Thesis- 2

Faith and Revelation

The Catholic Church has articulated its doctrine of Christian God experience as Trinitarian (DV 2;
Eph 2:18) It originates in the historical event of Jesus the Christ (Heb 1:1-2; Jn 1:1-18; Jn 14:9)
who is the fullness of revelations (DV 2) The obedience of faith is a personal and free entrusting
of ones whole self to God (DV 5; Rom 16:26) The Church keeps alive, transmits and celebrated
the Revelation through scripture and Tradition and magisterial teaching (DV 8, 10)
The thesis places upfront the fact that one Christian experience of God is God as a
Trinitarian God. The origin of this experience is in Jesus Christ who is the fullness of revelation.
We humans are called to respond in faith to this revealing God. And the thesis also explains how
the church keeps this revelation alive, and passes it on to future generations I would like to begin
with a title
Historical background
At the time of Vatican I the church found itself facing 2 contradictory theories concerning the
theology of revelation. 1. Rationalism 2. Fideism
1. Rationalism: gave the pride of place to reason and logic and enquiry over and above the
experience of God. For rationalists, revealed religion was a (Philosophical impossibility)
2. Fideism: maintained that Faith is independent of reason. Fideists said that reason along (without
supernatural revelation) cannot help us really know God.
So Vatican I addressed the issues of 1. Natural revelation (Rom 1:20) and 2. Supernatural
revelation (Heb 1:1-2)
Vatican II at the time of Vat II the context was a little different. Many bishops were unhappy about
the way the idea of Christian revelation was framed in Dei Filius. They felt it had the coloring of
that time. They felt that revelation should no longer be explained mainly in terms of its relation to
reason. As including transcendent mysteries more personalistic.. more the idea of mystery.. which
at the same time are open to rational arguments for the sake of credibility. Therefore the Catholic
Church has articulated her teaching on revelation in 2 councilor documents 1. Dogmatic
constitution on Catholic Faith, Dei Filius (1870, Vat I)
2. Dogmatic constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum (1965, Vat II)
God Experience: The encounter with the divine is what we call religious experience. It consists of
divine initiative (revelation) and human response (faith). People have understood and articulated their
religious experience in different ways and forms conditioned by the place, culture and circumstances.
Thus we have several religious traditions with specific identity of their own, built on the religious
experience as their common identity.
2.Faith and Revelation Rayan Lobo, SJ

1. The Catholic Church has articulated its doctrine of Christian God experience as
Trinitarian (DV2, Eph 2:18)

WE Christians understand God as Trinity, The Father and The Son and The Holy Spirit,
3 persons in 1 God.

DV 2 tells us that God in his goodness and wisdom chose to reveal himself and made
known the mystery of his will (paraphrased). (Eph 1:9) he has made known to us the
mystery of his will. Therefore the choice and the initiative was purely Gods.

Further DV2 says that his will was that all people should have access to the Father
through Christ in the Holy Spirit and thus become sharers in his divine nature. (2pet 1:4
share in Gods nature) here DV is making a reference to Eph 2:18 which says, For
through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father therefore DV2 us
emphasizing the self-communication of a Trinitarian God.

2. It originates in the historical event of Jesus the Christ (Heb 1:1-2; Jn 1:1-18; Jn 14:9) who
is the fullness of revelations (DV 2)

The origin of this experience of a Trinitarian God takes place at a significant and specific
moment in history - the incarnation the Christ event.. When the Word became flesh.

Revelation: means a removing of the veil or disclosure happened through a gradual

process in history. It happened in a way human beings could experience God in tangible
ways, in ways understandable to them.

Therefore revelation is a historical revelation God revealed himself in history in creation

(after the fall God promised redemption) God revealed himself to Abraham to Moses to the
prophets, in the event of the Exodus, as liberator of Israel..

Pope Francis said recently article consecrated life, ours is not a lab faith but a historical
faith; a journey faith.. Because God revealed himself as history not as an abstract truth.

And as DV4 and Heb 1:1-2 will say after God had spoken many times and in various ways
through the prophets, in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son.

Therefore as DV2 puts it the most intimate truth which this revelation gives us about God
shines forth in Jesus Christ. Therefore Jesus is both the mediator and the Sum total of
Revelation. DV2 He is the fullness of revelation.

Jn 1:1-18 says no one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son who has made him known.
Therefore this text clearly shows the Trinity understanding of God as revealed by Jesus.

Jn 14:9 Jesus tells Philippians Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

Therefore we see that Jesus brings revelation to its perfect and fullness,

Through his words,

2.Faith and Revelation Rayan Lobo, SJ

Signs, and deeds and

Most importantly by his death and resurrection and

By sending us the Holy Spirit.

All that had to be revealed has been revealed in Jesus. This revelation of God now calls for a
response
3. The obedience of faith is a personal and free entrusting of ones whole self to God (DV 5;
Rom 16; 26)

In this section we talk about what is our human response to this God who reveals?

The Gods revelation and Human response always go in hand and hand. Rom 16:26 talks
about the obedience of faith.. the answer is we respond through the obedience of
faith. And such a response is made possible because of grace and because of the presence
of the Holy Spirit.

Faith is nothing but a free, personal and total surrender of intellect and will into the
hands of one who reveals. (DV5)

And DV5 will say the obedience of faith is nothing but a willful assent to the revelation
given by God. Our faith is activated and inspired by the Holy Spirit so that we may better
enter into this mysterious revelation of God.

Therefore revelation and faith go hand in hand. The next question is how does the Church
keep alive this revelation?

4. The Church keeps alive, transmits and celebrated the Revelation through scripture and
Tradition and magisterial teaching (DV 8, 10)

Weve received in Jesus the fullness of revelation, alright but the Churchs concern is to
hand down or pass on the future generations, the original inspiration and the central tenets
of the gospel message.

It does this through the 3 tools 1. Scripture 2. Tradition 3. Magisterial teachings therefore
the Christian revelation which originated in the Christ event is passed on through these 3.

A. Tradition:

DV8 will tell us that what the apostles experienced and expressed (in a special way in the
inspired books, i.e. Scripture) was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession till the
end of time.

2.Faith and Revelation Rayan Lobo, SJ

In other words, the original deposit of faith which began in then original experience of
Jesus Christ, was to be faithfully maintained and passed on, so that successive generations
would share in the same heritage and be linked to the original experience of the Apostles.

This Church Tradition is passed on in various ways: Scripture itself, the liturgies, creeds,
writings of the early fathers, religious practices teachings of the bishops (who are in
succession) the Bible/Scripture though it holds a (unique place) among these (remains a
part) of Christ traditions.

B. Scripture:

DV9 will say Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing, under the
breath of the Holy Spirit.

It is the sacred writings of the communitys core experience of God. It is the theological
articulations of the revelation of the original community of faith.

DV10 says scripture and tradition go hand in hand. They together make up a single sacred
deposit of the Word of God. Together, they transmit the will of God and message of
salvation in its entity.

Luther on position Sola Scripture Trent says Both Scripture and Tradition must
be accepted and honored with equal feelings of devotion and reverence.

C. Magisterial Teaching:

DV 10 states clearly that the task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God,
whether in its written form or in the form of tradition has been entrusted to the living
(teaching office) of the church alone.

Therefore the Magisterium has its authority from Christ. It has the authority to authentically
interpret. Its not above the world of God but is its servant.

Please Note: This thesis is basically worked out by Learoy Rodriguez, SJ. I have just used it as it
is.

2.Faith and Revelation Rayan Lobo, SJ