Theology between Models and Metaphors. A Model-based Scientific Theology Facing Biblical Narratives and Personal Belief

Baumgartner, Dominik (2023): Theology between Models and Metaphors. A Model-based Scientific Theology Facing Biblical Narratives and Personal Belief. Models, Metaphors and Simulations. Epistemic Transformation in Literature, Science and the Arts, Erlangen, Deutschland, 18. - 21. Mai 2023.

Abstract

Theology, like no other science, faces the challenge of reconciling metaphorical speech and theory-based models. Especially Christian theology, which refers to the Bible (a text corpse containing different kinds of metaphorical narratives some of them contradicting each other) as its Holy Scripture and normative foundation, is repeatedly challenged to transfer the metaphorical speech about God and narrative texts into theories and models. In doing so, it is (at least in the majority) positively and appreciatively disposed towards both methods of speaking and thinking about God, because it is guided by the insight that personal belief and religious experiences is expressed primarily in narrative-metaphorical terms, while the epistemic representation and propositional expression of religious convictions is reflected primarily in theories and models. Thus, on the one hand, a theology that wants to take seriously people's beliefs has to transform their often narrative and metaphorical expression into truth-valuable propositions (metaphor à model: scientific theology) and, on the other hand, to express theoretical axiom systems in intersubjectively comprehensible images (metaphor à model: catechesis). In my presentation I would like to show how the theory of a creation out of nothing shows up in biblical metaphors and narratives and how the theological insight of the createdness of creation was transferred into theory-based models. To this end, I use the first Christian councils to show how the metaphorical narrative of the creation accounts was translated into propositional dogmatic theories and how different aspects of these theories were modeled differently in the history of theology. To this end, I draw as examples the so-called "proofs of God" of Thomas Aquinas (also known as The Five Ways) and its formalized model of Kurt Gödel's ontological argument. The central argument of my presentation is that theological metaphors and models can be translated with benefits into each other, each revealing and illuminating different theological aspects. Theological knowledge can thus be understood as the translation of the relationship of subjects with God expressed in metaphors and metaphor networks (that is, narratives and stories) into coherent theories that are tested by means of models. In doing so, models reveal individual aspects implicit in metaphors and bring them together with other aspects (from other metaphors) and test their coherence and plausibility. So theological insights find their ways into theology as metaphors or models which is – in my opinion – a big methodological advantage but needs epistemological reflection.

• Dokumententyp: Konferenzbeitrag (Vortrag)
• Keywords: Epistemology; Metaphor; Model; Theology; Philosophy of Religion
• Fakultät: Katholische Theologie > Lehrstuhl für Dogmatik und Ökumenische Theologie
• Themengebiete: 100 Philosophie und Psychologie > 120 Epistemologie ; 200 Religion > 210 Religionsphilosophie, Religionstheorie ; 800 Literatur > 800 Literatur, Rhetorik, Literaturwissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch