Formalization of a set of beliefs expressed in one language consists in translating them into sentences of another language. The characteristic property of a good formalization is that the target language is correctly chosen and the translations precisely reflect the meaning of the original sentences. In the paper a formalization of ontology of situations (given by Professor Bogusław Wolniewicz) is discussed. I argue that this is an example of a perfect solution of the problem.

A Contribution to the Methodology of Integral Ecclesiology

Summary

In the entire field of theological sciences, especially after the Second Vatican Council, many essential changes have taken place which relate not only to their meritorical aspect, but even more to methodology. A need of new precision and polishing up is particularly obvious in the tract on the Church.

The above article presents a few considerations relating to the methodology of integral ecclesiology, i.e. that which brings together the entirety of contemporary achievements of science about the Church accomplished by apologetics, fundamental and dogmatic theology. This challenge naturally exceeds the framework of this elaboration because each of these three fields has its own aim, subject and method within its own autonomy. Nevertheless, an undertaking of a scientifical reflection in this respect may bear fruit in a more accurate, i.e. more complete, picture of the reality of the Church which is a divine-human mysterium.

Presently integral ecclesiology, thanks to the pluralistically developing fundamental as well as dogmatic theology which express the mystery of the Church in the historico-salvific, semiotic, personalistic, transcendental-anthropological, symbolical or immanent perspective, applies two kinds of methods: of the subjective and of the objective type.

The contemporary turn towards man caused more attention to be given to the methods of the subjective type. Therefore the input of many theologians in the development of the psychologico-existential, transcendental and personalistic methods must be noted with acknowledgements. The analysis of Christianity in its ecclesial reality, in the aspect of man and his needs, led to the discovery of some aspects of the Church not so well exposed until now.

Nevertheless, objections towards methods of the subjective type referring to their lack of satisfactory objectivization and successfullness in justification of the credibility of revelation are raised. Such critical voices are most often raised by representatives of methods of the objective type. Customarily put forward among the methods of the objective type are the historico-synthetical, ecclesiologicoanalytical and historico-salvific methods.

The methods mentioned above (subjective and objective) are unfortunately expressed rather one-sidedly. It seems that a holistic approach to the mystery of the Church from the methodological position is still missing in them. It is also necessary to be able to perceive the inadequacy of any methodology, also in those attempts to create a methodology for integral theology declared by us. Every ecclesiological method which we would announce, even within the framework of total ecclesiology, also will not be void of deficiencies. The investigator himself, in order for him to advance in the construction of his method, already in the beginning faces a few important choices, which will determine his further work. He must not only accept one of the conceptions of the Church, but also describe the aim and tasks of his way of doing theology. In this last regard a wide optionality for the method of synthetical ecclesiology appears as well.