Justification in the New Testament writings

Recognizing our sinful nature, the New Testament presents justification as a divine act of grace. Through faith in Christ, we are freed from the bondage of sin and receive a new life, a gift that we can never earn or deserve. This article is structured in three parts, as it emerges from the New Testament writings: in the first part, we will dwell first on the Gospels. Then we will present at length the Apostle Paul’s conception of justification. And finally, we will place alongside the doctrine of Saint Paul and the one emphasized in the Letter of St. James the Apostle.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.53438/HKXM3800

Dialog 54-1 Bîrnat)

Justification in the Old Testament

The term „justification” is a fundamental concept in Pauline theol­ogy, which took the term righteousness from the Old Testament. By righteous­ness and justification, the Old Testament means the divine evaluation of human conduct; as such, these concepts are concerned not so much with an ideal of human perfection as with the realization of personal choices in accordance with God’s plan and will. Righteousness is only that which JHWH has found to be so. Man becomes righteous only when he fulfills God’s will. This article is structured in three parts: in the first part, justification is briefly analysed from a dogmatic-theological point of view. The second section focuses on the Old Testament term justice, the background from which the Apostle Paul—and later the whole of Catholic theology—drew inspiration to define the concept of justification. Finally, in a third section, the key concepts in the Old Testament for the doctrine of justification are presented.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.53438/THDL8937

Dialog 53-5 Bîrnat

Valerian Sergiu Topală: Neo-Thomistic Organicism, A Scientific-Metaphysical Perspective on Human Nature

This article offers an alternative solution to the perennial philosophical problem of human nature. The view proposed is “Neo-Thomistic Organicism”, a form of dualism, of the hylomorphist type, that does not subscribe both to the extreme characteristics of Cartesian dualism, and to complementarian non-reductionist physicalist views. Our optic integrates the scientific elements of a form of biological vitalism and both shares Aristotelian-Thomist metaphysics, and alienates from Thomas Aquinas in crucial points. In this sense, our perspective is constituted as a scientific-metaphysical understanding regarding human nature, in general, and regarding the soul-body relationship, in particular. The novelty brought by our article does not lie in a completely new perspective, but in some of the morelandian modifications made to classical Thomism and in the holistic approach to the subject that integrates the relevant scientific discoveries in the field of biology and neuroscience. In opposition to Moreland, on the question of individuation, this article is proposing a hybrid approach to how substances and bare particulars possess properties. To achieve its purpose, our analytical approach will begin by offering an exposition of Thomas Aquinas treatise on human nature as it is registered in Summa Theologica, Ia, qq. 75-89, especially to outline, on this basis, some of the fundamental points in which we differ from classical Thomism. This will be followed by a presentation of our perspective, of the morelandian type, and its compatibility with scientific research in biology and neurology. Next, in order to further clarify our position, we will turn to a comparison between the morelandian perspective and complementarian naturalist-physicalist conceptions of human nature, especially of substance. At the end of this comparison we will outline the objections to the morelandian view that distinguish us from it. Finally, we will offer a response to the causal pairing physicalist objection.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.53438/WOKN8508

Dialog 53-2 Topală

Tarciziu Grădinaru: L’uomo creato ad immagine di Dio e ricreato attraverso la kenosi del Figlio

Sacred Scripture is the main advocate and defender of human dignity. Man’s dignity derives precisely from the fact that a ‘piece’ of God has been placed in him, the ‘image and likeness’ of God has been impregnated in him (Gen 1,26-27). Sin comes between man and God, depriving man of the glory he should have had in God’s company. Through kenosis, the Logos takes on human nature with which he performs the work of salvation so that man sees in the glorified Son the archetype according to which he was created. Christ incarnate and glorified has recreated man, has deified him. The kenosis of the eternal Logos materialised in the incarnation was not only a way through which man was able to see the perfect prototype after which he was created, but also became a model to be followed in living life on this earth.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.53438/UOUB7542

Dialog 51-6 Gradinaru

Ciprian Fechetă: Christian Creationism and Scientific Evolutionism

The question regarding the origin of man is one of the oldest ones. But it came again at the surface of wondering with the anthropological revolution caused by Charles Darwin in the 19th century with his evolutionary theory about natural selection. Nowadays, after more than one century, after the scientific crisis, after the Intelligent design debate, on calmer water, the truth about creationism, evolutionism and their relationship seem clearer. But before assuming a certain position concerning those two it is needed a process of understanding the roots of such visions, their intentions, and their consequences.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.53438/YLPX8366

Dialog 46-4_Fecheta

Ciprian Fechetă: The roots of the question about the origin of man

Since Charles Darwin has came up with the theory of natural selection there has been a never-ending dispute between evolutionism and creationism regarding the origin of man. This tension has led to the searching of the roots, the roots of man and of the speech about him. These roots have to see the man as unity. That’s why the speech concerning the origins of man must be both physical and metaphysical. For this reason, in this article I’ve highlighted the position of man in the cosmos and his nature beyond the seen reality. These aspects consist of the metaphysical intuition of men manifested especially in religion.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.53438/GKBK7922

Dialog 44-3_Fecheta

Vittorio POSSENTI: Noi che non sappiamo affatto che cosa sia la persona umana

The article tries to respond to this questions: what makes the man be a human and a person? That is why, first of all, a short incursion in the philosophical background of today; second of all, a few frame elements about the question of man in the modern philosophy. Thus, the author passes to the analysis of the characteristics of the person, that from an ontological point of view, moves around three key concepts: dignity, truth and freedom. Together with saint Tomas d’Aquino, one affirms: that „persona significat id quod est perfectissimum in tota natura, scilicet subsistens in rationali natura” and it is especially underlined that the human person is a center of dynamic unification, is a concrete totality, that shows itself in the analysis of the relation between dignity and liberty. After a short digression upon the reductionism and of upon what is irresistible in man, the author verifies the dignity of the man in two domains, today, in crisis: the idea of humanism and the „literal” education from universities. Finally, the author pleads for a humanism that represents the tension towards the realization of the essence or of the human nature and a formation road that should be penetrated by the truth-principle.

DT126_V

Gheorghe POPA: Iisus Hristos şi împlinirea omului

În contextul cultural şi spiritual de astăzi, pentru un creştin nu există o reală împlinire a omului în afara unei relaţii cu Hristos, relaţie posibilă numai în Biserică. Biserica lui Hristos este mediul sacramental în care se realizează creşterea spirituală şi împlinirea existenţială a omului. Pentru ca omul să se împlinească în Biserică este nevoie să se îndeplinească unele condiţii: prima este ascultarea duhovnicească faţă de Biserică, în care un rol prioritar îl are iubirea; a doua este disciplina ascetică care set un act liturgic, o lucrare a creştinului împreună cu harul Duhului Sfânt, care are ca scop transformarea sa în templu al lui Dumnezeu.

DT0411_Gheorghe Popa

Wilhelm Dancă: Omul ca imagine a Sfintei Treimi după Sfântul Augustin

Pentru sfântul Augustin, ca şi pentru Părinţii Bisericii din această perioadă, omul participă la fiinţa lui Dumnezeu: dovada acestei participări este elementul spiritual din om. Sfântul Augustin este primul care susţine că prototipul creaţiei omului este Sfânta Treime. După sfântul Augustin, omul este imaginea şi asemănarea Sfintei Treimi; imaginea este imprimată în omul interior, adică în sufletul raţional, într-un om interior contemplativ şi înţelept, nu în omul învăţat. Imaginea Treimii în omul interior se exprimă prin triada „mens” (mintea, spiritul în care sunt raţiunea şi inteligenţa), „notita” (cunoaşterea de sine în sens ontologic, act intelectiv prin care mintea se cunoaşte pe sine) şi „amor” (cunoscându-se, mintea se iubeşte). Asemănarea cu Sfânta Treime stă în existenţa a trei elemente constitutive (memoria, inteligenţa, voinţa) care, deşi sunt trei, fac parte dintr-o singură viaţă, minte, substanţă, formând o singură realitate.

DT056_Wilhelm Dancã

Vittorio Possenti: Cambiare la natura umana? Biotecnologie e questione antropologica

The present article analyzes the thesis according to which the modern technologies to improve the physical life postulate an adequate knowledge of the human being and its primordial necessities. After the latest events that occurred in this domain this hard penetrating element has become more problematic. In consequence, the author wishes to look into the significance of the human nature concept, presenting from the philosophical and not from the theological point of view different ways of understanding the concept under discussion. In this case, the reference to Habermas J. and Fukuyama F. seems inevitable. With the help of Habermas we can track the future human nature identification, with a pronounced ethical character. With Fukuyama we can remake the human nature concept in a key that can be called neo-aristotelique. The author’s opinion is that the human nature cannot be changed, even if there can be modified lots of accidental elements from the human being when applying the modern technologies from the medical domain. Also, neither the human and social relations can be influenced: the human person cannot ever be modified in its base structure. Because it is an individualized human nature within a singular entity the person is guarantee of man’s unity. The present article contains some justifications for the thesis above, shortly analyzing the disease and therapy concepts and analyzing a little more the risks that the reduction understanding of a reality’s content can have. In the end the author shows how important it is the correct understanding of the human nature concept in domains such as philosophical anthropology, bio-ethics, and also political, moral and educational sciences.

DT139_V