Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Reformation-Era Theology
- The Cambridge History of Reformation-Era Theology
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgments
- Contributors
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part One Theology in an Age of Cultural Transformation
- Part Two Schools and Emerging Cultures of Theology: Diversity and Conformity within Confessions
- Part Three Topics and Disciplines of Theology
- 21 Method and Ethos of Theological Instruction and Discourse
- 22 Biblical Theology
- 23 Systematic Theology
- 24 Controversial Theology
- 25 Sacramental and Liturgical Theology
- 26 Pastoral Theology and Preaching
- 27 Reformation Ethics and Moral Theology
- 28 Ecclesiastical Law in Early Modern Europe
- 29 Spirituality in the Reformation Era (1500–1675)
- 30 Catholic Christianity and Indigenous Religions in the Americas
- 31 Jesuit Catechisms in Japan and India
- 32 Theology in China ca. 1582–ca. 1688
- 33 Theology and Science
- 34 Theology and History
- 35 Theology, Politics, and Warfare
- 36 The Role of Art in the Theological Discourse of the Reformation
- Index
- References
21 - Method and Ethos of Theological Instruction and Discourse
from Part Three - Topics and Disciplines of Theology
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 September 2023
- The Cambridge History of Reformation-Era Theology
- The Cambridge History of Reformation-Era Theology
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgments
- Contributors
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part One Theology in an Age of Cultural Transformation
- Part Two Schools and Emerging Cultures of Theology: Diversity and Conformity within Confessions
- Part Three Topics and Disciplines of Theology
- 21 Method and Ethos of Theological Instruction and Discourse
- 22 Biblical Theology
- 23 Systematic Theology
- 24 Controversial Theology
- 25 Sacramental and Liturgical Theology
- 26 Pastoral Theology and Preaching
- 27 Reformation Ethics and Moral Theology
- 28 Ecclesiastical Law in Early Modern Europe
- 29 Spirituality in the Reformation Era (1500–1675)
- 30 Catholic Christianity and Indigenous Religions in the Americas
- 31 Jesuit Catechisms in Japan and India
- 32 Theology in China ca. 1582–ca. 1688
- 33 Theology and Science
- 34 Theology and History
- 35 Theology, Politics, and Warfare
- 36 The Role of Art in the Theological Discourse of the Reformation
- Index
- References
Summary
The quest for an appropriate method of acquiring and presenting true and sound knowledge was one of the most important factors driving the development of early modern science. That general philosophical motive had a religious counterpart, the quest for truth and certainty in matters of Christian faith. Because answering that question largely determined the course of early modern religious history, the search for proper method was a key priority for all confessions and branches of theology. Theology, however, was not simply an intellectual and methodologically disciplined activity. Rather, it was also constituted by theologians’ personal ethos. While prior to the Reformation that ethos may have been shaped mainly by celibate clerical lifestyles, whether in monastic and mendicant studia or in university settings, it was now determined, personally and institutionally, by a variety of methodological and sociological factors.
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- The Cambridge History of Reformation Era Theology , pp. 405 - 433Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023