In the search for the critical functions of theology, we can find a growing number of dilemmas, which come from the theology itself and from the modern knowledge about the world, which theology has to face, not only offering expected answers, but also formulating its own Christian doctrine proper for contemporary times and consistent with the Tradition of faith. The only way to present such a broad and difficult problem in a short paper is through a general perspective. The key to the systematization of the problem is by observing that the tasks of theology can be seen from four different perspectives, according to the distinction ad extra – ad intra. Astrong emphasis is put on the encounter between theology and science. The attempt to make predictions about the future is based on analysis of the contemporary situation in theology and on the extrapolation of existing trends for the near future.

Ecumenical Dimension of Theological Method

Summary

The article deals with the theme of the ecumenical dimension of theological method. Since the union of Christians should be based on looking for the fullness of Christian truth, each good theologian undertakes his work recognizing its ecumenical character. He is open to the Holy Spirit, the Bible, the voice of the Hierarchical Magisterium and the sense of the faithful. He wants to understand in a systematic and methodical way the common faith of all Christians. In consequence, to be a Christian theologian means to be ecumenical.

The aim of this article is to demonstrate the contribution of fundamental theology to meta- theological research. The main considerations are introduced by a brief presentation of the main stages of development of the theory of theology. This renders it possible to indicate at which moment fundamental theology enters the meta-theological research and to present the research in this area. The participation of fundamental theology in these investigations is presented in two parts: (1) fundamental theological research in the area of the general theory of theology and (2) in the area of the theory of fundamental theology. In both areas, fundamental theology has a good number of publications and significant substantive achievements. This is undoubtedly due to the inclusion of meta-theology by many fundamental theologians as being important subjects of their research. Important, too, is the acknowledgement that fundamental theology, more than other theological disciplines, is predestined to carry out this type of investigation.

The issue of tenderness has never been the major topic of moral theology. It is enough to have a quick look at the most popular dictionaries of moral theology to see the total absence, or only a marginal presence, of this issue both in the doctrinal teaching and the catalogue of virtues. The article presents specific 20th-century philosophical and theological attempts to tackle the issue of tenderness that were introductory to the theology of tenderness suggested by Pope Francis. The article presents different approaches to tenderness in Pope’s theology and its existing examples. Pope Francis seems to understand tenderness as a mode of existence and relations with other people that correlates with the mode of being a Christian in the world, because this is the way of showing God to the world. This way of life is characterized by empathic closeness, life focused on the gift of self, a real participation in the life of other people with their joys and sufferings, and, last but not least, paternal and maternal care. If we assume that the goal of moral theology is to show authentic human existence in specific places of human life, it has to be said that, following Pope Francis’ teaching, it is impossible to contribute to moral theology and ignore tenderness as the central virtue vital for living the Christian calling.

Conducting Mariology in context is one of the original elements of contemporary Polish theology. Its methodological and theological justification is through the mystery of the Triune God and not the constantly changing culture. Researching the image of God in Mariological doctrine is one manner of verifying theological hypotheses or conclusions. The image of Mary is dependent on the image of God. Whenever the history of salvation was perceived as the work of the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit, Mary was presented as a participant (or a recipient) and a witness of the activities of God. The more Divine Providence was valued, the more frequent was the encouragement to worship it as Mother of Jesus did in her Magnificat. Some theses from the analyzed sources are especially inspirational. We need to notice the invitations to reflect on the mediatorship of Jesus (per Jesum ad Mariam) and the Holy Spirit (per Spiritum ad Mariam) as well as reflect on the soteriological model of receptio.

In der wissenschaftlichen katholischen Dogmatiktheologie werden vier methodologische Haupttypen angewandt: historischer, positivistischer, systematischer (spekulativer) und personalistischer. Darüber hinaus treten zahlreiche fragmentarische oder reduktionistische Methoden auf: hermeneutische, narrative, kerygmatische, intuitive, linguistische, strukturalistische und andere. Die grundsätzlichen methodologische Typen streben danach, nicht nur die Glaubenssätze, sondern die gesamte religiöse Wirklichkeit zu erfassen.

Analiza badawcza periodyka „Duchowość w P olsce” pod kątem zawartych w nim aktualnych nurtów i perspektyw teologii duchowości w P olsce pozwoliła na wyciągnięcie następujących wniosków. Teologia duchowości, stanowiąca samodzielną uporządkowaną metodologicznie dyscyplinę naukową, ma duże znaczenie dla teologii, zwłaszcza gdy idzie o połączenie spekulatywnej i przeżyciowej strony życia duchowego człowieka. Ponadto skupia wokół siebie wiele wymiarów duchowości i dziedzin pokrewnych. Stanowi fundament dla duchowości kapłańskiej, małżeńskiej, zakonnej, laikatu. Jest punktem odniesienia dla mistyki, antropologii czy historii duchowości. Z tego też względu wymaga nieustannego doprecyzowywania metodologii nauk. Wśród aktualnych jej nurtów i perspektyw należy wymienić: personalistyczno-chrystologiczną koncepcję duchowości Jana Pawła II , stanowiącej paradygmat teologii duchowości w P olsce, oraz nurt chrystoformiczno-eklezjalny w służbie formacji do kapłaństwa i życia konsekrowanego. Do perspektyw natomiast należy udział teologii duchowości we właściwym sprecyzowaniu duchowości zrzeszeń chrześcijańskich i ruchów charyzmatycznych oraz ich miejsca i znaczenia we wspólnocie Kościoła.

The purpose of the article is to systematize the main issues related to the encounter of Christianity with Latin American cultures. The study is based on both Latin American theological publications and various documents of the Roman Catholic Church. In the first part the problem of Christianity’s encounter with cultures of this region from historic perspective is discussed by pointing out to its negative, ambiguous and positive aspects. The second part is devoted to classification of culture circles, significant from the point of view of evangelization and inculturation (cultures of urban agglomeration, rural regions, Indian and Afro-Latin American cultures, poverty, elites, cyber culture and popular culture). In the final section we paid attention to the issue of up-coming culture and its trends (modernism and postmodernism, secularism, socio-political ideologies, the role of mass media, the tensions between globalization process and appreciation of local traditions).

The organization of graduate and postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Theology of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw reveals the specificity of the theology in Warsaw. In the future, the Faculty of Theology should pay a special attention to the high level of the specialisations within the scope of the classical theology, but on the other hand should care about new specialisations, which should be more attractive.

Biblical studies, fundamental theology, dogmatic theology, moral theology are at the very heart of theology. It is necessary to foster doctoral and habilitation thesis in the field of these specialisations and to care for their high, world-class level. Considering the needs of the Church, the development of the liturgical studies and catechetical studies needs to be supported.

As far as future career opportunities for graduates of the Faculty of Theology are concerned, new specializations should be promoted, such as media education and journalism, theology of culture, tourism in biblical countries. A scientific reflection on the role of mass media and on the relations between theology and culture is also very important. Th ere should be place for vetera et nova at university, for the theology conceived in the traditional way and for attempts at practising theology in a new way.

The author of the article presents the arguments quoted by Benedict XVI in his speeches attesting that theology has a future. The future of theology is related to the future of faith since faith needs theology and theology needs faith. Faith, on the other hand, is a response to the longing for truth, goodness, and beauty inherent in human nature, which can only be found in God. The question about God is the key question which depends on the discovery of the meaning of life and the world. Theology along with philosophy – obviously not a positivistic one that resigns from the study of the transcendence of being – searches for the full truth about human being and maintains human sensitivity to the full truth. Theology, as a fully-fledged science among other sciences, indicates that scientific truth participates in the Divine Truth, originates from the same source, from Logos, whose work is creation. When nowadays the search for truth is abandoned or ignored, theology discovers the resulting threats to the European culture. Theology teaches about God who spoke to the people, and not about someone who would only be a postulation of human thought. Therefore, the primary task of theology is to penetrate the revealed Word. Thus, theology developed on the basis of the principles and norms resulting from the Revelation of faith has a future, and is not solely based on criteria and norms common within other sciences, or based on patterns taken from the humanities.

Der Autor antwortet auf die moderne Einwände gegen das Heimatrecht der Theologie in der Universitas litterarum (Peter Hünermann). Es geht um bleibende säkulare Anfragen, um pragmatische und postmodernistische Einwände und nicht zulezt um Bekenntnis- und Magisterium Ecclesiae-gebundenheit der Theologie.

Artykuł opisuje proces sekularyzacji na Malcie, który jest spowodowany przez wpływ kultury anglosaskiej, wrogiej Kościołowi katolickiemu, oraz wzrost dobrobytu. Odchodzenie od praktyk religijnych zaznacza się nade wszystko w życiu ludzi młodych i wyraża się w odrzucaniu doktryny moralnej Kościoła. Praktyka spowiedzi na Malcie jest kultywowana przez Kościół, ale wobec zanikania poczucia grzechu, staje się rzadsza i przeżywa kryzys. Artykuł opisuje inicjatywy duszpasterskie Kościoła na Malcie propagujące korzystanie z sakramentu pokuty. Do tych inicjatyw należą grupy duszpasterskie oraz zapewnianie możliwości spowiedzi w poszczególnych kościołach. Szczególnym okresem spowiedzi są dni poprzedzające święto Matki Bożej Bolesnej obchodzone w Wielkim Poście.

Numerous films, especially reinterpretations of the Gospel, can be read as loci theologici. Nevertheless, it’s important to recognize that the commercially motivated interest of filmmakers has its theological consequences: a resulting challenge is the catechetical use of apocryphal films in the pastoral praxis of the Church. The paper recalls main documents of the Church, relating to the cinema, stressing the absence of official teaching on the cinema in the last 20 years. Films, produced with commercial motivation, are often kitsch; it’s a result of tendencies to gain the possibly large audiences and to fulfill their expectations. An analysis of selected films (e.g. The Passion of the Christ and Son of God) indicates that the kitschy audiovisual apocrypha, superficial, emotional and lacking of authenticity, become a false filmic transformation of the message of the Bible. The paper postulates the need of constructing a theology of film: its object could be audiovisual texts, which extra-ecclesial theologies influence religious imagination and thinking of the viewers.

The methodology used in patrology - patristics results from its classification into purely theological disciplines. Before Vaticanum II the term patrology was used in a historical-philosophical sense, which led to perceiving patrology as a historical field of study. The study dealt with the old Christian writings from the chronological and literary point of view. This approach implied using research methodology typical of historical sciences. Since the Vatican Council II patrology has been considered a branch of theology and the name patristics has been used more often. Gradually its close association with dogmatics has been observed. The aim of patristics is to present theological thoughts of the Church Fathers. To achieve this objective a researcher has to carry out a thorough analysis of the Church Fathers’ writings by means of theological and literary criteria within the historical context. By resorting to the teaching of the Church Fathers patristics should show the development of theological thinking without identifying itself with Church history, the history of dogmas or ancient Christian literature.

Ecclesiologie fondamentale

Sommaire

L’auteur s’interroge dans cet article sur la gense, la nature et la structure méthodologique de l’ecclésiologie fondamentale. Il démontre que l’originalité de cette discipline théologique consiste en l’exploration de la conscience que l’Eglise a d’ellememe sous l’angle de la crédiblité. Cette exploration doit avoir un caractre rationnel et empirico-historique et non confessionnel-dogmatique ou confessionnel-apologetique. A la fin le pére Seweryniak consacre ses réflexions aux modes de l’argumentation dans l’ecclésiologie fondamentale (viae: paradoxae, notarum, historica, aujourd’hui encore: dialogica, communionis, ethica) et ses thmes principaux.

The pontificate of Pope Francis, both in documents and in practice, takes on a pastoral character, emphasizing the evangelizing dimension. The encyclical Veritatis gaudium likewise presents the educational and academic mission of the Church from the same perspective. This paper provides a presentation of the Pope’s postulates understood as a new paradigm for Church education, resulting from a new cultural and social context. Pope Francis’ project is set in the more than fifty-year perspective of the reforms introduced by the Second Vatican Council, in particular Sapientia christiana, the document which has been governing the activities of theological faculties since 1979. Four criteria that ecclesial studies should demonstrate are indicated: a) the Christocentric kerygma building the ecclesial community, with an option for the poor, b) encounter and dialogue, characterized by authentic interaction on the level of religions and cultures, c) inter- and transdisciplinarity, which provide a tool for linking the academic achievements of all disciplines in the perspective of the transcendent Christian revelation, d) integration of academic centers which practice ecclesiastical studies and their collaboration with institutions of different religious and cultural traditions, with a view to an adequate diagnosis of global world problems and their resolution.

The article presents a relation between a word and a picture against a background of art theology developing in Christianity. Such an assumption releases from the presentation of a selection of illustrations to biblical texts. Assumed deliberations have a form of an outline illustrated by the examples from the field of miniature painting and engraving, depicting in a literal sense a transformation of a word into a picture. The studies from the field of a word function in faith tradition created the whole theological and biblical literature. On the other hand analyses of the analo- gical role of a picture in Christianity are relatively new and only seldom are they conducted by theologians or art historians.

The title of the present dissertation constitutes a travesty of a sentence announced by St. John in the prologue of his Gospel: "And the Word was made flesh" (1:14). When John is talking about the Logos it means in our perspective a written word, that is the Revelation described in the Bible. Based on what St. Paul said in the Letter to the Romans (10:14-18) the expression: Fides ex auditu started to be used in theology. The question of the role of a picture in religion can be encapsulated in a paraphrase of this expression, as: Fides ex visu. Certain people in specific circumstances acquire faith through the sense of sight, through image.

The Prophets attributed to pictures magic forces and the power of influencing human souls. Therefore they pushed them into the field of magic and witchcraft, into the world of dark forces, using signs. According to their teaching a real cult does not need any material signs. A monotheistic religion wants to remain a religion based on reading and not watching „suspicious" pictures. Rejecting visual representations, the Old Testament favours verbal symbols. And not only has the image of a false godbecome the idol, but also a false image of the true God. The invisible God can be described, but not painted. Art is too weak to show the greatness of God. The undescribed God remained invisible. He made himself known to people only through the revealed word and depicting Him in paintings was forbidden because it was a threaten to the primary Plan of Salvation. In such an approach a word becomes a power and the rejected picture becomes weak because it is useless and even harmful. This was well expressed by Re'gis Debray, who wrote that art with its altars, paintings and figures was too heavy to be carried by the Jew, this eternal wanderer, on his way. Thus he took the book.

Despite strict bans we can find in the Old Testament statements containing human longing for watching God, either during the sleepas in the case of patriarch Jacob, or in a „face-to-face" meeting as Moses at Mount Sinai, or in a prophetic seeing as it was experienced e.g. by Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, or the other ones „seeing".

The situation changed in the New Testament, when the eternal Logos - the son of God became a man. It was possible to see God through the incarnate Word, as Jesus Christ became the most ideal icon of God. The incarnation gave a possibility of depicting the one that was so far Invisible. This can be contained in a sentence that „the Word was made a picture". The Mystery of the Incarnation was invoked by the iconodules at the Second Council of Nicea, in 787.

Christianity is a religion of a word and a picture, but Protestants are different from Catholics in their approach to pictures. Taking a doctrinal assumption on the sole primacy of a word (sola Scriptura), certain sections of the Reformation rejected a picture as a form of superstition. The specific character of Protestant art became the custom of placing citations from the Bible on paintings, or even placing the sole citations or the sentences of the Reformation in altar reredos.

The main aim of this article is to present necessary relations between the Bible (and biblical studies) - understood as a source of theology - and theology. At the beginning the author has shown a wide historical perspective of the main problem, which is changes in the ways of understanding the Bible and theology and relations between them. Than he has said about some modern ways of resolving this difficult problem, mostly from methodological perspective. He included also the reality of the Divine Revelation, the Church and her Tradition.

In his article, the author attempts at pointing out the initial conditions of inter-religious dialogue and the conditions under which it can be fruitful as a method of pursuing truth in Catholic theology. The initial conditions on the Christian part follow from the fact that dialogue is understood here as a form of love (agape), and from methodological assumptions of theology. On the one hand, what the author means is the capacity to witness to Christianity as a good in which all people should participate to the extent in which it is a gift of God. On the other hand, the author means humility with which the Church should perceive her historical limitations and weaknesses in receiving and expressing this gift. Such an attitude enables you to understand that the partner in dialogue may adopt a similar attitude to your own religion. The author emphasizes that although a symetry of initial assumptions of all the partners in dialogue is their natural desire, practically, the nature of a partner's distinctness may also comprise a distinct understanding of the aims and principles of dialogue. The least possible partner ship, according to the author, includes serious treatment of the partner and of the very issue of dialogue; it alsoincludes being representative and properly prepared along the principles of the given religion, readiness to listen and willingness to learn (at least to some extent) from the Christian partner. In the course of the dialogue, attention is given to sincerity and honesty in listening and presenting a subject, in asking and answering questions, and to the important role of the breaks between the meetings, necessary for ruminating and communicating the fruit of interreligious meetings at the forum of one's own theology, in the circle of one's fellow believers. Furthermore, the author points it out that - from the Christian point of view - we may expect results coming asa gift from God the depth of which supercedes what could result from learning truth from each other by the earthly partners of the dialogue. This possible gift brings about a human obligation to accept, express and share it with the brethren as suitablyas possible. One of the features of theology is unpredictability of its results. Application of interreligious dialogue as a method, and, especially the effects of its application are still, basically, an issue of the future of theology. However, one can mention some of them that can already be noted despite the scarcity of the initial steps made in this field so far: these include attempts at breaking stereotypes in thinking about other religions, questions asked with all seriousness about the role of other religions in God's plans for humanity, appreciation of ideas drawn upon from beyond Christianity, not only from the classical Greek philosophy.

W przeszłości zakładano w teologii całkowite zastąpienie Izraela na obecnym etapie Bożej ekonomii zbawczej przez Kościół Chrystusowy. Tymczasem współczesne nauczanie Magisterium coraz wyraźniej odrzuca takie założenie. Myślenie o Żydach w perspektywie religijnej nie zaczyna się teraz od pamięci zerwania, lecz od wyznania „duchowej więzi”, wspólnych korzeni, wspólnego dziedzictwa. Zgodnie z nauczaniem Kościoła aktualnie istniejąca wspólnota wyznawców judaizmu tak czerpie z dziedzictwa Starego Testamentu i tak je rozwija, że warto zalecić „obustronne poznanie się i poszanowanie”, wspólne studia biblijne i teologiczne, „braterskie rozmowy”. Nie wolno już w teologii, która chce być katolicka, konstruować obrazu Żyda według własnych wyobrażeń, lecz trzeba wysłuchać jego świadectwa o sobie i wierze i na tej podstawie próbować zrozumieć, wewnątrz własnej wiary, jego miejsce w planach Bożych. Na podstawie takich założeń artykuł próbuje przedstawić katolickiej teologii judaizmu pewne kierunki rozwiązań do przemyślenia i dyskusji.

Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Wrocław has inherited Leopoldinum Academy, which has been in existence since 15 November 1702, run by Jesuits and transformed into the University of Wrocław in 1811. Aft er the Second World War, the Department of Catholic Theology did not reappear at the University but started its independent existence, firstly at Priests’ Seminar as an Academic Theological Centre, and since 1974 as Pontifical Faculty of Theology, recognized by the Apostle’s Capital as the follower of the University of Wrocław. The Faculty conducts uniformed Master of Art studies and Doctorate studies. Moreover, it is in possession of the right to bestow habilitation. Th ere are 25 departments at the Faculty, which are grouped into 4 institutes, 33 independent University workers and 38 Assistant Professors lecture there. There are almost 1900 students studying in the daily system, extramural system, in PHD studies and post-graduate studies.

Lessing’s question about knowing God (the Absolute) in history has been a con-stant challenge for modern theology. The article collates views of Joseph Ratzinger and Walter Kasper on this subject. A clear difference was noticed: Kasper decidedly gives priority to history and revelation in it, whereas Ratzinger puts stress on the idea of the priority of God and in its light interprets revelation and history. Two different types of theology emerge here. They manifest themselves in different ways of present-ing Christology. The former originates from the historical witness to Jesus and on this basis strives to construct a coherent picture of the incarnated Son of God’s identity. The latter originates from – resulting from the Church’s faith – an assumption about the unity of the Scripture and presents in this light the witness of the Gospel to Jesus. A thesis is proposed that both types of theology need each other, although it is not possible to harmonize them.

Sulla metodologia di omiletica

Sommario

L’omiletica fa parte della teologia pratica. Essa ĺ una riflessione scientifica sulla predicazione della parola di Dio nella situazione d’oggi. L’omiletica viene suddivisa in fondamentale, materiale, formale e particolare. L’oggetto di studio omiletico sono: testi della Sacra Scrittura, documenti della Chiesa, testi teologici ed anche i testi delle omelie, prediche e conferenze, come anche, pi raramente, i dati dell’esperienza umana. I metodi della ricerca sono quelli applicati nelle scienze non teologiche; ále conclusioni derivati da questa ricerca hanno per sempre un carattere teologico.

The problem of mutual relations between philosophy and theology has been a challenge since Christian antiquity and disputes about the role of pagan philosophy in theological deliberations. In the Middle Ages, a model of creative cooperation between the two sciences was developed, but in modern times, as a result of the progressing processes of secularization, philosophy began to oppose theology. In contemporary times, the references of philosophical sciences to theology are not easy and escape unambiguousness. The article reflects on the contemporary relationship between philosophy and theology and asks what conditions must be met for a creative dialogue between the two sciences to take place. When does theology become interesting for a philosopher, and when is it a relic of its former glory, with nothing to offer it today? The analysis undertaken in the article contributes to the title problem, important both from the point of view of contemporary theology and humanistic culture.