Philippians “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”

Therefore we see that Jesus brings revelation to its perfect and fullness, Through his words,


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Signs, and deeds and Most importantly by his death and resurrection and By sending us the Holy Spirit.

All that had to be revealed has been revealed in Jesus. This revelation of God now calls for a

response

3. The “obedience of faith” is a personal and free entrusting of one’s whole self to God (DV 5;

Rom 16; 26)

In this section we talk about what is our human response to this God who reveals? The God’s revelation and Human response always go in hand and hand. Rom 16:26 talks

about the obedience of faith………….. the answer is we respond through the obedience of

faith. And such a response is made possible because of grace and because of the presence

of the Holy Spirit.

Faith is nothing but a free, personal and total surrender of intellect and will into the

hands of one who reveals. (DV5)

And DV5 will say the obedience of faith is nothing but a willful assent to the revelation

given by God. Our faith is activated and inspired by the Holy Spirit so that we may better

enter into this mysterious revelation of God.

Therefore revelation and faith go hand in hand. The next question is how does the Church

keep alive this revelation?

4. The Church keeps alive, transmits and celebrated the Revelation through scripture and

Tradition and magisterial teaching (DV 8, 10)

We’ve received in Jesus the fullness of revelation, alright but the Church’s concern is to

hand down or pass on the future generations, the original inspiration and the central tenets

of the gospel message.

It does this through the 3 tools 1. Scripture 2. Tradition 3. Magisterial teachings therefore

the Christian revelation which originated in the Christ event is passed on through these 3.

A. Tradition : DV8 will tell us that what the apostles experienced and expressed (in a special way in the

inspired books, i.e. Scripture) was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession till the

end of time.


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In other words, the original deposit of faith which began in then original experience of

Jesus Christ, was to be faithfully maintained and passed on, so that successive generations

would share in the same heritage and be linked to the original experience of the Apostles.

This Church Tradition is passed on in various ways: Scripture itself, the liturgies, creeds,

writings of the early fathers, religious practices teachings of the bishops (who are in

succession) the Bible/Scripture though it holds a (unique place) among these (remains a

part) of Christ traditions.

B. Scripture : DV9 will say “Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing, under the

breath of the Holy Spirit.”

It is the sacred writings of the community’s core experience of God. It is the theological

articulations of the revelation of the original community of faith.

DV10 says scripture and tradition go hand in hand. They together make up a single sacred

deposit of the Word of God . Together, they transmit the ‘will of God’ and ‘message of

salvation’ in its entity.

Luther on position Sola Scripture…………… Trent says Both Scripture and Tradition must

be accepted and honored with equal feelings of devotion and reverence.

C. Magisterial Teaching : DV 10 states clearly that the task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God,

whether in its written form or in the form of tradition has been entrusted to the living

(teaching office) of the church alone.

Therefore the Magisterium has its authority from Christ. It has the authority to authentically

interpret. It’s no t above the world of God but is its servant.

Please Note: This thesis is basically worked out by Learoy Rodriguez, SJ. I have just used it as itis.

2.Faith and Revelation

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