Catholic Roots for the Discipline

Francis X. Clooney

Jump to Content

Chapter 1 Catholic Roots for the Discipline

In: A Companion to Comparative Theology

Author:

Francis X. Clooney

Francis X. Clooney
Search for other papers by Francis X. Clooney in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed

Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 31–49

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004388390_003

Purchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):

€42.00€35.00 excl. VAT

Add to Cart

Redeem Access Token

Abstract

Comparative theology is a growing field within Christian theology and there are analogues to it in other theological traditions as well. As such, it is indebted to multiple sources and belongs to none exclusively. But in its currently form it is notably and richly rooted in the Roman Catholic tradition which, despite its limitations, has always balanced being-Catholic with a wider catholicity, ever finding a home for the faith in new languages and cultures. Catholic engagement with other religions proceeds with confidence in rationality, in adherence to the principle of the presence of God in all things, and by way of a sacramental imagination and skill in intuitive rapprochement, even when engaging traditions which, at first glance, are very different from the Catholic. This grounded catholicity serves as roots for comparative theology, not just at the beginnings of Catholic interreligious encounters, but as a key dimension of its current interreligious engagements. The great innovators of the missionary era after 1500 CE are famed for their energetic engagement with cultures across the world, an engagement that manifested Catholic adaptive practices operative since the beginnings of Christianity. In the twentieth century and particularly after Vatican II, Catholic engagement with other religions has been marked even more vigorously by a disposition toward inclusion, the affirmation of whatever is good and holy in other traditions, attention to the particular and, despite prudent doctrinal hesitations, a willingness to experiment and discover incrementally the meeting points among traditions. Such dispositions, old and now new, form a particular and distinctive lineage for today’s comparative theology.

Citation Info

Save
Cite
Email this content

Share link with colleague or librarian

You can email a link to this page to a colleague or librarian:
Email this content
or copy the link directly:

https://brill.edhh.ma/abstract/book/9789004388390/BP000010.xml
The link was not copied. Your current browser may not support copying via this button.

Link copied successfully

Collapse
Expand

A Companion to Comparative Theology

Series: Brill's Companions to Modern Theology, Volume: 2

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004388390

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 28 Jul 2022

Subjects

Front Matter

Part 1 Comparative Theology before 1985

Part 2 Judaism

Part 3 Islam

Part 4 Hinduism

Part 5 Buddhism

Part 6 Chinese Religion

Part 7 New Perspectives in Comparative Theology

Back Matter

Metrics

	All Time	Past 365 days	Past 30 Days
Abstract Views	1891	526	77
Full Text Views	42	5	0
PDF Views & Downloads	62	7	1

African Studies	Education	Media Studies
American Studies	History	Middle East and Islamic Studies
Ancient Near East and Egypt	Human Rights and Humanitarian Law	Musicology
Art History	International Law	Philosophy
Asian Studies	International Relations	Religious Studies
Biblical Studies	Jewish Studies	Slavic and Eurasian Studies
Biology	Languages and Linguistics	Social Sciences
Book History and Cartography	Life Sciences	Theology and World Christianity
Classical Studies	Literature and Cultural Studies

Subjects

Authors

Open Access

Product Information

Company

Contact

Chapter 1 Catholic Roots for the Discipline

Abstract

Citation Info

Share link with colleague or librarian

A Companion to Comparative Theology

Table of Contents

Metrics

Metrics