Theological meaning of the Human Person paper

October 6, 2009

Theological Meaning of the Human Person







Luke R. Dyer
SY 511  Fall 2009
Foundations in Theology






Gabriel Scarfia, O.F.M, S.T.D
Christ the King Seminary

Introduction
What is a human person? “The human person, created in the image of God, is a being at once corporeal and spiritual. The biblical account expresses this reality in symbolic language when it affirms that 'then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.' (Gen 2:7) Man, whole and entire, is therefore willed by God.” (page 92-93, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.)
Human beings are created in the image of God. This is supported by Scripture in Genesis 1:27. “God created man in his image, in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.” (page 8, Senior) It is also supported by tradition. “As the witness of Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium makes clear, the truth that human beings are created in the image of God is at the heart of Christian revelation.” (paragraph 6, International Theological Commission)
Clearly the human person is created by God, in the image of God. This forms the foundation of the theological meaning of the human person.
Human persons have been given the gift of free will. God provides guidance in the form of conscience. "Deep within their consciences men and women discover a law which they have not laid upon themselves but which they must obey. Its voice, ever calling them to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, tells them inwardly at the right moment: do this, shun that. For they have in their hearts a law inscribed by God. Their dignity rests in observing this law, and by it they will be judged." (page 178, Flannery)



What do sources say about the theological meaning of the human person?
The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation makes it clear that all theology comes from Scripture and tradition. “Sacred theology relies on the written work of God, taken together with sacred tradition, as its permanent foundation.” (page 113, Flannery)
The Church teaches a particular order to be used in theology:
“The following order should be observed in dogmatic theology: Let biblical themes be treated first, then what the Fathers of the church (both east and west) have contributed to the faithful transmission and explanation of the revealed truths, followed by the later history of dogma, including its relation to the general history of the church. Then, in order to throw the fullest light possible on the mysteries of salvation, let them learn through speculation guided by St. Thomas to enter into them more deeply and see how they are interconnected, to recognize how they are present and active in liturgical celebration and in the whole life of the church. Let them also use the light of divine revelation in seeking the solution to human problems, to apply its eternal truths to the changing condition of human life, and to communicate these truths in a way the modern world can understand.” (page 376, Flannery)


The Church also teaches theology does not exist contrary to truth in other fields. “Theological research, while it deepens knowledge of revealed truth, should not lose contact with its own times, so that experts in various fields may be led to a deeper knowledge of the faith.” (page 240, Flannery)
Theology is not static. New discoveries and events create new questions for theologians to answer. “In fact, recent research and discoveries in the sciences, in history and philosophy bring up new problems which have an important bearing on life itself and demand new scrutiny by theologians.” (page 238, Flannery) Tradition is key to the development and change of theology. “... tradition, which presents the Word of God in contiunally new forms, suited to the changing cultures and conditions in which the Church finds itself.” (page 23, Dulles, Craft of Theology)
In the last century the questions of theology have shifted away from propositional to personal. They are not mutually exclusive. The theological meaning of the human person is evolving away from what is revealed towards who is revealed. “Talk of 'personal encounter' is not a way of vaporizing the essence of revelation into a set of indescribable experiences. The faith which arises in this encounter with the self revealing God talks about itself and what it now knows of God. St. Paul puts it this way: 'Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, “I believed and so I spoke,” we too believe, and so we speak' (2Cor 4:13).” (page 55, O'Collins)
Human beings are given free will and choice by God. “Blondel's conclusion that every man is carried forward by action to an important option in his life, which determines who he will be.” (Page 17, Baum) Human beings face the choice of accepting God and the reality of the transcendant, or denying spirituality and accepting a limited existence. This is supported by the definition of the human person in the introduction.
In the last fifty years theology has been evolving away from a bias toward doubt to a tendency toward faith. “This bias was understandable enough in the time of the religious wars, when fanatical overcommitment was a major threat to civic peace, but is a distinct liability in a time when moral and religious convictions have been thoroughly eroded by skepticism.” (page 5, 6, Dulles, Craft of Theology)
Modern theology is turning towards Scripture as source. This is a trend away from legalism and scholastic method. “In the Middle Ages and even more since the Reformation, Catholicism tended to become the church of law and sacraments rather thatn the church of the gospel and the word. …. Vatican II, especially in its Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum), recovered the primacy of Scripture as the word of God...” (page 5-6, Dulles, Church)
There is a trend toward ecumenism in the theology of the human person. Even though “the Catholic church has been endowed with all divinely revealed truth … Nor should we forget that anything wrought by the grace of the holy Spirit in the hearts or our separated brothers and sisters can contribute to our own edification. Whatever is truly christian is never contrary to what bring a more perfect realization of the very mystery of Christ and the church.” (page 506, Flannery)

Repeated themes and common positions

The assigned sources substantially agree on the concept that Scripture is critical to theological understanding. They all say that any answer to a theological question must be first grounded in Scripture. They also say that tradition is key to understanding theology as well.
The questions of theology change over time. As human understanding of nature and humanity change new questions arise. Old answers become incomplete because of new insights and discoveries. Theology must conform to experience to have meaning.
Another common understanding is that God is not subject to human limitations. Even though human beings are created in God's image, they can not understand the entire transcendence of God, only what God chooses to reveal.
Human beings have a choice. God reveals but does not compel belief. Scripture, tradition and theological writings all agree on this point.
Key Themes and Meaning
Human beings are created in the image of God. They are subject to limitations in the physical world that God is not. Humans have a need to understand and learn. God has given humans the gift of free will to allow them to study, understand and choose. This gift of choice has consequences, because it implies the possibility of choosing the wrong path.
The study of the theology of the human person requires understanding the physical world, the human person, God and how they interact. It has been going on for generations and will continue until the end of time.

Conclusion
Theology of the human person is a living, vibrant study. As human knowledge grows, understanding requires more study. The theological implications of nuclear weapons was inconceivable a thousand years ago, a hypothetical a century ago and a burning question fifty years ago and today. Likewise, the theological implications of the human genome project, with a shorter set of dates.
This study seems headed towards a goal of more fundamental universal understanding of the nature of God and human beings' place in the universe. The common reference to the works of Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King in Catholic classrooms makes it clear that fundamental theology is becoming a study of all people's understanding of God, not a set of mutually exclusive studies delineated by religious sects.
The theological understanding of the human person seems to becoming more universally understood and accepted. The key elements that are getting closer to agreement are that humans are created in the image of God, that God is not subject to human limitations, belief is a matter of choice, not compulsion, and that God is becoming understood as a benevolent God of love and understanding. There is a long way to go.




Bibliography and Discussion of Sources
Baum, Gregory, Man Becoming, New York, NY, Herder & Herder, 1971.

This is an assigned class text, believed to be reliable.

Dulles, Avery, “Vatican II Reform,” Church, Volume 1, Number 2, Summer 1985: 3-10

Dulles, Avery, The Craft of Theology, from Symbol to System, New Expanded Edition, New York, NY, Crossroad Publishing Company, 1992, 1995.

This is an assigned class textbook. It contains Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur from Catholic clergy and is believed to be reliable.

Flannery, Austin, O.P., editor, Vatican Council II, the Basic Sixteen Documents, Constitutions, Decrees, Declarations, a Completely Revised Translation in Inclusive Language, Northport, NY, Costello Publishing Company, 2007.

This is an assigned class textbook. It contains Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur from Catholic clergy and is believed to be reliable.

International Theological Commission, “COMMUNION AND STEWARDSHIP: Human Persons Created in the Image of God”, 2002, http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20040723_communion-stewardship_en.html accessed October 4, 2009

This is commission document, published on the Vatican web site. It was prepared by a sub commission of senior Church scholars, approved in forma specifica by written ballot of the full Commission and publication authorized by the then president of the Commission, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. It is believed to be reliable.

O'Collins, Gerald, Fundamental Theology, Eugene, OR, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2001.

This is an assigned class textbook, believed to be reliable.

Senior, Donald, Collins, John Joseph, Editors, The Catholic Study Bible, Second Edition, New American Bible, including the Revised New Testament and Psalms Translated from the Original Languages with Critical Use of All the Ancient Sources, New York, NY, Oxford University Press, 2006.

This is a Bible that is peer reviewed, academically prepared and with a Roman Catholic imprimatur, believed to be reliable.

United States Catholic Conference, Inc., Catechism of the Catholic Church, Washington, DC; United States Catholic Conference, Inc., 2007.

This is a publication of a national arm of the Catholic Church with a Roman Catholic imprimatur, believed to be reliable.