Review article
Ecumenical reading of the Church Fathers and asymetric unity of the Church
Tomo Vukšić
; Catholic Faculty of Theology of Vrhbosna in Sarajevo
Abstract
Theology of the Church Fathers is common patrimony of all
Christians and, as a part of Church tradition, older then any
difference, represents a link between divided Churches and
ecclesial communities, made of a large spiritual, cultural and
apostolic treasure. Thus it is not uncommon that in recent times,
marked by strengthened efforts in theological field with regards
to reestablishing unity among Christians, in theological science
it is more and more common that the Church Fathers’ works are
read from ecumenical perspective. With that emphasized, after a
brief review of the principles of Inspectis dierum instruction, this
article presents standpoints, ideas and theological interpretations
– at times very similar, and at other times confronted – of certain
Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant theologians. One can see their
ascertainments that the first millennium of Christianity was such
age, that, despite divisions which had really existed, it can be
considered a time of “one” Church within which, however, that
unity was theologically interpreted and was really lived in different
degrees and forms, particularly having in mind the complexity of
charismatical and canonical element of unity, and at the same time
not abandoning that unity. Then, beginning with that, which is in
recent theology known as “Ratzinger formula”, and not forgetting
neither dogma nor jurisdiction, and having in mind theological
principle elementa Ecclesiae, the article discusses the idea of
asymmetrical unity of the Church, based on the very theology of
the Church Fathers and experience of the first millennium.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
59356
URI
Publication date:
7.10.2010.
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