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* This theological/pastoral reflection has been prepared by the Office of Theological Concerns of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC). The commission is composed of members from all the bishops’ conferences of the FABC. This presentation represents the work of study and consultation of the members of the commission and of other theologians over a period of three years, finally approved in their meeting in Kathmandu, May 2000. The document is offered solely as a basis of a continuing discussion with the wider community of pastors and professional scholars. The members of the Office earnestly invite their readers to share with them their observations and criticisms in the interest of advancing the concerns of theological and pastoral reflection in Asia. Comments may be sent to FABC, 16 Caine Road, Hong Kong.

The Church is not unaware how much it has profited from the history and development of humankind. It profits from the experiences of past ages, from the progress of the sciences, and from the riches hidden in various cultures, through which greater light is thrown on the nature of man and new avenues to truth are opened up. The Church learned early in its history to express the Christian message in the concepts and languages of different peoples and tried to clarify it in the light of the wisdom of their philosophers: it was an attempt to adapt the Gospel to the understanding of all people and the requirements of the learned, insofar as this could be done. Indeed this kind of adaptation and preaching of revealed Word must ever be the law of all Evangelisation. In this way it is possible to create in every country the possibility of expressing the message of Christ in suitable terms and to foster vital contact and exchange between the Church and different cultures.
(Gaudium et Spes, No.44)

Vatican II spoke of expressing the faith in the languages and cultures of various peoples, but there is an even more fundamental aspect that must be recognised. We are Christians because we have experienced that Christ lives in us and we in him. This is an experience of individuals in Asia and of different peoples or Churches in Asia. This experience may have come through a concrete Jewish and European history, but those in Asia sharing this experience are Asians. The seed of the Word has fallen into the rich soil of Asia. It penetrates that soil and produces fruits that may be different from the results of other branches. To theologise in Asia, to give reasons, to explain and to be critically conscious of what it means to be a Christian is not an exercise of translating the experiences of past generations (be they Western or Eastern) into some modern Asian jargon, but rather an attempt to express from the depths of the Asian psyche the ineffable experience of living faith in Jesus Christ. It is the result of a genuine incarnation of the mystery of Christ in the flesh and blood of Asian peoples.

The Asian will use conceptual tools and a philosophical approach arising from the various Asian cultures. There are various Asian cultures and various philosophies, but there are certain general lines of approach that are typically Asian, certain values that are paramount in Asian cultures arising from the various philosophical traditions and the concrete social-religious cultural situations in which Asians live. One of these values is harmony. Asians live in an atmosphere charged with communal tensions. What is needed is a vision of unity and harmony, and a language of reconciled diversity that will enable people of different communities to work together for peace and the building of a more just society.

A sense of the Sacred is fundamental in all Asian cultures. There is a respect for the Sacred and for the experience of the Sacred of various communities and religious traditions. The Asian Christian’s faith rests solidly on his or her faith in Jesus Christ in whom the self- communication of God has taken place. But the Asian Christian also realises that the mystery of the depth of this self-communication remains to be explored further. Furthermore, the Spirit is at work outside the visible Christian community, through these various traditions. The Christian will always see these mediations as being related in some way to Jesus Christ, but he or she cannot deny them. The Christian will rather explore them further to sound the depths of the mystery of God’s self revelation and deepen his or her own faith. This is not to say that all ways are the same, but rather that the object of our search remains forever a mystery and the various ways and paths do intersect.

All Asian traditions have a cosmic view which integrates the question of human salvation into a unified view of the whole cosmos. Much of this comes ultimately from the primal traditions within Asia, whose practitioners are close to mother earth and have a profound reverence for all of nature, what in current parlance one would call an ecological view. This tradition is very much alive today among the tribal peoples of Asia and has been incorporated into all of the so-called great traditions.

Given the overriding value of harmony, Asian Christians will be looking for ways to integrate the experiences of Asia, the experience of their own forebears, and hence of their own psyche, into their Christian faith. The Asian way is one of integration and inclusion. Rather than saying “A is true, so B must be false,” the Asian tends to say “A is true, and B is also true in some sense.” This is not to say that truth is relative. There is but one Truth; but Truth is a Mystery which we approach reverently, while we try to seek to understand its various aspects and dimensions. Hence, the Asian Christian is open to dialogue, a dialogue based on profound respect for individuals, communities and their religious traditions.

Asian Christians must also be in touch with the twenty-first century Asia in which they live, an Asia rich in ancient cultural and religious traditions, but also an Asia of immense poverty, social injustice, communal conflicts, modern consumerism, and an Asia taking its place in the global village which the world is rapidly becoming today. Hence, the FABC has adopted as its mode of proceeding a pastoral cycle which begins with our faith in Jesus Christ, the experience of that faith in prayer and in the covenant relationship we share with our Christian brothers and sisters. It is because of that faith that Christians reach out in mission and involve themselves in the world around them. This experience leads to a rigorous and professional social analysis of the “Signs of the Times.” This in turn is followed by theological reflection to discern these in the light of the Gospel, enabling the Church to plan for the future and specify its missionary response. This is a cycle which continually repeats itself, and which results in a theology different from that of former times, a living theology which constantly strives to discern the working of the Spirit in a rapidly changing world.

Asian theology is a new enterprise marked by a certain experimental character, a certain ambiguity, uncertainty and tenuousness. It is not yet a finished product, given the dynamic nature of the theological enterprise envisioned. It is rather a pilgrimage. Theologians in Asia have taken seriously the Vatican II theme of a Pilgrim People, and the theme of the Fifth Plenary Assembly of the FABC, “Journeying Together Toward the Third Millennium.” They journey together with the Christians of Asia and the Church Universal, in the hope that the Church Universal will be enriched by an encounter with the cultures of Asia, as the early Church was once enriched by a creative encounter with Greek culture. The fruition of this hope depends upon the willingness of others to really listen, to attempt to understand the theology of Asia on its own terms, and then to dialogue, as Asian theologians themselves have attempted to understand the religious traditions of their own cultures and dialogue with men and women of other traditions.

The purpose of this paper is not to define “An Asian Method of Theology,” but rather to shed some light on the emerging theological methods used by Asian theologians. The paper first addresses the question of pluralism. It turns then to a brief review of traditional Christian methods of theology in the East and the West. The Eastern tradition, which parallels so closely what is happening in Asia today, is often a closed book even to Asian Christians. A review of Western methodology shows how dependent Western theology is on the historical and cultural situation of Western Europe up to modern times. At the same time it shows that Western methods have not always been so univocal; and especially today after Vatican II, there is emerging in the West a new type of theology which is contextual, taking as resources cultural, religious, economic and political factors, a process analogous to what is happening in Asia. This leads to a consideration of the resources which Asian theologians use today in their attempts to develop an Asian theology. The source of theology for a Christian, of course, remains the Word of God in the Scriptures and Sacred Tradition. This brings up the question of hermeneutics, the interpretation of the texts. After a look at the emerging Asian Biblical hermeneutics, the paper looks at the ways other religious traditions in Asia interpret their scriptures, or how Christians might interpret the scriptures of other traditions. Finally, the paper turns to the question of the use of symbol, narrative and myth in the Asian religious traditions.

The world created by God is pluriform; in fact, our own experiences tell us that reality is manifold. Variety is the hallmark of the universe. No two planets are the same; no two living beings, whether animals or plants, are the same; and no two human beings are the same. Consequently, the way we perceive things differs, not merely because the basic elements of reality are diverse, but because we also, the perceiving subjects, differ from one another. Cultures and religions differ, and they have different worldviews. We, who are born to a rich diversity of cultures and religions in Asia, are fortunate to experience this rich diversity in our very day-today living. It is in this sense that we can say that the universe created by God unfolds in a variety of ways. Pluralism generally refers to a situation in which a variety of viewpoints, explanations or perspectives are offered to account for the same reality. The essential characteristic of reality which we experience as human beings is multidimensional.

1.1 Pluralism versus Relativism

Any discussion of pluralism must reckon with the question of how we understand pluralism in theology in relation to the threat of relativism. A pluralism which claims that all points of view of reality are of equal value surely ends up in relativism. When a point of view lacks a common reference to reality, it amounts to the mere opinion of the subject who holds that opinion. When each and every such point of view that is cut off from a common reference to reality is assigned an equal value, then, it amounts to relativism. In other words, relativism holds that there are many truths which vary according to the subjects who hold different opinions of reality. Such relativism destroys the rich meaning of pluralism.

There was a time in the past when to talk about pluralism almost always suggested relativism. In the so-called “primitive” and feudal societies of Asia and Europe, people knew no other model or worldview but their own. Within their limited perspectives they could understand things and they felt secure. Their entire life fabric was woven into the only worldview they possessed. In that era, cultures were somewhat immune to any outside influence. Their familiar particular worldview was regarded as absolute, and to think of any other worldview was anathema. The Rites Controversies in China and India during the missionary period are, in part, a consequence of this view.

However, in the last few centuries, owing to various historical, geographical, social, commercial and political factors, cultures, and along with them religions, began to penetrate one another. Worldviews, which once appeared so secure and static, began to crumble. People gradually came to realize that there are many points of view from which to look at reality, and many linguistic patterns through which we interpret it. Through increased opportunities for education people have come to realise that there can be more than one worldview in perceiving and understanding reality. With the rise of many independent nations, and with their eager embracing of the concept of democracy, pluralism received a further impetus. In fact, the concept of democracy advocated respect for a diversity of opinions. Accordingly, pluralism is perceived to be healthy if the opinions of other peoples and groups are seriously taken into consideration, and if nobody tries to stifle others by coercion or pressure, as long as they respect the basic freedom and rights of all. Such pluralism presupposes a cultural and religious atmosphere in which every group is willing to learn and unlearn, where all are eager to know one another better, and thus also to know themselves better, so that through common effort they may come to a deeper and broader knowledge. Modern mass media has also enabled people to realise that they live in one world, in one global village, in one mass society, but with a variety of cultures, religions and worldviews.

Pluralism need not always entail a radical subjectivism or relativism, in the sense of claiming that all points of view are equally valid. However, it is also true that the dawn of pluralistic, democratic, modern societies has paved the way to excessive individualism and subjectivism, and a consequent relativizing of all reality. Thus, today there are persons and groups who hold all reality to be relative. For such persons and groups, pluralism means relativism, in the sense that they claim all points of view are equally valid. Such philosophical or theological positions are to be rejected; and, in fact, all the major Asian religions condemn such relativzing of reality, especially the relativizing of basic human values. However, just because certain persons and groups are misled in their search for truth, and just because they tend to perceive pluralism as relativism, or just because they tend to relativize all reality, we cannot conclude that all pluralism leads to relativism. As mentioned above, reality is pluridimensional, and no one can deny this fact. Manifold too are the perspectives from which we look at it, and the conceptual frameworks within which we articulate it. The affirmation of plurality rests on the human search for an underlying unity that enables us to understand plurality better. Many Asian philosophies and theologies have shown the unity and harmony behind pluralism.

1.2 Pluralism in the History of the Church

In fact, the Church has a long history of pluralism, especially in theology. Scripture scholars agree that both within the Old and New Testaments themselves, there is a rich variety of theologies. Church historians, too, affirm that each of the early Christian communities had its own experience of Jesus Christ, and, hence, its own theology. Thus, for example, within the New Testament, we have Pauline theology, Johannine theology, Lucan theology, etc. Such pluralism is further evident in the four different gospel accounts, which were based on the experiences of four different communities. In the four gospel accounts, pluralism in theology reaches a healthy climax, because each gospel account complements the other, without negating or opposing any. While all the four gospels speak of one faith in one Lord Jesus, there is a rich variety of experiences of the same Jesus. Here, we see a marvelous illustration of healthy unity in rich diversity.

1.3 Vatican II

Conscious of the rich diversity of theological pluralism within the Church down through the ages, the Second Vatican Council promoted pluralism in theology, when it said that the gospel message needs to be adapted according to each culture. (See the quotation from Gaudium et Spes at the beginning of this document.)

Elsewhere, the same Council urged each local Church to plant the seed of the faith within the rich soil of the customs, wisdom, teaching, philosophy, arts and sciences of its particular people (AG 22, SC 40). The Council further noted how the Church has used different cultures to preach the Word thus enabling a pluralism in theology:

1.4 FABC Documents

Using these basic directions and guidelines given by the Council, FABC, too, since its birth in 1970, has encouraged a similar pluralism in theology. Thus, BISA II made the following declaration in 1975:

1.5 Pluralism as Enrichment

We know from experience that any human knowledge is limited. Moreover, there is a difference between every theological expression and the reality signified by that expression. In fact, St. Thomas Aquinas noted that the act of faith terminates not in the expression, but in the reality itself (S. Th. II-II, q.1, a.2 ad 2). In theological knowledge, the expression always falls short of the reality, precisely because we are dealing with a mystery which cannot be fully comprehended. Since no expression is perfect, additional expressions are not only possible, but beneficial for a fuller understanding of the mystery. In the Asian way of perceiving, where experience has priority over rational knowledge, this point becomes more significant because the ways of experiencing any reality are diverse; and consequently, the expressions of that experience are also diverse. Reality is one and multidimensional. However, the ways in which we, as different subjects, perceive the truth of this one reality are diverse, precisely because Truth is infinite. All these different ways of perceiving the one truth of reality enable us to comprehend that reality in a fuller, richer manner than if we had only one way to perceive it. This point is clearly illustrated by the existence of the four gospels in the biblical canon, which enable us to grasp the person of Jesus and his message in a fuller, richer manner than if there existed only one gospel.

Moreover, we Christians believe that human life stands between the now of what has been accomplished by Christ’s saving deeds and the not yet of the fulfilment of these deeds at the end of time. This is applicable even to Christian knowledge. “Now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror; then, we shall see face to face. My knowledge is imperfect now; then, I shall know even as I am known” (1 Cor 13:12). Christ sends the Holy to guide us into all truth (Jn 16:13). Thus, with solid theological reasons, we can affirm the insufficiency of current human expressions of our faith. Such insufficiency allows for pluralism in theology.

However, in recognising the value of pluralism in theology, the Church cannot allow doctrinal irresponsibility or indifferentism. Legitimate theological pluralism ought to meet the basic standards of revelation (as conveyed through Scripture and Tradition), of the sensus fidelium (as contained in the faith of the People of God as a whole), and of the Magisterium of the Church. We need to emphasise three basic criteria: Revelation, the sensus fidelium, and the Magisterium. They help us to differentiate a legitimate pluralism of theological expression from a pluralism which would destroy the doctrinal unity of the Church. Moreover, legitimate pluralism in theology is not only essential for the Church to be meaningful for all peoples, but it is also a sign that faith is incarnated in the history and life of different peoples, showing the vitality of the Church till the end of time.

2.1 Theological Methods in the Eastern Tradition

2.1.1 General Observations

Corresponding to the Semitic, Hellenistic and Roman cultures and world-visions, that originally shaped the Church, we have three traditions in the Church: Syriac, Greek and Latin. To divide the Christian tradition into simply Greek (Eastern) and Latin (Western) does not seem historically fair and adequate, for it ignores the Syriac Oriental tradition. In this context Eastern means and includes both the Byzantine-Greek and the Semitic-Syriac traditions.

In the framework of the FABC it may be specially noted that the Syriac tradition is originally Asian. Further, the only Christians who were in India before the arrival of the Western missionaries in the 16th Century were the St. Thomas Christians of the Malabar coast, belonging to the East Syriac ecclesial tradition. They had their own identity in the Law of St. Thomas.

These Christians exhibited an Asian face of Christianity.

Chief representatives of the Eastern theological traditions are: from the Greek side, the Cappadocian Fathers, Chrysostom, Pseudo-Dionysius; and from the Syriac line, Aphraates, Ephrem (306-373), Jacob of Serugh (+521), and Babai the Great.

The venerable traditions of the individual Eastern churches that take their origin from Alexandria, Antioch, Armenia, Chaldea and Constantinople have preserved with love and interest the theology of the Church Fathers based on the Scriptures. They also keep up the liturgical approach of awe and devotion towards the inexpressible mystery of God. Doxologies, prayers of epiclesis, mysticism and monasticism are the common heritage of these traditions. They are proud of the spirituality, drawn directly from the Holy Scriptures, as well as of their mind-set that has not been affected by rationalism.

2.1.2 Special Features

2.1.2.1 Scriptural and Typological

According to the Eastern theological vision, what God has done for us is the primary object of theology, and not what God is in himself. Eastern theology is hence based on the economy of salvation. As the scriptures are the written records of this history of salvation, Eastern Theology is primarily scriptural. Theology is understood as interpretation of the Holy Scriptures. This is specially illustrated in the various commentaries and homilies of the Fathers.

In interpreting the Scriptures, the preferred method is that of typological exegesis which is best exemplified in St. Ephrem’s writings. He employed typological exegesis to provide a network of links between the two Testaments. A good example of this is his treatment of the verse in John’s Gospel about the piercing of Jesus’ side with a lance from which at once blood and water poured out (John 19:34). The “side” and the “lance” point back to the opening chapters of Genesis, to Adam’s “side” from which Eve came forth, and to the “sword” that barred the entrance to Paradise. The “blood” and “water” point forward to the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist (the order of the two words in John 19:34 is reversed.) This provides the following pattern: Adam’s side is to Eve as Christ’s side is the Church (sacraments). The first parents were stripped of their original “robe of glory” and banished from Paradise, kept out by the sword of fire. A second weapon undoes this damage by piercing another side from which flow forth the sacraments that wash away sin, and effect the re-entry into Paradise, enabling the baptised to feed on Christ, the Tree of Life. Baptism clothed them in the ‘robe of glory’ which Adam and Eve had lost. Eve’s origin from Adam’s side is in turn linked with Mary’s miraculous giving birth to Christ, thus providing the chiastic pattern: Adam is to Eve as Mary is to Christ (second Adam). Ephrem, in this connection, notes that the virgin conception and birth of Jesus by Mary, alludes to Adam’s birth from the virgin earth.

The aim of exegesis is to bring the concealed mystery to light. Scriptures have two levels of meaning, an external historical and an inner spiritual meaning. According to the Syriac tradition the primary object of the search is the inner spiritual reality, the spiritual sense, rather than the external historical sense

2.1.2.2 Liturgical and Doxological

Since Liturgy is the celebration of the experience of revelation and salvation, it is considered an important source of theology, next to Scriptures in the Eastern Tradition. Hence, the doxological nature of Eastern theology as manifested in the writings of the Fathers and ancient Christians in their hymns and prayers. The dictum “law of prayer, law of faith” (lex orandi, lex credendi) is best illustrated in the Eastern tradition.

2.1.2.3 Trinitarian and Spirit-Centered

The whole framework of Eastern Theology is Trinitarian. This is very much reflected in the liturgy, as well as in the theology centered on the economy of salvation. At the same time, due importance is given to the theology of co-penetration/mutual indwelling (perichoresis). In expounding the doctrine of the Trinity the Eastern Church Fathers took the three persons as the starting point, and thence passed to the one nature; while the Western thought most frequently followed the opposite coursefrom the one nature to the three persons. The Eastern way, in conformity to the Holy Scripture and to the baptismal formula that names the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, starts from the concrete. For the Eastern Church, if one speaks of God, it is always in the concrete: the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob; the God of Jesus Christ; it is always the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Eastern Theology gives special importance to the Holy Spirit. In the Eastern theological understanding, much emphasis is given to the sending of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost) as the fruit of the Christ event. Christ returns to the Father so that the Spirit may be sent. According to St. Basil there is no gift conferred on the creature in which the Holy Spirit is not present. Whereas the work of Christ is seen as concerning human nature which he recapitulates in his hypostasis, the work of the Holy Spirit concerns persons, being applied to each one singly. The Holy Spirit is acclaimed as the source of sanctification. According to Eastern thinking Christ is the sole image appropriate to the common nature of humanity, and the Holy Spirit grants to each person the possibility of fulfilling the likeness in the common nature.

In the Eastern tradition grace is treated in the theology of the Spirit (Pneumatology), as the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The theology of grace is the same as a developed treatise within the theology of the Spirit. Consequently, Easterners have not developed the concept of “created grace, ” a term that appeared in the Western theological tradition.

2.1.2.4 Mystical

The Eastern tradition has never made a sharp distinction between mysticism and theology, between personal experience of the divine mysteries and the dogma affirmed by the Church. For the Easterners theology is more a matter of mystical experience than rational reflection. This is in tune with the general trait of the contemplative bent of the Eastern/Oriental heritage. In the Indian terminology anubhava (being with) characterizes this contemplative approach, which is by nature experiential. According to Gregory of Nyssa it is not knowing something about God that the Lord declared blessed, but having God in oneself. The focus of mystical understanding is not to know that God is immutable, unchanging essence, but somehow to participate in that immutability. Mysticism is not logical, consistent thinking about truth but the direct, immediate appropriation of that truth in conscious experience.

Easterners sometimes distinguish between theology and theological teaching. Theology is the existential experience of God; theological teaching consists, on the contrary, in reasoning and scientific exposition of the experiential knowledge of God. According to St. Isaac the Syrian “a true theologian speaks the language of the world to come, while theological teaching is made for historical work here below.” Because of this special perception Easterners do not conceive of theology as bound by a systematic structure; theology has to go often beyond concepts.

The Eastern theological approach sees theology as a means subserving an end that transcends all knowledge. This end is union with God, or deification (theosis—Greek Fathers). According to the Eastern tradition of spirituality the eternal bliss of Heaven is not the vision of the essence of God, but deification, the union with the Trinity. This union is neither hypostatic (as in the Incarnation), nor substantial (as in the case of the three Divine Persons), but a union with God in his energies. In deification we are by grace, i.e., in the divine energies, all that God is by nature. We remain creatures while becoming God by grace, as Christ remained God in becoming man by Incarnation. The distinction in God between the essence and energies is a special feature of Eastern theology. The divine energies are distinct from the essence of God, and are at the same time uncreated. What the Western tradition calls by the name of the supernatural is signified in the East by the uncreated divine energies.

Theology (theory) thus has an eminently practical significance. For Easterners, theology is not merely an academic subject among others, but the outcome of a lived experience of God.

2.1.2.5 Apophatic

God is inaccessible to us; yet humankind attains to communion with God. How does Eastern theology explain this? Although God is in his essence totally inaccessible, we can participate in his energies. They create an experience of relationship with God. Theology is, hence, not rationalistic, but a passionate pursuit. It speaks the language of silence, which is the language of future reality. According to Clement of Alexandria we can be related to God, more by saying what God is not than by saying what God is. The Cappadocian Fathers were all apophatiticians. Gregory of Nyssa presents a paradigm based on the experience of Moses. He speaks of the manifestation of God first in light, then through a cloud, and finally in darkness. Gregory says that knowing God is a not-knowing.

Knowledge about God is beyond the human mind. This is knowing through unknowing. Eastern apophatic theology starts with the concept of an ungraspable fullness. We close our eyes against the sun, not to deny its reality, but because it is full of light, and because we are unable to look at it directly. This apophatic nature of Eastern theology is very much related to the Indian “not this, not this” (neti, neti) approach.

The Eastern apophatic approach, however, is not an impersonal mysticism, an experience of absolute, divine nothingness in which both the human person and God as person are swallowed up. The goal to which apophatic theology leads is something that transcends all notions both of nature and of person; it is the Trinity. St. Gregory Nazianzen writes in one of his poems: “From the day whereon I renounced the things of the world to consecrate my soul to luminous and heavenly contemplation..... from that day my eyes have been blinded by the light of the Trinity, whose brightness surpasses all that the mind can conceive.” The Eastern Fathers in general introduced a Christian apophatic theology, which transformed rational speculation into a contemplation of the mystery of the Trinity.

2.1.2.6 Symbolic and Paradoxical

According to early Syriac tradition divine revelation is not the total manifestation of the Divinity, but the gratuitous manifestation of certain aspects and realities of the Divinity that are necessary for salvation. The process of divine self-revelation takes place in three ways: through types and symbols that are present in both Nature (natural world, kyana), and in Scripture (above all the OT, ktaba); through names or metaphors which God allows to be used of himself in Scripture; and finally and above all in the Incarnation. The symbols point vertically to God’s Trinitarian Being, or horizontally to his Incarnate Son. Further, symbols and types work for Ephrem horizontally (between the two Testaments), and vertically (between this world and the heavenly world). Christ is called the “Lord of Symbols,” who reveals the true meaning of the Old Testament symbols. For Ephrem, symbol and reality are intimately related, for inherent in the symbol (raza = mystery) is the hidden power and meaning of reality.

On account of God’s supreme transcendence, he is described as hidden. He reveals himself because of his mercy and loving kindness. Through symbolic actions and symbolic language the Scriptures depict the mysterious manner in which God made himself present through historical persons and events. The area of intellectual inquiry is the realm of revealed divine realities. But the hidden divine realities should not be unduly intruded into.

As opposed to the rationalistic method of definitions, the Eastern theology employs the method of using symbols and paradoxes. Definitions by providing “boundaries” are likely to have a limiting effect on people’s understanding of the subject of inquiry. Since theological “definitions” (a heritage from Greek philosophy) touch upon some aspects of God’s being, they attempt to contain the uncontainable, to limit the limitless. On account of these risks, Eastern theology, especially of the early Syriac tradition, avoids any systematization or definition. For this purpose poetry was found more convenient than prose, for poetry is better capable of sustaining the essential dynamism and fluidity characteristic of paradox and symbolism. Ephrem’s use of hymns and verse homilies corresponds to the Indian method of mantras (repetitive recitation).

The Early Syriac theological vision founded on imagery and symbolism has vitality and dynamism, since images and symbols are basic to all human experiences, and remain prior to any philosophical categorisation. Some of the images used are fire for divinity and clothing for the Incarnation. The symbolic mode of theological reflection is based on the sacramental world-view. In this vision the fundamental role of symbol originates from the affirmation of the indwelling of God in humankind created in the image and likeness of God. On account of this image in humanity, it can recognise the divine power within itself and in other creatures. Symbols guide the subject into a participatory knowledge, and through it to the higher levels of transformation.

One can illustrate the basic difference between the philosophical approach with its search for definitions, and the symbolic approach as follows: visualise a circle with a point in the center, where the point represents that aspect of God under inquiry. The philosophical approach seeks to identify and locate this central point, in other words, to define it. The symbolic approach, on the other hand, attempts no such thing. Rather, it provides a series of paradoxical pairs of opposites, placing them at opposite points around the circumference of the circle. The central point is left undefined, but something of its nature and whereabouts can be inferred by joining up the various opposite points, the different paradoxes, on the circle’s circumference. Some of St. Ephrem’s favorite paradoxes are: “the Shepherd who became the Lamb, “the Farmer who became the Wheat, the Great One who became small, the Rich One who became poor” (Akatistos).

2.1.2.7 Iconic

Eastern theology is more akin to art than to science. This leads to iconic theology, as well as the theology of icons of the Eastern tradition. Icons can be seen as the meeting point between theology and spirituality. Their meaning can be developed in the light of incarnational theology.

The theology of icons originated and developed in the Greek-Byzantine world. This took place in the framework of monasticism and asceticism based on the spirituality of conforming to Christ, to be his icon. At the same time it was related to art and aesthetics in the Church. Icon is an ancient art form in the Orient. Eastern theology is said to be rooted in art. And conversely, Eastern art is rooted in a religious setting. Icons serve in the Eastern Church various purposes: symbolic, didactic, catechetical, kerygmatic, liturgical and aesthetic.

Icons result from long meditation. They are the expressions of the heart and conscience of the people of God, and are formed on the basis of the teachings of the early Fathers and traditions. So they serve as one of the best means to pass on Catholic traditions. In the icons we have a visual theology. Icons evoke the Church’s memory of what is represented. As iconography was considered to be a holy task, the Church has therefore carefully monitored the iconographers and the regulations regarding iconography. Only a baptised person, for instance, is allowed to make icons.

A theologian’s task is similar to that of an iconographer. The gospel narratives and the message of icons are closely related. The basis of both is the Incarnation. The theologian and the iconographer are engaged in the same task of proclaiming the faith. Icon is a sacrament insofar as it is the visible expression of the invisible. What the Holy Scriptures express through words is expressed through color by the icons. In the Eastern theological vision, art or icon is meant to praise Jesus as the creator and redeemer. It is also a theology of transfiguration; each icon represents in anticipation the glorification to happen in the future, in the world to come. Icons are thus part of the transformed new world. Eastern theological tradition creates a new attitude among the believers or spectators, introducing them to a holy place and holy time. In this sense, an icon is a window onto eternity. The whole Church is and has to be an icon in this way. Icons are considered as a special help for the uneducated.

In the Greek world icons are mainly in drawing and painting (colors); in the Syriac tradition icons are also in writing. Here words are used as icons, giving shape to an iconic theology.

2.1.2.8 Spiritual and Monastic

Theology, spirituality and monasticism are closely related in the Eastern tradition. Religious life, as started in the Eastern tradition, was meant to be a life of radical commitment of witness to the eschatological life. According to Evagrius (+399) the one who has purity in prayer is a true theologian, and one who is a true theologian has purity in prayer

2.1.2.9 Ecclesial and Pastoral

In the Eastern understanding a theologian is basically an ecclesial person who shares the faith of the Church, the people of God. He is not some one who is above the other believers. On the contrary, he is a believer, as is any other Christian: as much bound and as much free as others by the laws of faith. It is this faith that molds and informs theology. Since Christian faith is faith with the Church, Eastern theology is rooted in the ecclesial tradition as well. Theology in the East is generally pastoral in approach and in intent. Hence, it is addressed to the believers, rather than to scholars and to students.

2.1.2.10 Theo-nomous

Eastern theology takes God and his revelation as the norm for human beings. This is indicated in the theology of the image of God as elaborated by St. Gregory of Nyssa, as contrasted with that of St. Augustine, who takes as his starting point human psychology and attempts to work out an idea of God. The method he employs is one of psychological analogies applied to God, and thus to theology. St. Gregory of Nyssa starts, on the other hand, with what revelation tells us of God in order to discover what it is in the human which corresponds to the divine image. This is a theological method applied to anthropology.

2.1.3 The Theology of the St. Thomas Christians

According to the general opinion of scholars, the St. Thomas Christians of India did not develop any theology of their own. This opinion is based on the fact of there being no pre-sixteenth century record of their theological positions. Nonetheless, we may derive some idea of the theological experience of the St. Thomas Christians from their lives and tradition.

Examining the social-ecclesiastical life of the St. Thomas Christians, we can come to the conclusion they lived an implicit incarnational theology. They were aware that Christ in becoming man assumed everything human and redeemed all social and cultural values. This is indicative of their adapting the Hindu cultural and social realities into their own social and religious life (church architecture, marriage customs, dress, rites for the dead, etc.). They respected the other faiths of their milieu, and promoted communal harmony and cordial relations with the Hindus and also Muslims. From the Decree of the Synod of Diamper (1599) we can infer that the St. Thomas Christians believed each one can be saved in his own Law, all Laws are right. However, the Synod declared this to be erroneous. In practice the St. Thomas Christians had a theology of the Particular/Individual Church. We see here the principle of the Church as a communion of Churches.

From the practice of church administration, it is known that the St. Thomas Christians had a well developed theology of the role of the laity, especially regarding parish administration. Secondly, the bishop was a monk who was considered to be the spiritual leader, leaving the administrative part to a priest called the archdeacon. This is based on the biblical example of Moses following the advice of Jethro.

Enforcement of the Synod of Diamper decrees meant a process of Latinization of the St. Thomas Christians. This affected the liturgical life and spirituality, the administrative system, as well as the formation of the clergy, eventually leading to a schism of one group dissociating themselves from the Western missionary ecclesiastical rule, and becoming non-Catholic. The group that remained Catholic is known as the Syro-Malabar Church (Rite). One schismatic group that joined the Jacobites later rejoined the Catholic Church (1930), and is known as the Syro-Malankara Church.

Vatican II gave the impetus to the St. Thomas Christians to reclaim their heritage and to develop a distinct identity and theology. As a result of this, two different schools of thought in the Syro-Malabar Church have emerged. One school stresses restoration of the lost heritage and subsequent adaptation; the other school emphasises immediate reform as inculturation. For these purposes, centers of Oriental theology and spirituality, on one hand; and centers for inculturation, interreligious dialogue, ashram ways of religious life, attempts at developing an Indian theology, on the other hand, have already been launched.

2.1.4 Concluding Remarks

Asian theology will do well to imbibe the spirit of Eastern theology, with its emphasis on the Holy Spirit, mysticism, spirituality, and an apophatic approach. In the process of inculturation which is underway in Asia, the Syriac tradition in particular, which is actually purely Asian, will enhance the development of an Asian theological method.

The Syriac theological tradition is a legacy that enriches the whole Church. In particular it has to be given a very important place in the restoration/ reform of the ecclesial life of the St. Thomas Christians in India today. This, in turn, will be a valuable contribution to the Church in Asia and to Asian theology.

The above-named categories of Eastern theology have also weak points. With its focus on eschatology and mysticism, the Eastern tradition lacks sensitivity to social realities and to social evils. This is an area where Eastern theology can be inspired by the new trends present in Western theology. Eastern theology is less logical and systematic but more pastoral and spiritual.

In turn, Eastern theology can offer help to peoples worldwide in their search for a deeper spirituality and meaning of life, as it calls for an approach of the heart and a poetic dimension, rather than the predominance of reason. Whereas definitions can have a fossilizing effect, the Eastern methodology of symbolism and paradoxes has a vitalizing and freshening impact. The Spirit-centeredness of Eastern theology can promote the emerging theology of religions, since the work of the Spirit in all cultures will be given due attention. In fact, the Spirit is the great Pontifex (the bridge-maker) between the various peoples, their cultures and religions. This leads to a world of harmony for which people are thirsting.

2.2 Theological Method in the Western Tradition

2.2.1 Historical Background and Developments

Decisive for the development of theological thought in Christianity is the fact that the Christian religion was transferred from its country of origin to other countries. The first translation, literally carrying to another spot, was to Asia Minor, northwest of Judea. From there, it went farther northwestward to Greece, Rome and other parts of Europe. Early Christians throughout the Roman Empire, but in particular in Rome, were persecuted by the imperial power. It was only with the Edict of Milan 313 C.E. that the Christian faith could be practised in the open. This set the stage for great thinkers like St. Augustine and other “Western Fathers of the Church” to make their contribution to theology. The Hebrew and Greek Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were translated into the Latin Vulgate largely through the efforts of St. Jerome. Soon, however, the Dark Ages descended upon Europe with the destruction of the old Roman Empire by Northern invaders. During this period, the sacred scriptures and commentaries on them were preserved and copied, meditated upon and studied in monasteries in rural areas. These monasteries were also oases of liturgical and devotional prayer. It is also in this period that the people in the new countries of Europe were evangelized, mostly by evangelizers from the monasteries.

European culture emerged from the Dark Ages as the result of the process of mingling Hellenistic elements with Roman and German traditions. This led to the development of the “Holy Roman Empire of The German Nation,” with its inbuilt antagonism between the Holy Power of the Pope and the Holy Power of the Christian Emperor.

In this historical context, the European theological tradition is the result of an ever new reception of the Christian faith, expressed in reformation and renovation from within its own territorial confines. In the Eastern Church, on the other hand, one finds the Christian faith enriched in its expressions by Syrian, Coptic, Chaldean, Byzantine and other traditions, that were already ancient when the Church emerged from persecution. These ancient Eastern traditions were not changed by political and cultural upheavals like those that occurred with the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

The difference between Western and Eastern Christian theology has been characterised by the emphasis on rationality within the Western tradition, where the transition from myths to logos was effected by stressing the historicity and rationality of the Christian faith. The Great Schism of 1054 marked the end of the dialogue between Eastern and Western theology, with great consequences for both. European theology grew and developed in isolation from the Eastern Christian traditions.

Missionaries from Western Christianity ventured into the “new world” discovered by European explorers in the late 15^th and early 16^th centuries, that is to say, into North and South America, Africa, Asia-Pacific, China, India and their neighbouring regions. When this happened, Western European culture was understood by these missionaries as the model for the whole world. In the encounter with other cultures, this viewpoint led to generally negative reactions towards other traditions. The missionaries may have granted that other cultures had their values and even great achievements, but these were deemed deficient or in need of purification vis-à-vis Western culture.

Eventually, however, European thinkers realised the limitations of their own cultural traditions, and with the help of progress in knowledge and science, people in Europe tried to promote a new culture that would transcend the old. This effort went hand-in-hand with some forms of cultural relativism which cannot be found in other great cultures, like the Chinese or Indian traditions.

2.2.2 Eastern and Greek Roots of Western Theology

At the dawn of Christian theology stand the Apologists, who defended Christian doctrine, in the first place against Greek philosophers and their ideas, and only secondarily against the adherents of Greek or Roman religions. From the beginning, the position taken by Christian apologists was that of the absoluteness of Christianity, that is, the claim that everything which is valid, worthy and true rightly find its fulfilment and destination only in Christianity. This implied that when Greek philosophers had insights into the truth, they necessarily must have been in contact with the Logos, whose real nature, however, remained closed to them, because the mystery of incarnation was revealed only in the historical person of Jesus of Nazareth, who is the true and only incarnation of the eternal Logos.

The theological school of Alexandria developed from a school for catechists in the second century. It took on academic forms of teaching to explain the Christian faith to people trained in Greek philosophy, and to answer the objections levelled against Christian tenets by non-Christian philosophers. Representatives of the school of Alexandria are Pantaenus (ca. 180), Clement of Alexandria (ca.140-216), and Origen (ca. 185-254). Clement is important because he developed the idea that it is one and the same Logos who illumined the prophets and the philosophers. The source of all truth is this Logos who has become man in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the one and only teacher (paedagogos) of all humankind. The typological- allegorical exegetical method developed by Clement enabled the theologian to detect the “germinative words “ (logoi spermatikoi) in the teachings and doctrines of Greek philosophers and poets. Origen developed the doctrines of Clement further, using the philosophy of Plato. Origen laid the foundations for the Christological and Trinitarian theology formulated and defined in the first Councils. He developed the ideas of the “God-Man” (theanthropos), the “consubstantial” (homoousios), and “the mother of God” (theotokos) for Mary. His eschatological ideas of the final salvation of all created things have influenced Christian thinking deeply.

The theologians in Antioch relied more on Aristotle than on Plato in their way of doing theology. In interpreting holy scripture the theologians in Antioch were closer to the rabbinical tradition and did not use the Hellenistic forms developed by Jews living in Alexandria. The best known theologians of the Antiochean school are Paulus of Samosata (+272), John Chrysostom (ca. 344-407), Theodore of Mopsuestia (ca. 350-428), and Nestorius (381-451).

The Fathers of the Church generally recognized the value of pagan culture and its usefulness in thinking out the faith. Augustine (354-430), in a special way, stressed the role of human wisdom in helping the believer to deepen his understanding of the Mystery. The intellect is fully assumed by the dynamism of faith, through which God is not only the object of knowledge, but the source and the goal of love, embracing the whole of life.

2.2.3 Scholastic Theology

In the early Middle Ages theological training emerged from the monasteries to take pride of place in the universities of Europe, especially Paris. At first, theological reflection was restricted, because it lacked a metaphysical basis which could organise the complex subject material. It was Peter Lombard (1095-1160) who created the first systematic approach to theology with his Libri Quattuor Sententiarum in which he organised the material of theology according to four subjects: 1. The Doctrine of God, 2. The Doctrine of Creation, 3. The Doctrine of Salvation, and 4. The Sacraments and Eschatology. Nourished by continuous reading of the Holy Scriptures and of the Church Fathers, Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) developed theology as a science which was both faithful to the primacy of God’s revelation and to Aristotelian dialectics and philosophy. This synthesis of “believing and understanding”, however, could later degenerate into a mere “science of conclusions”, when revelation was no more studied for new meanings, but the revealed data were considered already given in the dogmatic formulations.

The contributions to theology and philosophy of the great Franciscan and Dominican theologians, teaching in the great universities of Europe in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, were decisive, and mark Western theological tradition to this very day. It was a time when Christianity tried to find its bearings after a grave crisis. The crisis was the trauma of the emergence of Islam and its swift military expansion from Arabia to the Holy Land, the birthplace of Christianity, and then across North Africa to the Iberian Peninsula, and even into the heartland of France (the decisive battle of Tours and Poitiers in 732). It left Western Europe isolated from the East and cut off by the Islamic states surrounding and encircling it. The Great Schism (1054) separated the Eastern and Roman Churches and brought about the separation of theological traditions. The West would henceforth develop in isolation.

Living in a Europe surrounded and in some areas penetrated by the phenomenon of Islam, some theologians dealt with the challenge of this “new religion” and its belief to be the “fulfilment” of what Judaism and Christianity had failed to accomplish. Among such theologians are Peter Damian, Thomas Aquinas (Summa contra Gentiles) and Raimund Lullus.

2.2.4 Mystical Traditions in Christian Theology

Christian mysticism is influenced by the Neo-Platonic ideas of Pseudo- Dionysius. Plato spoke of a double movement of the human soul emanating from God and returning into God. In Christian thinking this idea was transformed: humankind was created by God and redeemed in Jesus Christ, who in his incarnation transforms humankind into his likeness and enables the creature to find its destination in the mystical union with the Creator. The exponent of the Netherland Mysticism was Jan van Ruysbroeck (1293- 1381). The Devotio Moderna founded by Geert Grote (1340-1384), and the seminal work of the Imitation of Christ, stand in this tradition. The height of Christian mystical theology in the West was reached with the life and work of the great Spanish mystics, Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) and John of the Cross (1542-1591).

2.2.5 The Theological Agenda of the Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation was started by Martin Luther (1483-1546) and his theses in 1517; it was continued and enlarged by Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) and Jean Calvin (1509-1564). The theological agenda of the reformers was expressed in the formulas of “only scripture, only faith, only grace (sola scriptura, sola fide and sola gratia).” Tragically, various reform movements resulted in the split of the Western Church and the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) in Central Europe.

The Reformation was answered by the Counter-Reformation initiated by the Council of Trent (1545-1563). For the later missionary expansion of Christianity into Asia and Africa this meant that mission by the divided Christian churches and denominations became an export of division. Only with the emergence of the Ecumenical Movement in the 20th century did a process of understanding and healing of these divisions within the Christian Churches begin. Vatican II was a watershed as the Catholic Church responded to the positive contributions of the Reformation in the field of biblical theology, and made “the restoration of unity among all Christians one of its chief concerns” (UR 1). In cooperation with the World Council of Churches and the Roman Catholic Church there have been further developments in reaching agreements in disputed theological areas like justification.

2.2.6 The Challenge of the Enlightenment to European Theology

The emergence of the theories of Enlightenment can be seen as a reaction to the dogmatism and restrictions by the ecclesiastical and secular authorities on theological research. The philosophers of the Enlightenment reacted against these restrictions by postulating the freedom of reason, the end of intolerance, and the right of the individual to use his or her intellectual faculties freely. The key concepts were rationalism, mathematical clarity, optimistic belief in the power of reason and a critical evaluation of all theories.

The period of the Enlightenment gave birth to subjectivism and individualism. In the search for an unshakable foundation for human thinking, Descartes found certainty only in the self-awareness of the thinking subject: Cogito ergo sum. From there Descartes proceeded to divide reality between the “thinking subject” (res cogitans) and “extended beings” (res extensa). This resulted in two separate realms which finally led to a dualism of spirit and matter, and to a theory of man as subject and all other things as objects of human reasoning and activity.

On the positive side, the Enlightenment brought new freedom to all layers of society. The influence of ecclesiastical and secular authorities receded. There were many corrections with regard to an excessive dogmatism, overreliance on sacraments and liturgical practices, excessive belief in miracles, use of relics, pilgrimages and other practices. The fight for the freedom of the individual, equal rights for all humankind and solidarity among people in the famous triad of the French Revolution: liberté, égalite, fraternité was originally opposed by Church authorities because of their social-political repercussions. It took more than a century before Christian theologians recognized these values, as well as their socio-political consequences, as being in conformity with the Gospel, and as genuine offsprings of Christian insights into the nature of humankind and society.

2.2.7 The Neo-Scholastic School

The revival of Thomism and the Scholastic method of doing theology in the 19th and 20th century, in the time of Pope Leo XIII, arose from the perception that the central topics of theology had been dealt with long ago. The best thing for theologians to do was to revive the teachings of great theologians of the past, giving priority to St. Thomas Aquinas. New insights into theological problems were seen as logical developments of the data contained in the dogmatic formulations of past Councils. Genuine development of dogma seemed restricted to minor issues. In this theology, history, the lived experience of the faithful, as well as economic, political and cultural factors, did not play much of a role. Relying on abstract philosophical principles, which were assumed to contain universal truths, this deductive theology considered itself to be, in its form and conclusions, of universal validity. The idea that historical circumstances could and should play a role in the theologizing process, was rejected: this was seen only as a danger for the universal validity of Christian dogma.

For the missionary activity of the Church, the proclamation of the Gospel, and the establishing of the Church and its structures in other continents, this conviction of the universal validity of Western European theology meant that the missionaries in their encounter with other cultures and religions considered the Western method as the only possible way of doing theology. The difficulties they encountered in presenting the message of the Gospel in this Eurocentric form made some missionaries reflect, and motivated them to look for a more appropriate way of presenting the Christian message, making use of different philosophical and theological patterns for theological reflection. This did not meet with much acceptance at the center, and they had to wait until the time of Pope Pius XI and his revocation of the condemnation of the “Chinese Rites,” followed by Vatican II, for their attempts to become respectable.

2.2.8 Theology and the Crisis of Modernism

The theological crisis of Modernism in the nineteenth century, and its reaction of Anti-Modernism, gave rise to a certain stagnation in Western theology. Attempts by the Church to counter certain ideas and propositions which seemed to threaten the very foundations of the Faith and the Church resulted in increasing control by the Magisterium over the theological process. The general pattern of theological methodology during this period consisted in following the traditional triad: of starting from Holy Scripture, then having a look at the teachings of the Fathers of the Church, and, especially, reflecting on the position of the Church’s Magisterium. Only then could there be a personal reflection on the theological problems at hand. This method led to a seeming uniformity of theological thinking in the Church. This “seeming uniformity” was deceptive, and new forms of doing theology, like the nouvelle theologie in France, evolved and laid the ground for the New Spring of Vatican II.

2.2.9 The Impact of Vatican II on Western Theology

New forms of theology developed, perhaps first in France, but spread to Germany and other European, as well as North American countries. These laid the foundation for Vatican II. The encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu of Pius XII breathed new life into the study of the Bible and allowed scholars to develop new forms of studying the Bible. The renewed Holy Week Liturgy of Pius XII showed that change was possible and acceptable. The liturgical movement, the ecumenical movement, the priest-worker movement, and many other such movements, were instrumental in developing new theological ideas and methods. Furthermore, for the first time in the history of the Church theologians from Latin America, Africa and Asia began to make their voices heard. With Vatican II a new era of a truly world-wide Church began. With regard to theology this new era brought with it the realization of the need of a contextual theology that takes into account cultural, religious, economic, political and other factors as essential data for theological reflection. The insight into a new way of being a world Church as a community of many local Churches signalled, at the same time, the end of the myth of a one, universally-valid, Catholic theology.

This theological insight has brought many changes in the way of doing theology in the West, as well, bringing new theologies like the Latin American liberation theologies, theologies of inculturation in Africa and Asia, and specific forms of liberation theologies in various areas. It has highlighted one of the inherent difficulties of the previous academic type of theology: the academic theologians often had very limited contact and rapport with the common faithful in the local Churches who lived the Faith.

2.2.10 European Theology and Secularism

In the second half of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century Europe in its colonialist and imperialist expansion was the dominant power in the world. During this period theologians and missionaries exported the advanced ideas of European technology, natural sciences, education, means of communication, and political ideas, as universal values which could and should serve everywhere for the development of humankind. In Europe and in North America this led to a domination of rationality and a strong belief in the powers of modern technology and the natural sciences to foster the general progress of humanity. These ideas had their repercussions on Western theology. The worldview in the West changed, and the understanding of the relationship of humankind to nature and creation lost it sacred and mythical character. Nature and creation were seen as the objects of human productivity, to be used as material to build a prosperous world, controlled, if not produced, by humankind. Secularization was seen no longer as the loss of a sense of the sacred and a diminution of the influence of Christianity and the Christian Churches on society, but as the liberation of humankind from the fetters of irrational influences, mythological ideas and other factors hindering the seemingly unlimited, progress of humankind.

Typical for this position were the ideas advanced by J. B. Metz of the “worldly world,” the “humanization of the world,” and the process of “secularization,” as an inevitable development of humankind to a new form of existence which brings to an end the many forms of cultural and religious diversity in the “one world of modernity.” These were the ideas of the Sixties, when the “Secular City” (Harvey Cox) was praised as the model of a new world in which God was seen as the God of history, leading humankind to a new form of living without idols, in a world which was entrusted to humankind as object to be shaped and dominated. Teilhard de Chardin presented a new universal pattern of explaining the course of history and the destiny of the cosmos as a process of humanization, finding its apex in Jesus Christ, that is, in the “Christification” of the cosmos. Secularization was seen as an irreversible global process which would free humankind from the fetters of old beliefs, from the ghosts and spirits contained in religious traditions. For the first time in history humankind would be free to see the world as a “worldly world” and “God” truly as “God.”

The experiences of World War II, the growing poverty and dependence of Africa, Asia and Latin America (the so-called, “Third World”), and the awareness of the ecological devastation that modern technological and industrial development has brought with them, led to the sobering realization that the model of the modern industrialized world could not be a universal model of development for all humankind. The individualist and consumerist type of society developed in the West met with growing resistance from the side of other cultures and religions.

2.3 Summing Up

This brief overview of many centuries of theological reflection in the West shows the earnestness and intellectual capacity of the many persons engaged in the theological enterprise, and the scope and variety of the methods employed in interpreting the original message of the Gospel by using the tools of philosophy and other human sciences. For many centuries this type of Western European theology guaranteed unity in cult, in Church law and in the expressions of the Christian faith. It can be seen as a kind of privilege for Western European theology to have preserved the theological and philosophical heritage of the past, to have handed down the knowledge of the biblical languages and commentaries on the Holy Scriptures, and the speculative reflections on the Christian faith. The vast amount of special studies on certain theological problems is a contribution towards the richness of Christian tradition and to human culture as a whole.

However, besides the light there are heavy shadows. The impressive unity in the theological enterprise could only be achieved at the expense of theological pluralism. It is striking how Eurocentric, and even parochial, this theological enterprise now appears. The claim of being the universal way of doing theology is negated by the obvious limitation that it really is restricted to the particular context in which it originated. It is enough to point out that the Roman Catholic theology developed in Western Europe practically ignored the existence of the orthodox theological enterprise within the Oriental Churches. The developments in Protestant theological thinking were mostly seen as unorthodox deviations from the true doctrine, which had to be combated apologetically. As regards the challenges of extra-European religious, cultural and philosophical traditions, these were practically ignored. If they figured in at all, it was again more in the form of reaction to the fact that some of these religions, like Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam, still existed, and even brought forth movements of renaissance and reform. This phenomenon, however, was seen as disturbing, because it challenged the assumption that the superiority and absoluteness of Christianity would do away with these religions in the long run and absorb the positive values, which might be contained in them, as “germinative seeds of the word” (logoi spermatikoi).

Theology in the West is alive and developing in many new directions, but the time of the dominance of Western theological thinking and methodology has definitely come to an end. The Church is faced with the challenge of theological pluralism. This was signalled, for example, by African, Latin American and Asian theologians at the founding of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT) in Dar-es-Salaam, in 1976, when they rejected a merely academic theology of the European type, which is separated from action, as irrelevant to their way of doing theology. In their eyes the domination of European and North American theologies in their Churches constituted a kind of cultural control, no longer to be tolerated. The EATWOT theologians pointed out that these European and North American theologies originated as responses to certain situations and challenges in these countries, and that, therefore, they cannot claim universal validity. This criticism was repeated in other assemblies of EATWOT in Accra (1977) and in Delhi (1981), when they said that a theological tradition, which makes use of Western methods and is developed on the basis of the Western view of the world and of humankind, has little or no relevance for theologians in the Third World.

These and other criticisms of Western theological thinking and methodology are diminishing, because the development of contextual theologies all over the world has effectively diminished the influence of any single theology, including Western theology. On the other hand, the compatibility of theological pluralism with the unity of the universal Church is a new theological problem which should not be underestimated. Within the history of the Church this is a new phenomenon which raises the question of the limits of inculturation and contextualization. How are we to understand the expression of the Christian faith of the first ecumenical councils, which formulated the basic dogmas of Christology with help of Greek philosophical terminology, as binding on Christian theologians everywhere and at all times? In theological discussions among Asian theologians, the real issue at stake is whether Asian theologians have the freedom to make use of their cultural and religious heritage and use a terminology developed from their philosophical traditions, and from their lived experience of multireligious societies beset by demeaning poverty and economic injustice, to express the message of the Gospel and the Christian faith.

3.1 Sources and Resources of Theology in Theological Method in Asian Context

Doing theology in an Asian context means taking into account contextual realities as resources of theology. Methodologically, these enter into a theology done in a given situation. As Christians, we rely first on the Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, which form the one sacred deposit of the Word of God (Dei Verbum 10). The teaching office of the Church, whose authority is exercised in the name of Christ, has the task of authentically interpreting the deposit of the Word of God in the Spirit, in the ongoing life and mission of the Church. However, as Asian Christians, we do theology together with Asian realities as resources, insofar as we discern in them God’s presence, action and the work of the Spirit. We use these resources in correlation with the Bible and the Tradition of the Church. Use of these resources implies a tremendous change in theological methodology. The cultures of peoples, the history of their struggles, their religions, their religious scriptures, oral traditions, popular religiosity, economic and political realities and world events, historical personages, stories of oppressed people crying for justice, freedom, dignity, life, and solidarity become resources of theology, and assume methodological importance in our context. The totality of life is the raw material of theology; God is redemptively present in the totality of human life. This implies theologically that one is using “context” (or contextual realities) in a new way. To clarify this one can distinguish two different senses in which the word “context” is used in theology:

1. Traditionally, the use of contextual realities meant that the context was the background against which one did theology. This background was the people, their culture, religion, history and struggles. The faith or the Gospel and tradition must address the questions and challenges thrown up by the context and respond to them. This kind of theology was concerned with the ways of adapting and applying the message to people in their concrete socio-religio-cultural situations
2. Today “context” has a new meaning and perspective. Context, or contextual realities, are considered resources of theology (loci theologici) together with the Christian sources of Scripture and Tradition. Contextual realities become resources of theology insofar as they embody and manifest the presence and action of God and his Spirit. This is recognized through discernment and interpretation. It calls for theological criteria to recognize and assess the loci. This will be taken up below.

As a background to this presentation, one can recall the methods of theological reflection which have, in fact, been used by FABC. Since its inception in 1970 FABC has consistently used a contextual approach to theological reflection. It has interpreted contextual realities as resources for theological reflection, with a view to interpreting the mission of the Church in Asia. Using these resources has become integral to theological and pastoral reflection. One need only recall the method “The Pastoral Cycle” of the FABC. In all the general assemblies, the position papers, statements of the general assemblies, the various institutes and workshops organized by the different offices of FABC, in particular, the Office of Theological Concerns, we see a consistent pattern of theological reflection done with the resources of cultures, religions and sociopolitical realities. This method of using such resources, and of interpreting them as embodying God’s presence and action in our history and world, have come to be accepted, and is bearing fruit in the life of the Church.

3.2 Contextual Realities as Resources of Theology

3.2.1 Cultural Resources

Under this category come the constellations of collective symbolic values, world-views that touch the totality of life, human relationships, community, people’s relation to nature, and people’s beliefs, customs, etc. In a sense, culture is a people’s way of being human and inter-human. It embodies the values of the human person and the community, esteemed virtues such as hospitality, compassion, faithfulness, sense of the sacred, and society’s institutions. It includes people’s stories, myths, the folk wisdom, etc. These are gifts of God and fruits of the Spirit. They too contain “germinative seeds of the Word” sown by the Spirit.

Further, there is the moral wisdom embodied in the cultures, philosophies and religions of Asian peoples. This is also a resource of theology, since both knowing God’s purposes, and obeying and responding to them, i. e., doing God’s will, belong together. The moral dimension is constitutive of the wholeness of theology. In Asia morality is integrated into culture and religion. The moral law is ethic-theological. The fundamental concept of the Hindu--Buddhist tradition is dharma or dhamma, which is always understood as ethico-theological or ethico-religious; and is, hence a locus theologicus, as are Confucian thought and other ethico-religious traditions of the different Asian peoples.

3.2.2 Religious Resources

Religions formally treat the Divine, the Sacred and the Ultimate. Religion is a depth dimension of culture. When treating of religion, one can consider creed, cult, code and community as one. These categories are proposed by anthropologists, but may not be fully adequate for the purpose of a Christian theology. They are categories for scientific study. A Christian will also be deeply concerned with the Divine, the presence of the Word, and the action of the Spirit renewing and transforming people, their life and behavior, and leading them to salvation.

Among the elements of religion, scripture is one of the most important. For the believers. scripture is the carrier of divine communication, and testimony of God’s presence and action. They are related to soteriological concerns for the ultimate meaning and fulfilment of human life.

For theology in Asia, the Anselmian formula defining theology as “faith seeking understanding” is insufficient. In Hinduism, importance is given to vision (drsya), not reflection, or to the experience (anubhava) of the sages, The study of religious tradition or scriptures of the past needs a critical interpretation and sifting, so that they become meaningful today. The study of scriptures is not an archaeological research but a hermeneutical task, an actualizing interpretation. Asian people believe that the Transcendent is present and active in all religious traditions. In discerning and interpreting the word of God present in them, we take seriously the doctrine of the “Word of God coming to enlighten every man”(John 1:9). We read in Acts (14:17) that God never leaves himself without witness. The scriptures of other religions can be said to be witnesses of God, a providential means of God’s communication.

We know in fact how much our brothers and sisters of other faiths are spiritually nourished by their scriptures. We need to recognize that in God’s providence, the scriptures have helped the followers of other religions to mediate to them a God-encounter. In turn, our own faith has been clarified, deepened and enriched by their inspiring texts, embodying spiritual ideals. If these texts are willed by God in his providence for them, one can call them in some sense the word of God in the words of men.

People of other faiths consider their scriptures normative for them, providing guidelines for their faith experience, but we do not consider them “inspired” in the sense the Bible is considered inspired. We hold that these scriptures are also willed by God in his Providence. When we use the scriptures of other believers in our theology, we read them in the light of their faith and their discernment. However, our reading of these scriptures reflects a Christian perspective. But, insofar as we are heirs to this heritage, we recognize God’s presence in them, and guidance coming from them, and submit ourselves to him who guides all to salvation. Hence, for us the foundational writings of the Asian Experience of the Transcendent God are an important resource for theology.

For Christian theology the Bible remains the primary source, because the Bible mediates the revelation of the mystery of God manifested in Christ, God’s eschatological saving presence among us, testified to for us by the apostolic preaching (“faith of the apostles”). The Bible is the primary source because it is “the authenticated expression of God’s eschatological revelation which gives the final meaning to all history.”

Hinduism, divides its scriptures into self-authenticated texts (sruti) and dependent tradition (smrti). For Asian Christian theology, both are significant resources (pramanas), to the extent that they mediate God’s word to the people, and are a standard of sure and right knowledge of God or of revelation. We accept this possibility, because God’s saving will and plan encompass the totality of humanity and human history, including the scriptures of other religions. Many who have had closer contact with and experience of dialogue with Hinduism, recognize the presence of such divine communications, even if they are not perfect. The most important thing is how these texts are discerned and interpreted as embodying authentic elements of the Word.

In our situation of plural traditions of culture and religions, the way to interpret and discover the resources of theology and God’s Word in them is to listen. Ecumenical dialogue, interreligious dialogue, and inculturation are expressions of such listening and discernment. At the same time, the experience of dialogue and inculturation, and the accumulated insights from these experiences testify to the work and fruits of the Spirit. We need to learn from the way Jesus recognized and admired the faith of a non-Israelite: “Nowhere, even in Israel, have I found such faith” (Mt 8:10).

One must also note that there are religions that have no formal scriptures but only oral traditions, as is the case of tribal religions with a primal vision of life. Oral traditions are also important resources of theology. It is a happy development among tribal theologians in India, the Philippines, Japan and Malaysia that they have started recovering oral traditions of the tribal religions, their myths and stories as resources for tribal theology. The primal visions of tribal religions and worldviews are significant loci theologici. Local Churches of Asia become truly local when they take root in these indigenous traditions.

Other important elements of religion are worship or cult (both its way and its content), the code as a demand of the faith of the people, the commitment people live by, and the life of the community. Worship includes the popular religiosity of the followers of both the world religions and of primal religions, which is manifested in the celebration of feasts, rituals, pilgrimages, which are observed in significant life situations, life cycle rites, etc. Popular religiosity is a locus theologicus.

It is important to note that the religious faith lived by the followers of other religions can be learned and retrieved only through intense listening in dialogue. In interreligious dialogue one learns how people’s faith and hopes are experienced and lived, and how they are transformative of peoples. The transforming potential of religious faith, and the hope that we witness and touch in the dialogue of life and of spirituality with the followers of other faiths, are significant theological resources. This is an arena revealing God’s grace at work.

3.2.3 Social Movements as Resources

Movements for social transformation in different areas of human life constitute another resource. All movements for social change, and events marking such a change, can be considered loci theologici (accepted theological resources) insofar as they embody the commitment of people to transform themselves and society. This commitment manifests the Spirit’s presence. The saga of human struggles for liberation becomes a significant contextual resource.

In liberation movements there is an awakened consciousness and commitment to justice, dignity, freedom, solidarity, and for the transformation of life and society. Reflection on these movements gives birth to new theologies. Examples of this are the Minjung theology in Korea, the theology of struggle in the Philippines, Dalit theology in India. All of these are theologies resulting from a liberative awakening. The liberative interpretation of Hinduism made by Swami Agniwesh, the Dhammic socialism of Bhikku Buddhadasa, liberation theologies in Islam and in other religions are examples of similar processes taking place among followers of other religions.

3.2.4 Movements Of Special Importance

3.2.4.1 Women’s Movements

There are women’s movements and a rising feminine consciousness in all Asian countries. They struggle not only for justice, equality and rights, but also for a new vision of society, for a wholeness in human relationships. This includes a critique of the existing society, its institutions and arrangements, with a vision to move towards a just, humane, participatory, compassionate, peaceful world. Theology in Asia has to reckon with this in a very significant way. Here too, among Christians there is a growing theology with a feminist perspective, such as the ecumenical forum for Asian feminist theology. Women in their theology use their feminine experiences as a resource. The task before theology and theologians, men and women, in Asia is to appropriate this resource in theological reflection.

3.2.4.2 Tribal Movements

Another resource for theology is found in the various tribal movements. Tribal peoples are struggling to protect their identity, their value heritage, and their rights, in situations where they are exploited, displaced and marginalized, such as the Jharkhand movement of the tribals in the Chotanagpur area in India. In their primeval vision of life, religion, culture, land, forests, agriculture, community form one integrated whole. The sense of community, the relationship of people to the land and forests, which are not a commodity but gifts given to all to be protected and conserved by all and for all, is a precious heritage. These realities are for them and for us loci theologici, a theological arena where God and his Spirit speak.

3.2.4.3 Ecological Movements

One can mention ecological and environmental movements that link the rights of the people and justice to the goals of preservation of a healthy environment and conservation of nature and its resources, with a sense of intergenerational responsibility and care for the earth as the home for humans and other living beings. These movements of urban, industrialized and technological societies also become loci theologici.

3.2.4.4 Reality of the Poor as Locus Theologicus

In Asia millions of people still suffer from massive poverty. These victims of deprivation, dispossession, humiliation, exclusion and oppression, who struggle for dignity, freedom, solidarity and a life worthy of their humanity, are privileged resources for theology. The anawim are the medium par excellence for a God-encounter. From a Christian perspective the poor, in the totality of their life, draw God’s liberating presence. His option for them, and his covenant with them for their liberation, is also a call for a life of equality, dignity, freedom and solidarity for all. Liberation movements of the marginalized, along with their beliefs and their hopes, are a privileged locus theologicus insofar as God is with them, to do justice and to vindicate them. This is also a judgement on their oppressors. The poor mediate God’s challenge to them for conversion. Biblical revelation unerringly and pointedly emphasizes the preferential option for the poor.

When the poor, or the non-persons of history and the of contemporary world, come together to struggle for the common project of creating an alternative society that is just, humane, participatory, caring and compassionate, a society of freedom, equality and solidarity, then they become a people. The process by which they become a people should be considered a theological reality. Moreover, the poor, the non-persons and non-peoples live a cosmic religiosity which is a specifically unique resource of theology. Their spirituality is marked by a this-worldliness focused on life’s basic needs, which defines their relation to God. Having little, they are totally dependent on God. God is a “God of rice and curry.” They cry to God for justice in their struggles here and now. In their cosmic spirituality women find a space for freedom to express their oppression in symbolic ways. Their spirituality is ecological, and their idiom of communication is the story.

The cosmic religiosity of the poor, marked by these characteristics, manifests God’s own special love for and pact with the poor, a very significant locus theologicus. Christians affirm, in the light of biblical revelation and the social teaching of the Church, that God’s preferential love and option is for the poor. This means that the poor are the bearers of the Word of God in their faith in the preferential love of God for them. In other words, they are sacraments of God’s preferential love. This sacramental word from the poor will tell us of God’s norms for personal and social life as the norms of God’s Reign. “To listen to God is to listen to the poor.” In the Biblical tradition, “the little ones” are the favored ones of God, to whom the Father and the Son reveal themselves.

There is another sense in which the poor become vicars of Christ, affirmed especially in the last judgement scene. (See Mt 25:31-46; Mk 9:36- 37, 41, etc.). In women, children, the sick, the prisoner, the hungry, i.e., the poor, we meet Christ and serve Christ. This is a faith affirmation, and for committed persons an unambiguous experience of God and Christ. Hence, theology has to reckon more and more with this theological reality of the presence of God and Christ. The poor brothers and sisters represent Christ. We must listen to them in discerning the mission of building God’s Reign. Here one must mention the significant New Testament thinking that Jesus identifies himself with the poor (Mt 25:31-46), and shares in the condition of the poor. In the context of his own appeal to help the needy Church and the poor, St, Paul says: “you know the generosity of our Lord Jesus Christ: he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that through his poverty you might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9).

For Christian theology, the foundational principle and central criterion of God’s presence and action in the world, in peoples, in religions, in cultures and their history, is the total mystery of Jesus Christ -- incarnation, ministry, passion, death and resurrection, ascension and the Gift of the Spirit (Pentecost), as presented in the New Testament. A deeper and all-embracing grasp of this mystery will be decisive in discerning all the resources of theology: scriptures of other religions, culture, the history of people’s suffering and struggles. The same mystery brings an openness to God’s liberating truth and saving grace, which is manifested as action of the Spirit in other religions and peoples. It further deepens and expands our own theological resources.

3.2.4.5 Peoples’ Movements

People’s movements for human rights, workers’ movements, etc., develop stories of people’s struggles for a new humanity, and are important signs of the times which we have to interpret theologically for the mission of God’s Kingdom. Based on these resources, there has been a flowering of people’s theologies.

Moreover, today we have to read the signs of the times in the economic and political realities of our continent. These, too, are theological resources, to be interpreted and utilized. They may promote human wellbeing in a way worthy of human persons and communities; or they may be destructive of the same. Economic activity can be humanising and liberating or it can be dehumanizing and oppressive. Today, economic progress is vitiated by the acquisitive goals of profit based on the greed of some groups to the detriment of justice to others. Globalization and the international debt of poor countries are important issues challenging the moral and religious sense of humanity.

Political realities linked to economic, sociocultural and religious realities, the political histories of peoples and nations, insofar as they impact the present and affect the future, can also be loci theologici. For example, we can mention the movement for national independence in India and other countries. We also need to remember important persons and events, e.g., Gandhi and the Non-Violence movement, and political developments, e.g., the UNO Charter of Human Rights, the Indian Constitution. In all these realities, we need to read the signs of the times, interpret them for their human, religious and spiritual content, and respond to God’s mission in our times.

3.3 Specifically Christian Sources

Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, as one sacred deposit of the Word of God, enjoy primary normativity and fundamental importance for theology. The Church believes that the revelatory Word of God is supremely fulfilled in the Christ-event.

A dynamic understanding of the Sacred Tradition in the ongoing life of the Church includes the doctrinal teachings of the councils, symbols of faith or creeds proposed by them, as well as the liturgical traditions of the Church (lex orandi lex credendi—"as people pray, so they believe"), and the accepted teachings of the Fathers of the Church, both East and West. Growth in the understanding of the realities and the words handed on takes place “through the contemplation and study made by believers, who treasure these things in their hearts (Lk 2:19, 51), through the intimate understanding of spiritual things they experience, and through the preaching of those who have received through episcopal succession the sure gift of truth” (DV 8).

Moreover, the Council says: “God, who spoke in the past, continues to converse with the Spouse of his beloved Son. And the Holy Spirit, through whom the living voice of the Gospel rings out in the Church—and through it in the world—leads believers to the full truth and makes the word of Christ dwell in them in all its richness (Col 3:6).” (DV 8) In the Church, both Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture are accepted and venerated with the same sense of devotion and reverence, as both flow from the same divine wellspring (DV 10).

3.4 The Theological Basis of Resources

Based on these Christian sources one reflects on the new resources of cultures, religions, peoples, their history, struggles, movements, their sufferings and hopes, as well as economic and political realities and sees in them the action of the Spirit. The action of the Spirit can be seen in the increase of faith, hope and love in people, in their being strengthened in struggles for new life in hope. The Spirit vivifies, renews, transforms bestows life on humanity in all its diversity of peoples, cultures and social mores. It is always liberative and promotive of the well-being of people and, therefore, redemptive and salvific. Its work is seen in an increase and enrichment of human life, and in the resurrection of the humiliated and the downtrodden. We know from our faith that God and his Spirit are present and active in creation and in the whole of human history. God encompasses all dimensions of life, leading it to transformation and redemption. It is the liberating and transforming presence and action of God and his Spirit in the cosmos and in history that makes contextual realities theological resources.

Doing theology with Asian resources means that these loci theologici are integrated into theology, together with the Christian sources of faith which guide our theological enterprise decisively, though not exclusively. We thus move into new frontiers of theology—the history of Asian peoples. We expand our horizons, gain insight into God’s mystery and his ways operative among the peoples of the continent.

One might ask: What is the theological basis in the Christian tradition for the discernment and interpretation of contextual realities as loci theologici? First, Christian faith considers the whole universe, all of creation, as a manifestation of God’s glory and goodness. As St. Bonaventure says: “God created all things not to increase his glory and goodness, but to manifest them and to communicate them.” Christian tradition and spirituality have recognized that the universe reveals God and is also a sacrament of God’s love for all beings. The Spirit fills all things and holds them together (cf. Wisdom 1:7). The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms that all creatures reflect in their own way a ray of God’s infinite wisdom (n. 339). The whole of creation bears for us “a reflection of God’s truth, goodness and harmony” to serve the well-being of humanity and integrity of creation.

Secondly, Christians affirm that God is the Lord of history. This means that God, who created the universe and humankind, is present and active in and through his Spirit in the whole gamut of human history, leading all to the eschaton of God’s Kingdom.

God as redeemer reveals his salvific plan, which is one for all humankind. This salvific plan explains the presence of God’s saving grace in religions, cultures, movements, history of peoples, their struggles. The presence of rays of truth, elements of holiness, “germinative words” (logoi spermatikoi), and the fruits of the Spirit in other religions and cultures, events social and religious are accepted in the documents of the Church. The Second Vatican Council speaks of the action of the Spirit in the heart of everyone, “seeds of the Word,” found in human enterprises, including religious ones, and in the efforts men make in search of truth, to attain goodness and God (Ad Gentes, 3, 11, 15; Gaudium et Spes (GS), 10-11, 22, 26, 38, 41, 92- 93). The Spirit is at work in all the existential questionings of human persons in their search for meaning, goodness, truth and salvation. In the Redemptoris Missio (RM) of Pope John Paul II, we read that “the Spirit’s presence and activity affect not only individuals but also society and history, peoples, cultures and religions”(28). The totality of life and of creation is the locus of the presence and action of the Spirit of God. Further, “the Spirit is at the origin of the noble ideals and undertakings which benefit humanity on its journey through history”(28). The same encyclical affirms the presence of the Risen Christ through the Spirit, generating a desire for the fullness of life, purifying and strengthening all noble aspirations and making life more human (28). Moreover, it is the Spirit who sows the seeds of the Word in customs and cultures of peoples preparing them for the fullness of the Gospel (28).

Redemptoris Missio also speaks of the universal presence of the Spirit in time and space. The Church accepts the presence of grace working in the hearts of people in ways unknown and unseen, and of the Holy Spirit who “offers to everyone the possibility of being associated with the paschal mysteries,” that they have left records of their enlightenment in their sacred books.

Prayer life and spirituality of other religious traditions manifest the presence of the Spirit. “Every authentic prayer is prompted by the Holy Spirit, who is mysteriously present in every human heart” (29). The Biblical tradition affirms that the Word enlightens every human person coming into the world (Jn 1:9).

Christ came to take away the sins of the world. He is the salvific event of all humankind. In the arena of contextual realities one must also recognize the presence of evil and sin in the world, in socio-cultural and religious realities. This affirms the need of redemption for all. While reading the signs of the times and interpreting the contextual realities as resources of theology, one must discern and be attentive to the negative reality of evil and sin.

Hermeneutics is the science of interpreting a text, especially a Biblical text. Christ himself interpreted the text of the Scriptures for his listeners, and down the ages the Church has continued to interpret the Bible in an ongoing attempt to understand the message and apply it to the concrete lives of the Christian people. With the explosion of biblical studies since the end of the last century, considerable progress has been made in the science of biblical hermeneutics. This section will briefly consider the question of biblical hermeneutics in Asia, and then turn to the ways in which followers of other religions interpret their texts and from this develop a theology. If Christians wish to understand and dialogue with peoples of other faiths, it is important that they understand how they have interpreted their texts down the ages. Furthermore, these ancient approaches to texts developed in the various cultures of Asia are part of the heritage of Asian Christians. We will also some examples of how Christians might understand and use these texts in their on-going search for a deeper and inculturated understanding of God’s revelation in Christ.

4.1 Asian Biblical Hermeneutics

Like all Christians, Asian Christian exegetes accept the inspiration of these Scriptures as a mystery that harmonizes with the Incarnation of the divine Logos in Jesus Christ. The first and most important resource for the interpretation of the Bible is the Christocentric faith that accepts Jesus Christ as the eternal Word of God who became incarnate to save the human race. He redeemed humankind through his passion and death on the cross. He transforms humankind and the whole cosmos through his resurrection and glorious Lordship. This transformation will be completed at the end of time when he returns. Through this Christocentric faith the Jewish Scriptures were reread by the communities of Christian believers led by the twelve Apostles. Through the principle called the analogy of faith passages of Scripture clarify one another and seeming contradictions are reconciled.

4.1.1 Revitalization of Ancient Hermeneutics

Asian biblical interpreters find in Asian cultures and religions convergences with the ways of interpreting that are found in the Bible itself and those used by the Church Fathers, and even by later theologians, until the advent of modern historico-literary criticism. The most significant convergences are in typology and symbolism; in the allegorical, moralistic and anagogic (eschatological) approaches. Dhvani or resonance hermeneutics is of particular interest in India (see n. 4.2.6 below). Using resources from their cultures and from Asian-born world religions, Asian exegetes today have revitalized these methods or approaches, harmonizing them with the modern historico-critical method, and putting them to the service of life in modern Asia.

4.1.2 Primacy of the Literal Sense

In harmony with the document of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, published in November, 1993, contemporary biblical exegetes in Asia continue using “the historico-critical method (as) the indispensable method for the study of the meaning of ancient texts” (I, A). They reject the fundamentalist or literalist stance that “excludes every effort at understanding the Bible that takes account of its historical origins and development” (I, F). They keep an openness to hermeneutic approaches that aim to make the text relevant and spiritually fruitful to present-day readers.

The historico-critical method of exegesis gives primacy to the literal sense. There is a world of difference between this and the literalist sense that is sought by fundamentalist interpreters, who give an almost absolute value to the words of Scripture, without any attempt to relate them to the life-context of the human author, that is indispensable to a proper understanding of the original meaning of any given text. The literal sense is the meaning of a text in its original context, which is recovered through a critical, historico-literary study.

Historically, the search for the literal sense is a thrust that biblical hermeneutics owe mainly to Western scholars, but the cultures and religions of Asia are not without elements to corroborate it. Interpreters of Asian scriptures other than the Judaeo-Christian ones have given rules to their disciples on how to recover the original meaning of texts (see 4.3 below). Christian interpreters will do well to apply judiciously and with faith and prayer such rules to their own quest for the meaning of biblical passages.

Asian Scripture professors should have an academic degree in exegesis, and not only in biblical theology, which does not require expertise in the original languages of the Bible. This is necessary for Asian biblical theologians to be competent in dealing with interpreters of Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic scriptures, who have access to their sacred languages. The Churches of Asia will do well to urge their university and seminary professors of Scripture to interpret the Judaeo-Christian teachings from the original languages. More importantly, our Asian Churches are to insist that they be served by a good number of exegetes who have acquired at least a licentiate in Sacred Scripture. In this way, biblical hermeneutics in Asia will be assured of having a healthy critical thrust, and the primacy of the literal sense will be upheld.

4.1.3 Contextual Hermeneutics

While the literal sense takes account of the context of the human authors of Scriptures, the sensus plenior is the surplus of meaning that God, the “totally other” Author of the Scriptures intended to convey, through providential indications in the text, to future readers in their own contexts, which could be quite different from the context of the original readers. Many exegetes, both in the West and in Asia, are becoming more and more convinced that passages in the Bible do have a senses plenior or more than literal sense, which should be judiciously discovered. The adoption of this position in practice has led Asian biblical exegetes to the new Asian biblical hermeneutics. Asian interpreters of the Bible, both at the scholarly and the popular levels, search for the meaning of biblical texts: (1) in relation to Asian worldviews and cultures which are cosmic, Spirit-oriented, family and community-oriented; and (2), in relation to Asian situations in the socioeconomic, political and religious fields.

Through this new Asian biblical hermeneutics Asians hope that the task of Asian inculturation will be accomplished more quickly. They also hope that this new Asian biblical hermeneutics will become a resource for interfaith dialogue. They are confident that, when this is practised, there will be a mutual spiritual enrichment of Christians and their partners in dialogue.

The new Asian biblical hermeneutics have already borne fruit among the millions of poor people of Asia, many of whom are oppressed. There are, for example, the Liberationist interpretation adapted from South American liberation theology; the Minding interpretation that attends to the empowerment of the “little ones” in Korea; and the Davit interpretation contextualized by the struggle for dignity and equality of the marginalized “fifth caste” of Indian society.

4.1.4 People-Based Hermeneutics

The new Asian biblical hermeneutics should not only be a resource for scholars but for the whole People of God in Asia. For this to happen, however, the people must be “empowered.” This is done when their pastors recognize that Jesus Christ is the Teacher who speaks directly to the minds and hearts of the people. The Holy Spirit is then “another Advocate” who reminds them of Christ’s teachings and helps them to put these into practice. Bishops and priests will do well to urge the laity to experience these verities in their lives. The “empowerment” is also done by providing people with translations of the Bible in their own languages, using a “dynamic equivalence,” whereby the translation renders the original text meaning for meaning rather than word for word formally. Study bibles for special groups, like young people, married couples, workers and so on, are to be prepared by experts. Bible-sharing guides are to be prepared, preferably by exegetes, so that the meaning of Scripture that is shared from experience will not be arbitrary but within the ambit of God’s salvific plan of leading people to spiritual maturity through word-events. To some extent this is already being done in the Philippines, by the approach called Bibliarasal and by the Bible study methods adopted in the FABC Asian Integrated Pastoral Approach (ASIPA). Theologians will do well to accept the interpretations of Scriptures that emerge from the people, in the manner just described, as an important resource for doing theology in Asia.

4.1.5 Reality Greater Than Text

Asian Catholic exegetes are challenged by the observation of the Pontifical Biblical Commission that the task of the Catholic exegete “embraces many aspects. It is an ecclesial task, for it consists in the study and explanation of Holy Scripture in a way that makes all its riches available to pastors and the faithful. But it is at the same time a work of scholarship, which places the Catholic exegete in contact with non-Catholic colleagues and with many areas of scholar