Discerning the Mystery: An Essay on the Nature of Theology

by Andrew Louth

Book Overview

This book examines the influence of the Enlightenment on theology, arguing that its legacy did not profoundly affect the importance of tradition; that the ways of older theology hold a surprising relevance; and that the unity between theology and spirituality is once again discerned.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 019826657X
• ISBN13: 9780198266570
• Release Date: August 1983
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 164 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Great book

FYI. This volume is available at Eighth Day Books at a much lower price ($25 as of 8/15/08).

A masterful study by a premier theologian

This book, by noted patristics scholar Andrew Louth, examines the question of modern Biblical interpretation and compares it with ancient/medieval (i.e. precritical) exegesis, raising the question of whether scholars would be benefit from using allegory once again on Biblical texts. Allegory has become a much-maligned word in modern Biblical exegesis, but it used to be a very accepted method of interpretation. Louth points out the benefits that can be gained from this approach.

Joining the Head and the Heart

In her monumental survey of monotheism, A History of God, Karen Armstrong says of Discerning the Mystery, "Highly recommended. A slim volume that goes to the heart of the matter." The matter under discussion in this well-reasoned and clearly-written book is the way we search for truth. Louth starts by examining the legacy of the Enlightenment, which biases Western civilization to accept uncritically the benefits of rational thought. Using the arguments of Vico and Dilthey, Louth makes the case that the imaginative moral reasoning we use in the humanities has just as much validity as the type of reasoning we use in rational analysis. If rationality is concerned with external truths that we must seek out empirically, the truths of the humanities (and, by extension, theology) are more accessible to us because all humans experience the human condition - those truths exist within us, awaiting extraction. He then marshals the arguments of the philosophers George Gadamer and Michael Polanyi to question the notion of scientific objectivity. Gadamer argues that all knowledge occurs within a context of historical tradition and personal prejudices, and that the scientific method is but one way of decoding reality. Polanyi sees scientific observation as involving a "tacit dimension" which includes the assumptions - often unacknowledged - of the observer. This tacit dimension creates a subjective viewpoint that affects the outcome of the observation. Thus the pervasive belief in the modern scientific method as the most effective and legitimate way of discovering truth rests on a shaky foundation: the biased observer. Louth makes an important distinction between solving problems and grappling with mysteries. The skill of good science is to pose questions in ways that make answers possible, which is to effectively reduce the complexities of the world to problems that can be solved. The problem-solving approach has added immeasurably to our knowledge and given us means to communicate and pass on our discoveries. But, he asserts, many interactions in the realms of philosophy, art, and religion - and just living in the world - cannot be reduced to problems; attempting to shoehorn all of life's experiences into a scientific framework can take us down false and constraining paths. What Louth is after is a method for dealing with the mysteries of existence that is rigorous but not reductive. The central mystery Louth is trying to discern is the mystery at the heart of the Christian experience, which is how and why a god chose to become a man. If you're not interested in unraveling Christian theology, use Louth's insights on this mystery: if it turns out that we're simply random genetic accidents instantiated for an indeterminate time before being transmuted into decaying organic matter, what purpose or nobility can possibly exist in the human condition? Louth proposes that the most fruitful process for dealing with the mysteries of the human cond