Notes covering the H573/03 Developments in Christian Thought topic of Christian Moral Principles, with explanation and notes covering all the necessary content for the exams.
Key Words:
o Theonomous – governed by God, or subject to his authority.
o Biblicism – the belief that the bible is the revealed word of God.
o Heteronomous – ethics are governed by several sources of authority or law.
o Autonomous – ethics are self-governed, e.g., by law or rule.
The Bible:
o Written in many different languages, meaning it was necessary to translate it from
its original tongue. For years it only existed in Latin and its original languages.
o Since the 13th-14th Century the Bible has been translated into more languages,
although the Church was originally unhappy with this.
The problem with translation:
o Approaches to translation:
Formal Equivalence – a type of translation that is “word-for-word,” or literal
translation.
Dynamic Equivalence / Functional Equivalence – a “thought-for-thought”
translation. The translation has the same effect on the modern reader as it
did on the original intended audience.
The Bible as a moral source:
The Bible is not one type of text. It is made up of many different books with many distinctive
styles and aims. Some books are straightforward rules, others are parables and others are
simple stories or poetry. The purpose and morals of some texts is vague.
The Old Testament in particular presents characters of dubious morals without apparent
judgement in the text.
Catholic – the Bible, tradition, Magisterium, and reason.
Protestant – the Bible, tradition, and reason.
Approach 1 – Sola Scriptura:
o This is the view that the Bible alone provides the rules that all humans should live
by. It is the literal Word of God and morality is based on obedience to the clear
commands of God.
Approach 2 (Part 1) – Protestant:
o It is vital to recognise that the Church “created” the Bible. Some books were
included, some books were omitted from the canon.
o The Protestant traditions recognises the importance of the Bible, Tradition, and
Reason to make moral decisions.
Approach 2 (Part 2) – Sacred Tradition:
o In the Catholic Church tradition is a separate stream of moral guidance. This is an
oral tradition handed down from Jesus to his Apostles and followers. This tradition is
embodied in the Papacy which they link to the Apostle Peter.
o There is one source and one inspiration the two streams cannot contradict.
Approach 3 – Agape:
o This is Bible inspired but does not focus on rules.
o Jesus’s only command was to love, and human reason must decide best how to do
that (think Situation Ethics).
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