Irony of Theology and the Nature of Religious ThoughtIn a careful re-evaluation of the works of Lévy-Bruhl, Wiebe establishes the coherence of Lévy-Bruhl's classic distinction between primitive, or mythopoeic, and scientific thought, maintaining that religious thinking is mythopoeic in nature while theology -- which thinks about religion -- is related to modern Western scientific thinking. The pre-Socratic philosophers, Wiebe shows, developed a form of rational thought radically different from the religious-mythopoeic thought that preceded it. Although Plato was concerned with recovery of the pre-philosophic wisdom of ancient Greece, he attempted this within a rational, philosophic structure. Wiebe argues that Christian thought, originally mythopoeic, changed rapidly under the influence of Hellenistic culture, and that the Platonization of Christianity introduced an element of philosophic thinking which would eventually undermine its mythopoeic essence. In clarifying the nature of religious thought and its relation to religion, Wiebe provides a sound basis for the development of a general theory of religion. While of particular interest to philosophers, theologians, and students and scholars of the study of religion, Wiebe's study draws upon sources as diverse as philosophy, history, anthropology, and sociology and will therefore interest anyone involved in these disciplines as well. |
Contents
3 | |
Mythopoeic and Scientific Thought | 46 |
Religion and Philosophy in Ancient Greece | 84 |
Theology and the Religion of Ancient Greece | 130 |
Theology and the Christian Religion | 174 |
The Nature of Religious Thought | 213 |
229 | |
253 | |
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academic theology Aeschylus Albright ambiguity analysis Anaxagoras ancient ancient Greece anthropological archaic argues argument attempt beliefs chapter Christian claim cognitive concept constitutes continuity thesis Cornford critical culture Despland dichotomy thesis discussion divine E. R. Dodds early Greek emergence empirico-logical essay essentially Evans-Pritchard example existence faith Gellner Gifford lectures gods Greece Greek philosophy Greek religion Greek thought Havelock Hebrew thought Heraclitus Hesiod Homer human Ibid insists intellectual interpretation Ionian kind knowledge Lévy-Bruhl Lévy-Bruhlian logic Louth maintains matter meaning metaphorical Milesian thought mode of thought modern mind monastic myth mythic mythopoeic thought mythopoesis mythos nature of religious notion philosophic/scientific philosophy of religion Plato poetic prelogical Presocratics primitive and modern primitive mentality primitive thought radically different rational reason recognize refers religious thought revolution seems sense Shestov simply social society Solmsen structure suggests symbolic theologians theology theory thinkers thinking tion tradition Transcending Religion transcends truth understanding universe writes Zeus