This study focuses on a broader explanation of Calvinism. It considers both selected theological reform personalities and contemporaries of Jean Calvin, both the theological considerations of the Dutch theologian Arminius, his followers of the Remonstrants, and the final decisions of the Anti-Remonstrants at the Synod in Dort, the Netherlands, in 1618-1619. Next in focus is, very briefly, Calvinism in the Reformed Churches, and the last part draws attention to both positive and negative aspects in the contemporary application of Calvinism. I would also like to point out that detailed historical and biographical contexts are beyond the scope of this discourse, so readers are brought to relevant historical sources.
The idea that the two Bible records on Creation evolved from oral traditions repeated for centuries by illiterate nomads, much later collected and composed by monarchic or post-exilic editors, is not necessary. Records from the dawn of history could well be preserved and the Creation records can be authentically authored. Each of the two models of Bible origins, a focal (compact) authorship as well a diffused one, have each its own, fundamentally divergent and hardly reconcilable theological consequences. The essay, however, focuses on the form, and is less concerned with the content.
The root of the divergent interpretations of the resources and theology of Biblical origins rests in recognition of literary units in 1Mos. The essay concentrates on the grounds for claiming 1Mos is a composition of a fairly focal authorship. Concerning text, it is based on metatextual notes (considered a self-contained, flexible genre that includes also more formal colophones) and a few ancillary indications; concerning information structure, it includes functional perspective; concerning grammar, verbal succession seems helpful. On these criteria, the present author arrived at similar (though not identical) units as the Wiseman hypothesis of toledot. The two structures are confronted.
The two Creation records in the Bible are approached as intentionally contrasting. They are compared in a novel way both in form and content. In conclusion, the essay turns back to the issue of how long after the Creation it was possible to make records; when it was possible to record as much text as it is found in the two Creation records; what role an oral tradition might play; and what impact it has on the concept of inspiration.
Theistic evolution, information and the descent of man
(Josef Potoček)
In principle, a discussion about evolution theory means there is no conflict between science and faith. In fact, it is about a controversy between two incompatible views of the world: metaphysical naturalism and biblical theism. For this reason, we find the scientists on both sides – even 160 years after Darwin. From the point of science, evolution is only a hypothesis; from the point of philosophy, it is an ideological concept, a secular religion of these days. The preferred answer of today’s theology is the theistic evolution, declared as an approach corresponding to the spirit of the Scripture and the knowledge of science. The article analyses this situation from a perspective of the relevant scientific fields (molecular biology, macromolecular chemistry, a theory of information) and the corresponding biblical context. The main idea of the article is the question of the origin of man. Its point is that the conviction about the evolutionary descent of man is scientifically unfounded and biblically questionable. So that science, nature, and the Bible all together are witnessing to the Creator. Worthy of notice is this: In the past, the Church fought against the scientific knowledge, which was verified by experiments; today, the Church makes a mistake of another kind: the evolutionary world-view, which is only the philosophical hypothesis, is accepted as proven knowledge of science, trying to make a compromise with the biblical principle of creation.
The story of Creation seen by an entomologist
(Petr Raus)
The work formulates and seeks answers to questions associated with common interpretations of the biblical account of creation, questions primarily sparked by the author’s entomological endeavours, whereby he was confronted with disparities between observed reality and the notion that biological species are clearly defined and essentially unchanging. The work likewise tackles issues emanating from the confrontation of biological reality and the notion of principally defined species: the goodness and perfection of creation and its disrupted nature, the presence and role of death, etc. It warns of surviving residual pagan conceptions (Platonism, Manicheism) and emphasizes the necessity of our evaluation of the interpretation of Scripture in the light of the reality of creation.
Creation doctrine and its theological implications
(Pavel Černý)
God’s work is captured in the Holy Scriptures in a fascinating way. God’s invisible power is clearly seen in the things which the Lord has created and is creating up until today. This, of course, does not mean that we do not have any problems in interpreting and applying passages about God’s creation. This article touches on the painful division between biblical theology and natural sciences which has over time only increased. In some aspects, this separation can be overcome, but some mistrust remains in existence. The human fall into sin and the subsequent expulsion out of paradise and death remain as a challenge to biblical exegesis. As a result of disobedience, God pronounced death. But the first people, after eating fruit from the forbidden tree, did not die physically. What does the biblical text mean in this context? In what way is Adam representative of all humanity? And is it actually possible today to try to reconcile our faith in creation and contemporary science? Where are the limits of science and where are the limits of our understanding of biblical texts? Each person develops a certain worldview about how life on earth occurred and how human existence appeared. In this article, we will take a look at some interdisciplinary discussion and will outline some possible answers.
Pouze láska vítězí?
(Pavel Černý)