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The Rehabilitation of Truth in Theology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2009

Robert J. Palma
Affiliation:
Hope College, Halland Michigan 49423, U.S.A.

Extract

In introducing his Dynamics of Faith, Paul Tillich speaks of ‘faith’ as one of those terms in religious language ‘which need healing before they can be used for the healing of men’. ‘Truth’ is another term that is in need of healing. Of course, it must be said that the critical reforming and refining of terms and their senses should be a perennial theological task. It can be said that we have witnessed in the twentieth century a cornucopia of linguistic analysis. However, much of this analysis has been less than productive, a fact due in part to highly restricted notions of meaning and verification. A deficiency in analysis is evident in what J. L. Austin has to say about ‘truth’:

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Scottish Journal of Theology Ltd 1975

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References

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page 208 note 1 However, it must be noted that in the biblical text ‘truth’ signifies God in his steadfastness, faithfulness, etc., whereas ‘summa veritas’ in medieval theology signifies God more in terms of his immutable, eternal, and perfect being; it must not be thought that ‘truth’ is used univocally even though it refers to God in both instances or areas of usage.

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page 214 note 1 cf. St. Anselm's De Ver., 2, 3 and Grosseteste's De Ver.; both do use prepositional truth as a point of departure because it was a popular conception of truth.

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page 224 note 5 De Ver., BW, 135.

page 225 note 1 Anselm, De Ver., 11, AO, 1:191; Grosseteste, De Ver., BW, 135.

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page 225 note 3 Mon., 7; Cur Deus Homo, 1.1, 12, 13, and especially 1.15.

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