Criticism of Theological Reason

In the ongoing quest for Christian unity, theological controversies and confessional divisions continue to bar the way. In this work, Fernando Canale attempts to overcome Christianity's theological disagreements by placing theological reason-which unwittingly drives these contentions-under critical investigation. In A Criticism of Theological Reason Canale proposes that theology should undertake this investigation independently from previous philosophical interpretations of reason....
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In the ongoing quest for Christian unity, theological controversies and confessional divisions continue to bar the way. In this work, Fernando Canale attempts to overcome Christianity's theological disagreements by placing theological reason-which unwittingly drives these contentions-under critical investigation. In A Criticism of Theological Reason Canale proposes that theology should undertake this investigation independently from previous philosophical interpretations of reason. Thus, a Criticism of Theological Reason requires a careful examination of (1) the phenomenological structure of reason, (2) its presuppositional conditions, and (3) the interpretation of Being as either time or timelessness, within the philosophical, theological, and biblical contexts.The philosophical context clarifies the function of reason in the construction of meaning and the role of the interpretations of Being in the functioning of reason. The theological context illustrates the way in which the classical and modern philosophical interpretations of reason have shaped the constitution of theological meanings (exegesis, creeds, and dogmatics). Finally, through an epistemological analysis of Exodus 3:14, Canale shows that the biblical interpretation of Being provides the necessary ground to free Christian theology from the philosophically originated Onto-theo-logical interpretations of reason replacing it with a biblically originated Theo-onto-logical interpretation of theological reason. Canale hopes that a clearer understanding of reason's workings in theological discourse-particularly the biblical interpretation of Being and reason-will help Christians surmount current theological controversies and foment the ultimate ecumenical goal of Christian unity.