• Phenomenology and Social Construction within Orthodox Theology

    Author(s):
    Allan Savage (see profile)
    Date:
    2007
    Group(s):
    Philosophy of Religion
    Subject(s):
    Phenomenology, Sociology
    Item Type:
    Thesis
    Institution:
    St Elias School of Orthodox Theology (Eparchy of Nebraska)
    Tag(s):
    Eastern Orthodox studies, Social theory
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/t9b2-7466
    Abstract:
    [S.T.D. THESIS] Even though philosophy is of secondary importance within Orthodox theology, the philosophical perspective held by the theologian affects the theological interpretation given to experience. The philosophical understanding that supports Western contemporary interpretation and social construction of experience is no longer sustainable given the outdated scholastic perspective that is dominant in the West. I suggest that an alternative view, a phenomenological method of interpretation, is not only more sustainable for Orthodox theological interpretation but that it reflects more accurately the Patristic perspective upon which Orthodox theology depends. To demonstrate this, I investigate two contemporary Orthodox theological issues, Ecology and Canon Law, from a phenomenological perspective. Within these topics I investigate language as participatory, not descriptive; epistemology as being, not knowing; and interpretation as continual, not fixed. For reasons summarized in Part Three of the Dissertation I conclude that a phenomenological philosophical approach is proper for the interpretation of Orthodox theology. Avoiding the scholastic perspective, the phenomenological approach prevents misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the Orthodox religious experience. Misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the Orthodox religious experience is avoided through the proper social construction of the ecclesia that mediates and provides the locus for Orthodox theological understanding.
    Metadata:
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    Published as:
    Book     Show details
    Publisher:
    Allan M. Savage
    Pub. Date:
    2007
    ISBN:
    978-1481886406
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    4 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved
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