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Existence of God (The Doctrino-Historical Survey)
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장부영
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2008-04-01 04:47:46, 조회 : 2,946 |
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Existence of God (The Doctrino-Historical Survey)
The Doctrino-Historical Survey
What is the Christian position about the innate idea of God? Hence we must distinguish the Christian concept from the philosophical concept of the innate idea of God. In fact, it is impossible for us to explain the idea of God without understanding the nature of the revelations of God in the Bible. In other words, it is necessary to understand the special revelation and general revelation, and the correlationship between the two.
When we don't understand the correlationship between these two, the various problems occur. The history of the Christian doctrine has explained these problems in many ways. The radical liberalists have tried to explain these problems depending upon the rational autonomy, otherwise, the extreme conservatives upon the mystical faith. All these people must be biased to one side.
But, even if the Christian theology had accepted the premise that can instinctively know the truth in disregard of the special revelation, it had never accepted the innate idea of God. Nevertheless, some theologians asserted that this theory of innate idea of God agrees with the thought of the Fathers in the first century.
Herman Bavink said that there is something right in this opinion, but it does not agreed with the Father's opinion. Justine said that even though it can be known by the instinct (emputos), he did not explain its concrete concept.
Irenius admitted that man has that which is known about God in contrary to the Gnosticism, but had never referred to the innate idea (cognitio innate) of God.
Clement of Alexandria, the Father, insisted that even though man never learned, he can instinctively know the theistic idea of God by looking into the work of God (emputos kai adiaklitos). He also insisted that the idea of God had often been discovered in the pagan writers because the Greek writers had introduced it from the Hebrew literatures (Stromata V.xiv; 1,202; Church History vol. II).
Tertullian said that God has testimonied Himself to be God by the fact that He was known to all nations unless they learn it from Moses or the prophets (Aplogeticus 17). He insisted that it is irresistible learning of human soul toward God, because God will never be hidden, never fail mankind; recognized, perceived, and seen (Schaff, 1979, 539).
The sense of God is the original dowry of the soul; the same, and no other, in Egypt, in Syria, and in Potus (Schaff, 1979, 539). Furthermore, he also insisted that this soul is instinctively Christian (1, 202).
Augustine, once had deviated toward a heretic, having been influenced from Greek philosophy (Plato) for nine years, but he defended the principle of religious persecution, on a false exegesis of Cogite eos intrare, Luke 14:23 (Schaff, 1979, 515).
He had once emphasized the more internal truth of contemplation than external impulse of sense. He also insisted that there is almost the same facts as Christian theology in the pagan theology like the Greek philosophy, if its expressive way has been changed to that of Christian theology (De Civilate IV. xxiv-xxxi; VII. vi).
But he said that there is the "visio dei" only in the heaven, and only "cognitio vespertina" in the earth.
Mysticists insisted that they could directly see God because of having had the eyes of contemplation (oculus contemplationis) as well as the sensual eye (oculus carnis) and the carnal eye (oculus rationis)
Most theologians of the Middle ages rejected the innate idea of God.
Martin Luther disregards the reason of man and the innate idea of God having emphasized the grace and the Holy Spirit of God against the Scholar theology.
Melanchton recognized the a priori knowledge (cognitio insita) and a posteriori knowledge (cognitio aquisita) at the same time.
But the Christian theologians had identically denied the Cartecius a priori innate idea and the inner light of mysticists.
Reformed theologians, at first, had been interested in the natural theology, but later overwhelmed it on the basis of the special revelation of God in the Bible.
John Calvin had also recognized that the innate idea of God did not fade from the memory of man, and he called this idea the "seed of religion." He stated this as follows:
There is, as the eminent pagan says, no nation so barbarious, no people so savage, that they have not a deep-seated conviction that there is a God. And they who in other aspects of life seem least to differ from brutes still continue to retain some seed of Religion. So deeply does the common conception occupy the minds of all, so tenaciously does it inhere in the hearts of all!
Therefore, since from the beginning of the world there had been no region, no city, in short, no household, that could do without religion, there lies in this a tacit confession of sense of deity inscribed in the hearts of all. (Calvin, ed. John T. McNeill. trans. Ford Lewis Ballie, 1967, 44)
The philosophical innate idea of God began to be revived by the Descartes, and having passed over Leibnitz and Volff to the contemporary theology. And again it has effected on the contemporary theology to be indulged in the thought of the rationalistic autonomy.
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선교운동소개
신학 