simon malmenvall salvation history in fides et ratio theological … · 2018. 10. 24. ·...

387387387Izvirniznanstveničlanek(1.01)Bogoslovni vestnik78(2018)2,387—400UDK:272-732.2-28427-185.53:27-675:930Besediloprejeto:5/2018;sprejeto:5/2018

Simon MalmenvallSalvation History in Fides et Ratio: Theological (Ecumenical) and Historiographical Implications

Abstract:ThespiritualinterpretationofthelocalandworldhistoryassalvationhistoryrepresentsageneralfeatureoftheentireChristiantheologicaltradition,EasternandWesternalike.TheconceptofsalvationhistorycanalsobefoundintheencyclicalletterFides et Ratio(1998)writtentwentyyearsagobyJohnPaul II. In Fides et RatiotheconceptofsalvationhistoryandtheimportanceofthecategoryoftimeisemphasizedasoneofthecrucialfeaturesoftheChri-stianfaith’sself-understanding,especiallyregardingtheDivineRevelationanditsrelationtoreason.Theaimofthisarticle–inlinewiththeencyclical’stho-ughts–istoshowthattheinterpretationofhistoryassalvationhistoryrepre-sentsafaith-basedcontextualizationof»empirical«(»objective«)history,thusnotneglecting,butrathercomplementing,themethodsofsecular(postmo-dern)historiography.Theauthorofthisarticleadvocatesthefollowingthesis:salvationhistorynotonlyopensthepossibilitiesofcooperationbetweenfaith(theology)andreason(historiography),butalso,andevenmore,duetoitsChristianuniversality,enablestheconnectionwiththe(Catholic)Church’sownintellectualheritageandfosterstheecumenicaldialogue.Inthisregard,aspe-cialattentionisgiventotheSwissCatholictheologianHansUrsvonBalthasar(1905–1988)andtheRussianEastOrthodoxtheologianandhistorianGeorgesFlorovsky(1893–1979).

Key words: faith, reason, Fides et Ratio,salvationhistory,ecumenism,historiography

Povzetek: Zgodovina odrešenja v Fides et Ratio: Teološke (ekumenske) in zgodo-vinopisne implikacijeDuhovnainterpretacijakrajevnozamejeneinsvetovnezgodovinekotzgodovi-neodrešenjapredstavljasplošnoznačilnostcelotnegakrščanskegateološkegaizročila,takovzhodnegakakortudizahodnega.KonceptzgodovineodrešenjajemogočezasledititudivenciklikiFides et Ratio(Vera in razum)(1998),kijojepreddvajsetimiletinapisalJanezPavelII.Fides et Ratio koncept zgodovine odrešenjainpomembnostkategoriječasapoudarjakotenoizmedključnihznačilnostisamorazumevanjakrščanskevere,zlastigledebožjegarazodetjainnjegovegaodnosadorazuma.Ciljtegačlanka–zasledujočmiselnitokenciklike

388 Bogoslovni vestnik 78 (2018) • 2

–jepokazati,dainterpretacijazgodovinekotzgodovineodrešenjapredstavljakontekstualizacijo»empirične«(»objektivne«)zgodovinenatemeljuvere,kitakonezanemarja,temvečdopolnjujemetodesekularnega(postmodernega)zgodovinopisja.Avtorčlankazagovarjanaslednjestališče:zgodovinaodrešenjaneodpirazgoljmožnostisodelovanjamedvero(teologijo)inrazumom(zgodo-vinopisjem),temvečtudiinšebolj–zaradisvojekrščanskeuniverzalnosti–omogočapovezanosts(katoliški)Cerkvilastnointelektualnodediščinoterspod-bujaekumenskidialog.vtempogledustaposebnepozornostideležnašvicarskikatoliškiteologHansUrsvonBalthasar(1905–1988)terruskipravoslavniteo-loginzgodovinarGeorgijFlorovski(1893–1979).

Ključne besede:vera,razum,Fides et Ratio,zgodovinaodrešenja,ekumenizem,zgodovinopisje

1. IntroductionThespiritualinterpretationofthelocalandworldhistoryassalvationhistory–i.e.inthelightofDivineProvidenceand»encounter«betweenGodandman–repre-sentsageneral,almostuniversalfeatureoftheentireChristiantheologicaltradi-tion,EasternandWesternalike,extendingfromtheLateAntiquityuptothetwen-tiethcentury(Malmenvall2017a,69).TheconceptofsalvationhistorycanalsobefoundintheencyclicalletterFides et Ratio(1998)writtenbythepope(nowsaint)JohnPaulII.1 In Fides et Ratiotheconceptofsalvationhistoryandtheim-portanceofthecategoryoftimeisemphasizedasoneofthecrucialfeaturesoftheChristianfaith’sself-understanding,especiallyregardingtheDivineRevelationanditsrelationtoreason.Thisconnectionismostevidentlyemphasizedinthefirstchapter(titledTheDisclosureofDivineWisdom,paragraphs7–15)ofthedocument(HemmingandParsons2002,14–29).Theaimofthisarticle–inlinewiththeencyclical’sthoughts–istoshowthattheinterpretationofhistoryassalvationhistoryrepresentsafaith-basedcontextualizationof»empirical«(»objective«)history,thus,notneglecting(butrathercomplementing)neitherthecontingenceofspecifichistoricalcircumstancesnorthemethodsofsecular(post-modern)historiography.AlthoughJohnPaulII–primarilyconcernedwithphilo-sophyandhimselfaformerprofessorofthisdiscipline–doesnotdirectlymenti-ontherelationshipbetweenfaithandreasoninthefieldofhistoriographyasascienceinitspostmodernforms,thisissuecanbeaddressedregardingthemoregeneralcontextoftheencyclicalletter.Therefore,theauthorofthisarticleadvo-catesthefollowingthesis:salvationhistorynotonlyopensthepossibilitiesofcooperationbetweenfaithinthefieldoftheologyandreasoninthefieldofhi-storiography,butalso,andevenmore,duetoitsChristianuniversality,enablestheconnectionwiththe(Catholic)Church'sownintellectualheritageandfosters

1 ThetextofthisencyclicalletteriscitedfromitsLatin-EnglishcriticaleditionwitharevisedEnglishtranslationeditedbyLaurenceP.HemmingandSusanF.Parsons(2002).

389389Simon Malmenvall - Salvation History in Fides et Ratio...

theecumenicaldialogue.Inthisregard,aspecialattentionisgiventotheSwissCatholictheologianHansUrsvonBalthasar(1905–1988)2 and the Russian East OrthodoxtheologianandhistorianGeorgesvasilevichFlorovsky(1893–1979).3 Consequently,theambitionofthisarticleisnottoofferafinalorall-encompas-singcoverageofthesubject(s)discussed,buttofosterdialoguebetweentheolo-gyandhistoriographyinthecontextofthephenomenoncalledsalvationhistory.

2. Salvation history as a general feature of the Christian theological tradition

TheconceptofhistoryassalvationhistorytracesitsoriginsbacktotheBiblicalexegesisandtheologyofhistoryintheLateAntiquityPatristicperiodwhichinter-pretedthelocalandglobalhistoricalprocessesreferringtothe»DivineProviden-ce«and»economy/oikonomia«,namelyinthelightofthecareofalovingGodforthemankind(Špidlík1986,6–9;157;GrantandTracy2000,71–79;Averincev2005,125–130;Malmenvall2017a,68).Inthiscontext,amongtheearliestEastChristianauthorstheBiblicalexegeteandtheologianOriginsfromthethirdcen-tury(2013,280–281;285–287;315–317),aswellastheBiblicalexegeteandhi-storianEusebiusofCaesareafromthefirsthalfofthefourthcenturyareworthmentioning(Maier2007,9–13;16;333;CameronandHall1999,2;47;Averincev2005,132–133).AmongtheclassicalWesternauthors,AugustinofHippofromtheendofthefourthandbeginningofthefifthcenturycannotbeomitted(Mo-reschini2004,456–457;O'Daly2004,v;27;29–30;35–37;39).

variousChristianauthorsfromtheLateAntiquityuptothetwentiethcentury,characterizedbytheirspiritualinterpretationofhistoryassalvationhistory,sharesomecrucialsimilarities.AllofthemrecognizeGodastheLordtowhomtheen-tirehistorybelongs.Furthermore,Godisrecognizedassomeone»entering«intohistoryoftheworldbecauseofhislovingcareforthemankindinordertosaveitfromthecaptivityofsinandprovideitwiththe»fullnessoflife«.Accordingtotheirnotion,thehistoryasawholeisastageof»encounter«betweenGodandman.Inadditiontothat,theworldhistoryconsistsofthreecrucialeventsortur-ningpointswhicharethemeasureofallothers.Theseeventsare:thecreationoftheworld,theincarnationofJesusChrist,andthesecondcomingoftheLordatthetimeofthelastjudgement.Therefore,historyrepresentsacoherentwholewithitsstartingpoint(creation),summit(incarnation)andawaitedconclusion(lastjudgement).Consequently,thenotionofhistoryassalvationhistorybecomesamechanismofthespiritualinterpretationofthesecularevents,personalitiesandprocessesforwhichtheempiricalevidenceexists.Thus,theevents,persona-litiesandprocessesarepresentedinthelightofthesymbolicallyrichBiblicalhi-

2 InthefieldoftheologyofhistoryhismostimportantworkisTheology of History: A Sketch(Theologie der Geschichte: Ein Grundriss(1959)).

3 InthefieldoftheologyofhistoryhismostimportantworkisThePredicamentoftheChristianHistori-an(1959).


story–itsmessagedoesnotendwiththeliteraltemporalendingoftheBiblicalimages,eventsandstories,butcontinuesinthesetofhistoricallycomparableactionsdenotingrepetitionofrelationsbetweenGodandman.Withinthesere-lations,historicallyspecificelementsareplacedinthecontextofrepeatable,al-mostperpetualsimilarities.(Malmenvall2015,200–202;2017a,69–70;Bresciani2016,30–31;39;41–43;Averincev2005,121–127)

3. Fides et Ratio and salvation historyThemainstartingpointofJohnPaul’sencyclicalletteristhatfaithandreasonre-presentautonomousrealitieswhicharenotmutuallyopposedbutcomplemen-tary–bothenablingmantosearchandfindthetruthwithitsfullnessinJesusChrist.ForJohnPaulIIfaithandreasonseemtobelike»twowings«bywhichthehumanspiritisraisedtowardthecontemplationoftruth.»ItisGodhimselfwhoimplantedinthemindsofmenandwomenaninclinationforknowinghim,sothatknowingandlovinghim,theymaylikewiseattainthewholetruthabouttheirveryselves.»(HemmingandParsons2002,3)

JohnPaul'spreferenceforphilosophycanbealreadytracedintheintroduction(paragraph3)ofFides et Ratio.Heclaimsthattherearemanyresourceswhichmancandeploytofostertheprogressofknowledgeoftruthsothatlifeismade»morehuman«.Standingoutamongtheseisphilosophy,whichwhenproperlyconstituted,isadirecthelpinposingthequestionaboutthemeaningoflifeandsketchingananswertoit.(7)Not(salvation)history,butratherphilosophyis,ac-cordingtoJohnPaulII,thekeyresourcetoseekandknowthetruth.Inasimilarway,theauthoroftheencyclicalletteremphasizeshisnotionthatfundamentaltruthsora»commonbodyofknowledge«surpassesspecifichistoricalperiodsandculturalcontexts–thetruthandphilosophyarebasically»above«history.4

»Despitechangingtimes/…/,wemaystilladmitasortofnucleusofphilosophicalideas,whichareregularlypresentinthehistoryofhumanreflection.Consider,forexample,theprinciplesofnon-contradiction,offinalityandcausality./…/Consideraswellcertainmoralnorms/…/whicharecommontoeveryone./…/Thereexistsabodyofknowledge/…/asakindofspiritualheritageofhumanity./…/Wemaydiscoversomethinglike an implicit philosophy,theprinciplesofwhichanyonemightfeelthattheypossessed,albeitinageneralandunconsciousway.«(9)

4 Theauthor'spreferenceforphilosophyanditsallegeduniversalityisadditionallyaccentuatedinthefourthchapteroftheencyclicalletterontheinteractionbetweentheologyandphilosophywhereheadvocatesthefollowingposition:»Dogmatictheologyforitspartoughttopossesstheabilityofarrivingatanunderstandingofthemysteryofsalvation,wheterthroughthestructureofnarrative,orprefera-blythroughtheformofreasoning.Itoughttoachievethisaboveallbytheuseofthoseintellectualconceptionswhichareformedwithcriticaljudgement,inawaycommunicabletoall.Indeedwithoutthehelpofphilosophytheologicalissuescannotbeclarified,as,forexample,God'screativeactivityintheworld,therelationshipbetweenGodandman,andtheidentityofChristastrueGodandtrueman.«(107)


However,theChristian(Catholic)faith,especiallyregardingtheDivineRevela-tionanditsrelationtoreason,cannotbeproperlyunderstoodwithoutitsroote-dnessinthe»encounter«betweenGodandmanwhichtakesplaceinhistory,withinaspecificepochandaspecificgeographicallyandculturallydefinedspace.This»encounter«–despiteontologicaldifferencebetweeneternalandinvisibleGod,ontheonehand,andthetransienceandfallibilityofmanontheother–is-suesinthedisclosureofamystery,»hiddenintheages«andsubsequentlyreve-aled,bywhichman,throughChrist,the»Wordmadeflesh«,mighthaveaccesstotheFatherintheHolySpiritandbecomesharerintheDivinenature.Thisacti-onis»gratuitous«,initiatedbyGodand»comingtousforourownsalvation«.(15;17)Inthecontextofsalvationhistory,attentionisdirectedprimarilytotheincarnationofGodinChristwho,»outofabundanceofhislove«,speakstomanandlivesamonghim,sothathemayinvitehimintofellowshipwithhimself.The-refore,thedeepesttruthaboutGodandman'ssalvationismadeclearinChrist,whoisthe»fullnessofrevelation«.(19)Furthermore,JohnPaulIIargues,itisnecessarytoinsistthatintheChristianfaithtimehasa»fundamentalimportan-ce«.Foritiswithintimethatthewholeworkofcreationandsalvationcomestolightanditisclearthat»wenowalreadyanticipatewhattimewillbringtoper-fection«,implyingthesecondcomingoftheLordand,thus,theendorfulfillmentofhistory.Onthisbasis,salvationhistory–aslivedinthehistoricalaswellaspre-senttimebytheChurchbetweenresurrectionoftheLordandhissecondcoming–bringsforthtwocrucialelements:closenessofeternalandinvisibleGodtomanthroughChrist,andanticipationofthe»thingstocome«,i.e.incompletenessofhistory.History,therefore,becomesthe»arena«wheremanisabletoconfirmthedeedsofGodforthesakeofGod'slovetowardshim.God»touchesusinthethingswhichwebestknowandcaneasilyverify«,becausetheyconstitutethecircumstancesofman'severydaylife.(21)Forthe»peopleofGod«(membersoftheChurch)thiskindofhistorybecomesapath»pursuedtotheend«,sothatthroughthecontinuousactionoftheHolySpiritrevealedtruthshould»comple-telyopenupitscontents«.TheChurch,astheagepassesby,isalwaysonthemovetowardsthe»fullnessofdivinetruth,untilthewordsofGodarefulfilled«.(21)

Inthecontextofsalvationhistory,thefaithinGodisofsupremeimportance.FaithisanactofassentontheGod'stestimonyabouthimselfandassuchanactofpersonaltrust.Faith,whichisgrantedtomanandcannotbedemandedbyhim,setwithinthecontextofinterpersonalcommunication,compelshumanreasontoopenitselftoitandtograspitsdeepermeaning.»ForthisveryreasontheactwherebywecommitourselvestoGodhasalwaysbeenconsideredbytheChurchtobeamomentoffundamentalchoicewhichinvolvesthewholeperson.«(23)Bybelieving,manaccomplishesthe»mostmeaningfulactofhislife«,forherethecertaintyoftruthisattainedinthatonewhodecidestolivebyit(25).ThetruthoftheChristianrevelationthroughChristallowsmantounderstandthemysteryofhisownlife.Thistruthisnotthehighestreachofthereflectionofreason,buttheexpressionofa»freegift«–itrequiresthatitbeacceptedasa»declarationoflove«.ThistruthisatthesametimetheanticipationofthefinalvisionofGod,de-


stinedforthosewhobelieve(in)himwitha»sincerespirit«.(29)However,fromJohnPaulII'sperspective,thecomplexityoftheworld,i.e.historyandthe»diffe-ringfortunesofpeoples«,arerealitiesthatdemand(scientific)attentionandjud-gement,withoutatthesametimeremovingfaithfromthisprocess.Namely,faithdoesnotinterposeitselfinordertodestroytheautonomyofreasonbutwantstomadeplainthattheeventsofhistorycannotbeprofoundlygraspedunlessfaithisprofessedintheGodwhoisatworkinthem.»Faith/…/opensupthemindtodetecttheactivepresenceofprovidenceinthepassingofevents.»(33)Thereisno reason, therefore, for rivalry between faith and reason. Though each belongs toitsownsphere,Godandmanbelongtogetherinacommonbond.TheoriginofallthingsisinGodandinhim»thefullnessofmysteryisgatheredtogether«;uponmanliesthedutyofsearchingoutthetruthwiththeaidofreason.(33)

»The selfsame God who created and guarantees the faculty ofunderstandingandreasoningaboutthenaturalorderofthings/…/,isonewithhimwhorevealedastheFatherof/…/Christ.Thisunityoftruth,naturalandrevealed,findsitslivingandpersonalidentityinChrist.»(57)

4. Theological (ecumenical) implications of Fides et Ratio regarding salvation history

TheprimaryobjectiveofJohnPaulII’sencyclicalletterisnottoinvestigateandfurtherdeveloptheconceptofsalvationhistoryitselfortherelationbetweenGod,manandDivineRevelationwithinthecategoryoftime.Nevertheless,thenotionsofFides et Ratioconcerningthe»encounter«betweenGodandmaninhistorycanbeplacedinthecontextofmoderntheologicaldiscourseabouttheimportanceoftimefortheChristianfaith.Inthiscontext,aconnectionandcom-parisonbetweentworenownedscholarsfromthetwentiethcentury–theCatho-lictheologianHansUrsvonBalthasarandtheEastOrthodoxtheologianandhi-storianGeorgesFlorovsky–canbeconsideredreasonable.Thisconnectionandcomparisonhastwoadvantages:firstly,itcomplementsthenotionsofJohnPaulII with the thought of scholars who are – contrary to the author of Fides et Ratio –directlyandsystematicallyworkinginthefieldoftheologyofhistory;secondly,itenablestowidenthe(modern)CatholicunderstandingofhistoryandDivineProvidencewithanecumenicaldimension,inthiscasewithacontributionofanEastOrthodoxauthor.Althoughtheunderstandingofsalvationhistoryisgeneral-lyverysimilarinallthethreecomparedauthors,itdiffersonthepointwheretheassessmentoftheimportanceofsalvationhistoryasanarrativefortheentireChristiantheologytakesplace.Inthisregard,JohnPaulIIgivestheultimateim-portancetothephilosophicalreasoningand»universal«truths,whiletheothertworecognizeinthehistoricalnarrativeandtestimonyofthecommunityofbeli-eversthemostgenuineformofdiscourseaboutGod,aboutthe»story«of»en-counter«betweenGodandman.Therefore,thefollowingconclusioncanbe


made:JohnPaulII,althoughnotdiscardingthehistoricallycontingentcircumstan-ces,focusesmainlyonthe»universality«oftheChristianfaithandDivineReve-lation,whileBalthasarandFlorovskyfocusmainlyontheir»historicity«andtheirdependenceontheexperienceandtestimonyofthecommunityofbelievers,i.e.the Church.

4.1 Fides et Ratio and Hans Urs von Balthasar

HansUrsvonBalthasarclaimsthattheadequateunderstandingofthehistoricalprocessasawholerequiresaspecificnormativehistoricalsubjectencompassingtheentirehistoryofmankind.Duetothefactthatthiskindofasubjectcannotbefoundamongmen–aseveryindividualislimitedbyitsintellectualandmoralstrengthandthedurationofhislifetime–,theonlysubjectthatisabletogiveme-aningtotheentirehistoryisGod.GodwhoultimatelygivesmeaningtohistoryisGodwhoshowedhisclosenesstomankindbybecomingmanhimselfandwhoopenedtothemankindthepathofthepurificationfromevil.ThisisJesusChristastheSavioroftheworld.(Balthasar1959,11;13;Malmenvall2017a,74–75)Thus,as in the case of John Paul’s Fides et Ratio,Christrepresentstheultimatecenterofhistorywhichgivesthekeytotheunderstandingofthecreation,GodHimselfandhisrelationtomankind(Balthasar1959,14–15;18–19;41;Malmenvall2017a,75).ThemostvisiblecompatibilitybetweenBalthasarandFides et Ratio consists in the assessmentoftheessenceofsalvationhistory,namelytheclosenessofGodtomanwithintime,i.e.withinhistory.ThemanifestationandworkofGodintime,especiallythroughJesusChrist(»Godmadeflesh«),isbybothauthorsregardedasasupremeproofabouttheloveandconcernoftheCreatortowardshiscreation.

AccordingtoBalthasar,Christ'sexampleisbestshowedinhisvoluntaryobedi-encetoGodtheFather(Balthasar1959,26–27;Malmenvall2017a,75).»Theme-aningoftheincarnation,ofJesus'manhood,isfirstborneinuponusasanot-doing/…/,anot-carrying-outofhisownwill.«(Balthasar1994,29)Christ'sspiritualin-tegrationandelevationofhistoryisprimarilyrevealedthroughthefactthattheSon does not overtake the will of the Father and, consequently, he waits for the righttime,the»houroftheFather«.Inthisway,hedoesnotactinawaythatistypicalofthefallenhumannature–hedoesnot»usurp«timeandGod'sprovi-dence. On this basis, the essence of every disobedience towards God and, con-sequently,sinisovertakingorusurpingtime.Therestoringofthe»Divineorder«bythepowerofdeathandresurrectionoftheSonispreciselytherestorationofpatienceandtemperancewhichthroughChristbecomesafundamentalethicalattitudeofeveryChristian.(Balthasar1959,27–30;Malmenvall2017a,75–76)

AccordingtoBalthasar,Christisthecenterandsummitofhistoryalsobecauseafterhisdeathandresurrectionhedidnot»withdraw«totheremotenessofhe-avenbutisstillpresentinhis»MysticalBody«,theChurch.HeispresentintheChurchespeciallythroughthesacramentswhicharevisiblematerialimagesoftheworkoftheinvisibleGod.Christ'spresenceinthesacramentsmeansthepresenceofeternityinthelimitednessoftimeandmaterialworld–preciselythroughthesacramentstheeternitybecomesever-presentandcontemporary.(Balthasar1959,


70–75;Malmenvall2017a,76–77)»Here,again,heistherisenLord,livingintheeternityoftheFather,hisearthlytimetransfiguredintohiseternalduration,theeternalChristaccompanying›hisown‹throughtime.«(Balthasar1994,94)Further-more,BalthasararguesthatiftheBiblicalandallothereventsarenotunderstoodasrootedintheirsummitandcenter,whichisChrist,theybecomeunconnectedandlostintime–withoutChristtheycannotbeplacedinthecontextofthehisto-ryofthe»encounter«betweenGodandman.If,forexample,theAbraham'ssacri-ficeofhissonIsaacisnotunderstoodasapreannouncementoftheCalvary,itbecomesseparatedfromtheothereventsofhistoryand,consequently,losesitsmeaning.BalthasararguesthatdeedsandeventsaftertheresurrectionofChristorinthelifeoftheChurchshouldbeunderstoodinasimilarwayaswell.Everydeed, born out of a sincere faith, does not have only its direct consequences in relationtothetemporallyandgeographicallylimitedpresent,butalsoinrelationto the future, eventually changing the course of history on a global level. Thus, humandeedsaresubjectedtotheincarnateSonofGodwhoatthe»endoftime«willbethejudgeofthe»livinganddead«.Inhisfinaljudgementhewillespeciallyregardthosewhohaveworkedforthetransformationoftheworldtowardsthegood.Namely,thesaintsarehis»invisibleforces«forthetransformationoftheworldwhocaninfluencetheoutcomeofthelastjudgement.(Balthasar1959,58–61;Malmenvall2017a,76)Inthiscontext,anothercompatibilitybetweenBalthasar and Fides et Ratiocanbetraced:historyofsalvation,decisivelymarkedbyDivineprovidence,continuousinthelifeoftheChurchandisorientedtowardsitscompletefulfillmentattheChrist’ssecondcoming.

4.2 Fides et Ratio and Georges Florovsky

FlorovskyisconvincedthatChristianityisa»religionofhistorians«.Accordingtohim,Christianitylivesbyconsideringthetestimoniesaboutthespecificpasteventsrecognizedinthelightofthefaithastrueforallthecreationanddefinedas»ma-gnificentGod'sworks«.TheveryfoundationofChristianityisconstitutedbytheinterpretationsofthecentralmeaningofthespecifichistoricalevents–theincar-nation,suffering,andresurrectionoftheSonofGod.Ontheonehand,ChristasacenterofhistoryrepresentsthefulfillmentoftheOldTestament,while,ontheother,heisthecarrieroftheeternallife.InthelightofChrist'ssecondcoming,theentirehistoryofmankindisunderstoodasan»evolution«pointingtowardsthe»end«,asaprocessofrevealingthegenerallyvalidmeaningthroughspecificeventsandpersonalities.Therefore,theChristianfaithisan»everydayinvitation«tothespiritualstudyofhistory.(Florovsky1974,31–32;58–60;Malmenvall2017a,72–73)

»ThestartingpointoftheChristianfaithistheacknowledgmentofcertainactualevents,inwhichGodhasacted/…/forman’ssalvation./…/Thisentirepatternofinterpretationisdefinitelylinear,runningfromthebeginningtotheend,fromCreationtoConsummation./…/Yet,paradoxically,›beginning‹,›center‹, and ›end‹ coincide, not at ›events‹, but in the person of the Rede-emer.Christisbothalpha and omega.«(Florovsky1974,58)


FlorovskyrecognizesthecontinuitybetweentheOldTestament's»chosenpe-ople«andtheChurch5untilthepresentday.Consequently,hearguesthattheBible can be understood only through the faith in Jesus Christ and through one’s integrationintohis»MysticalBody«.(Florovsky1974,62–63;1972a,21–23;Wil-liams1993,322–323;Malmenvall2017a,73)AccordingtoFlorovsky,despitethedifferenceinthehistoricaloriginofspecificBiblicaltexts,theBibleasawholeisthe»creationofthecommunityofbelievers«–theOldTestament'sHebrewandtheNewTestament'sChristiancommunityalike.TheBiblewascreated»withinthecommunityforthecommunity«basedonitsexperienceofGod.This,inturn,meansthatitisnotpossibletoseparatetheSacredScripturefromthecommuni-ty.Furthermore,inthelongperiodbetweentheresurrectionofChristandhissecondcoming,theChurch,asacommunityandinstitutionatthesametime,preservesandtransmitsthegenuinemessageaboutthe»KingdomofGod«.(Flo-rovsky1972a,17–18;25;Malmenvall2017a,73)Historybecamesacredwhenthe»Wordwasmadeflesh«and,consequently,whenthelaterbecameapartoftem-porality.Fromthattimeon,Christispresentinhis»MysticalBody«,theChurch,inwhichsalvationhistorycontinuesuntilthesecondcomingoftheLord.Althou-ghthehistoryoftheChurchisfullofunimportanteventsandevenimmoralacts,theChurchfaithfullypreservesandpromotesthe»permanentstructures«initsritual,doctrineandinternalorganizationwhichrefertoitsessenceor»eternalform«.(Florovsky1974,54;58;62–63;1972a,19;Williams1993,320;322;Mal-menvall2017a,73–74)Onthisbasis,themostvisiblecompatibilitybetweenGe-orgesFlorovskyandJohnPauls'sFides et Ratioconsistsintheconvictionthatsal-vationhistorydoesnotendwiththetemporalendingofthewrittenbiblicalsto-riesorthetemporalendingoftheChrist’searthlymissionafterhisresurrection,butcontinuesintheentiresubsequentlifeoftheChurchuntilthesecondcomingoftheLord.Therefore,God,throughtheHolySpirit,»works«inthelifeoftheChurch,Christ's»MysticalBody«,aswell.

AccordingtoFlorovsky,theconditionfortheadequateunderstandingoftheBibleisthepersonalinternalizationofthespiritoftheNewTestament.Thisisthespiritofrepentanceandthe»changeofmind«(Greek:μετάνοια),adeepconver-sionofone'sintellectualandemotionalstate,startingwiththeself-denial.Theacceptanceoftheself-denialmeanstherecognitionofthe»messageofsalvation«transmittedbytheuninterruptedtraditionoftheChurchandsummarizedintheformulaofthesymboloffaith.Thisenablestheindividualpersonnottoisolateoneselfinthelimitedconvictionsofitsowntime.Inthissense,FlorovskydoesnotregardthetraditionoftheChurchasarelicfromthepast,butasa»poweroftheHolySpirit«sincetounderstandtheBiblemeanstounderstandChrist.IfandbecauseChristisnotatext,butaperson,presentinhis»MysticalBody«,thetra-ditionoftheChurchisthekeytotheBibleandthepersonalrelationwithGod.(Florovsky1972b,10–14;16;1972a,21;Malmenvall2017a,74)Here,anotheraspectofcompatibilitybetweenFlorovskyandFides et Ratio is present: to adequa-

5 WhenFlorovskyusestheterm»Church«heisreferringtotheEastOrthodoxChurchwhich,accordingtohim,representstheonlyandrealChrist'sChurch.


tely understand the Bible and with it the unfolding of God’s providence in history apersonalassentandtrustinGod’stestimonyabouthimself,transmittedthrou-ghthetraditionoftheChurch,isrequired.

5. Historiographical implications of Fides et RatioHistoriographyasamodernsecularscience,asaresearchpractice,knowledgeandrepresentationofan»object«calledhistory–eitherinitstraditionalpositi-visticorpostmodern,mainlyculturallyorientedforms–isalwaysframedinaspecifictimeandspace,conditionedbyintellectualformation,valuesandintere-stsoftheauthor(historian)and/orsocietyinwhichhelives.Therefore,anytypeofhistorycannotbewritteninafully»objective«or»disinterested«way.Further-more,historiography,alreadyfromtheHellenicantiquitytothepresentday,doesnotdealwithsuper-temporaluniversalities,butwithspecificevents,personsandprocessesofagivenspaceandtime.Historiographyis,thus,primarilyinterestedinparticularitiesandchangeand,consequently,transienceofanyformofgover-nment,societyorideationalandreligioussystem.(Lorenz2015,13–14;18;20;Elton1967,8;20–24)

Contrarytothenotionsandpracticeofmodernandpostmodernsecularhisto-riography,theChristianspiritualinterpretationofhistoryassalvationhistorypla-cesvariousevents,personsandprocessesinabroaderreligiouscontext,inthecontextof»encounter«betweenGodandman–andpointsoutsomemoreorlessuniversaltruthsdisclosedandconfirmedinspecificcircumstances.Inthissense,JohnPaulIIunderstandshistory,andwith-ithistoriography,preciselyasameanstosearchthe(Christian)truthwiththehelpoffaithandreasonalike.Ac-cording to Fides et Ratio,thecomplexityofhistoryisarealitythatdemands(sci-entific)attentionandjudgement,withoutatthesametimeremovingfaithfromthisprocess.Namely,faithdoesnotinterposeitselfinordertodestroytheauto-nomyofreasonbutwantstomadeplainthattheeventsofhistorycannotbeprofoundlygraspedunlessfaithisprofessedintheGodwhoisatworkinthem.»Faith/…/opensupthemindtodetecttheactivepresenceofprovidenceinthepassingofevents.«(HemmingandParsons2002,33)FollowingtheperspectiveofJohnPaulII,itcanbesaidthathistoriographyasasciencemakesonlyapartofabroaderendeavor,i.e.thesearchfor(universal)truthbyrecognizingGod'sre-velationtomanintime.

However,postmodern(culturallyoriented)historiography,theleadingmetho-dologicalandepistemologicalcurrentinWesternhistoriographyapproximatelysincethe1980s,ischaracterizedbyitsemphasisonlanguageordiscourseasasystemofculturallydefinedsymbolsconstructingtheimageoftheworldandhi-storical reality.6Consequently,itisdefinedbyan»anti-essentialist«critiqueofany

6 Here,atypicalassumptionofthepostmodernhistoriography,emphasized,forexample,byKellner(1989)andMalmenvall(2017b,685),canbenoted:everysynthesisandconceptualizationofthepast–eventheonewhichisatfirstsightcharacterizedbyadeeperuditionandlackofpoliticalbias–isalways


»grandnarrative«–includingtheChristianvisionofman'splaceintheworldandGod'sprovidenceinhistory.7Themaintaskofpostmodernhistoriographyistoanalyzeandpresentthepastvaluesandworldviews,primarilybyanalyzingtheirpastrepresentationsandrepresentationsofthepastitself.Thus,thepostmodernhistoriography’sambitionisnottobeahistoriographyofthe(political)facts,butratherahistoriographyofvalues,symbolsandlanguage/discourse.(Lorenz2015,21;Lutharetal.2016,385;394–396;422;427–428;437–438)8 On this basis, it canbeconcludedthat,atleastonagenerallevel,theconceptofsalvationhisto-ryissomethingobsoleteandhasnothingincommonwiththepostmodernsecu-larunderstandingandwritingofhistory.Yet,thereseemstobeapossiblecommongroundenablingdialoguebetweenthefaith-basedsalvationhistoryandpostmo-dern(culturallyoriented)historiography.Thiscommongroundcouldbedeductedfromthepostmodernhistoriography’sstressonthenarratives,(collective)repre-sentationsofthepastandhistoricalremembrance–alltheserealitiesarealwaysshapedoratleastinfluencedbythemythological,religiousorpoliticalpresuppo-sitionsandvaluesofagivenspaceandtime.(Lorenz2015,22;24–29;Confino2015,37–39;Lutharetal.2016,369;422;424–425)Inthissense,salvationhisto-ryasaspecificmechanismofinterpretationofhistory,foundedonthetruths,experienceandmemoryofthecommunityoftheChurch,worksasoneofthemostvisible(»grand«)narrativewithitsinternallogicintheentireculturalhisto-ryofthemankind.

Thus,theconceptofsalvationhistorycanbeunderstoodintwoterms:notonlyasamechanismobjectifyingthepastandgivingitacomprehensiblespiritualme-aning,butalsoasanobjectofpostmodern(cultural)historiographyitself,studyinghistoricalnarrativesandotherrepresentationsofthepast.Thekeyquestionregar-dingsalvationhistoryandanyotherkindof(narrative)representationofthepastinrelationtothepostmodern(cultural)historiographyis:Whoandtowhomarerepresentingthepastandwhyaretheydoingso?Therefore,salvationhistorybe-comesasourceofinvestigationfortheologyandsecularsciences,especiallyhu-manities,intheirownrightfosteringtheirmutualenrichment.ThisisexactlywhatJohnPaulIIhasinmind–accordingtoFides et Ratio,thecomplexityofhistoryisarealitythatdemands(scientific)attentionandjudgement,withoutatthesametimeremovingfaithfromthisprocess.Inthiscase,theologystudiesthespiritualmeaning,specificanduniversalalike,ofthegivensegmentsofthepastinthelight

aviewonthepastfromtheperspectiveofthehistorian'spresent.Namely,everyhistorianseekstocontrol(»overpower«)theforeverlostpastthroughtheconstructionofknowledgetransmittedbythenarrativeform.Consequently,thereisnopossibilityfora(fully)objectiveorunbiasedwritingofhisto-ry.Yet,thereexistsapossibilityfordialoguewithother(evendivergent)synthesesorconceptualizationsof the past.

7 Acomprehensiveviewontheologyasa(religious)languageor»grammar«canbealreadyfoundinthepre-structuralisticthoughtofLudwigWittgenstein(1889–1951)(žalec2016,462–468).

8 Inthiscontext,somecrucialpostmodernteoretitiansofhistory,mainlyphilosophersandhistorians,andtheirreferenceworksdeservespecialmention:HaydenWhite(1928–2018)(1973),CliffordGeertz(1926–2006)(1973),ReinhartKoselleck(1923–2006)(1985),RogerChartier(1945–)(1989),HansKell-ner(1945–)(1989),PeterBurke(1937–)(1997),FrankAnkersmit(1945–)(2001),andQuentinSkinner(1940–)(2002).


ofDivineRevelation,Churchtraditionandreligiouspractice,whilesecular(cultural)historiographystudiesindividualauthors,historicalcircumstances,functionsandconsequencesofsuchnarrativesormechanismsofinterpretation.Onthisbasis,alimitedcompatibilityandmutualenrichmentbetweenthetwoverydifferentand,insomecases,irreconcilablemodesofknowledge–salvationhistoryandpostmo-dern(cultural)historiography–seemspossible.ThisisexactlywhatJohnPaulIIhasinmind;itrepresentsaspecificapplicationofthemainprincipleofFides et Ratio–dialoguebetweenfaithandreasonrespectingtherichnessofChurch’stra-ditionandfeaturesofthecontemporarypostmoderncultureatthesametime.

6. ConclusionThespiritualinterpretationofthelocalandworldhistoryassalvationhistory–i.e.inthelightofDivineProvidenceand»encounter«betweenGodandman–repre-sentsageneral,almostuniversalfeatureoftheentireChristiantheologicaltradi-tion,EasternandWesternalike,extendingfromtheLateAntiquityuptothetwen-tiethcentury.Followingtheinterpretationmechanismofsalvationhistory,theevents,personalitiesandprocessesarepresentedinthelightofthesymbolicallyrichBiblicalhistory–itsmessagedoesnotendwiththeliteraltemporalendingoftheBiblicalimages,eventsandstories,butcontinuesinthesetofhistoricallycomparableactionsdenotingrepetitionofrelationsbetweenGodandman.TheconceptofsalvationhistorycanalsobefoundintheencyclicalletterFides et Ra-tiowrittenbythepopeJohnPaulII.Althoughnotrepresentingacentralsubjectof discussion, in Fides et Ratiotheconceptofsalvationhistoryandtheimportan-ceofthecategoryoftimeisemphasizedasoneofthecrucialfeaturesoftheChri-stianfaith’sself-understanding,especiallyregardingtheDivineRevelationanditsrelationtoreason.FromtheJohnPaulII’sperspective,historyisarealitythatdemands(scientific)attentionandjudgement,withoutatthesametimeremovingfaithfromthisprocess.Namely,faithwantstomadeplainthattheeventsofhi-story cannot be profoundly grasped unless faith is professed in the God who is at workinthem.However,not(salvation)history,butratherphilosophyis,accordingtoJohnPaulII,thekeyresourcetoseekandknowthetruthandtestifyaboutittothe(contemporary)culture.Inasimilarway,theauthoroftheencyclicalletteremphasizeshisnotionthatfundamentaltruthsora»commonbodyofknowled-ge«surpassesspecifichistoricalperiodsandculturalcontexts.

ThenotionsofFides et Ratioconcerningthe»encounter«betweenGodandmaninhistorycanbeplacedinthecontextofmoderntheologicaldiscourseabouttheimportanceoftimefortheChristianfaith.Inthiscontext,acomparisonbet-weentworenownedscholarsfromthetwentiethcentury–theCatholictheolo-gianHansUrsvonBalthasarandtheEastOrthodoxtheologianandhistorianGe-orgesFlorovsky–canbeconsideredreasonable.Themostvisiblecompatibilitybetween Balthasar and Fides et Ratioconsistsintheassessmentoftheessenceofsalvationhistory,namelytheclosenessofGodtomanwithinhistory.Thema-


nifestationandworkofGodintime,especiallythroughJesusChrist(»Godmadeflesh«),isbybothauthorsregardedasasupremeproofabouttheloveandcon-cernoftheCreatortowardshiscreation.Ontheotherhand,themostvisiblecompatibilitybetweenGeorgesFlorovskyandFides et Ratio consists in the con-victionthatsalvationhistorydoesnotendwiththetemporalendingofthewrittenbiblicalstoriesorthetemporalendingoftheChrist’searthlymissionafterhisresurrectionbutcontinuesintheentiresubsequentlifeoftheChurchuntilthesecondcomingoftheLord.Therefore,God,throughtheHolySpirit,»works«inthelifeoftheChurch,Christ's»MysticalBody«,aswell.Althoughtheunderstan-dingofsalvationhistoryisgenerallyverysimilarinallthethreecomparedauthors,itdiffersonthepointwheretheassessmentoftheimportanceofsalvationhisto-ryasanarrativefortheentireChristiantheologytakesplace.Inthisregard,JohnPaulIIgivestheultimateimportancetothephilosophicalreasoningand»univer-sal«truths,whiletheothertworecognizeinthehistoricalnarrativeandtestimonyofthecommunityofbelievers(Church)themostgenuineformofdiscourseaboutGod,aboutthe»story«of»encounter«betweenGodandman.

FollowingtheperspectiveofJohnPaulII,itcanbesaidthathistoriographyasasciencemakesonlyapartofabroaderendeavor,i.e.thesearchfor(universal)truthbyrecognizingGod'srevelationtomanintime.However,postmodern(culturallyoriented)historiographyischaracterizedbyitsemphasisonlanguageordiscourseasasystemofculturallydefinedsymbolsconstructingtheimageoftheworldandhistoricalreality.Consequently,itisdefinedbyacritiqueofany»grandnarrative«–includingtheChristianvisionofman'splaceintheworldandGod'sprovidenceinhistory.Yet,thereseemstobeapossiblecommongroundenablingdialoguebetweenthefaith-basedsalvationhistoryandpostmodern(culturallyoriented)historiography.Inthissense,salvationhistoryworksasoneofthemostvisible(»grand«)narrativewithitsinternallogicintheentireculturalhistoryoftheman-kind.Thus,theconceptofsalvationhistorycanbeunderstoodintwoterms:notonlyasamechanismobjectifyingthepastandgivingitacomprehensiblespiritualmeaning,butalsoasanobjectofpostmodern(cultural)historiographyitself,stu-dyinghistoricalnarrativesandotherrepresentationsofthepast.Therefore,salva-tionhistorybecomesasourceofinvestigationfortheologyandsecularsciences,especiallyhumanities,intheirownrightfosteringtheirmutualenrichment.Inthiscase,theologystudiesthespiritualmeaningofthegivensegmentsofthepastinthelightofDivineRevelation,Churchtraditionandreligiouspractice,whilesecular(cultural)historiographystudiesindividualauthors,historicalcircumstances,func-tionsandconsequencesofsuchnarrativesormechanismsofinterpretation.Onthisbasis,alimitedcompatibilityandmutualenrichmentbetweenthetwoverydifferentand,insomecases,irreconcilablemodesofknowledge–salvationhisto-ryandpostmodern(cultural)historiography–seemspossible.ThisisexactlywhatJohnPaulIIhasinmind;itrepresentsaspecificapplicationofthemainprincipleof Fides et Ratio–dialoguebetweenfaithandreasonrespectingtherichnessofChurch’straditionandfeaturesofthecontemporarypostmoderncultureatthesametime.


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