This essay examines Karl Rahner’s theology of sin, specifically his unique rendering of original sin. Before advancing to this specific consideration of original sin, I shall seek to situate his overall theology of sin within his thinking on human freedom. Following this, Rahner’s Mariology will be described and shown to be more or less compatible with traditional Marian teachings. The crux of this essay will argue that Rahner’s rendering of original sin creates a tension with the Mariology that he and the church espouse. Therefore, revision or addition to either Rahner’s Mariology or theology of original sin appears necessary for greater theological coherence.
This article considers the positions of Gabriel Marcel and Thomas Aquinas on self-knowledge and argues for a synthesis between them. The basis of this Marcelian-Thomistic synthesis is their common understanding of the self as inherently in relation to that which is other (via embodiment) and in the necessity of activation for self-knowledge to occur. The divergence between these thinkers occurs in regard to the process of activation. While Aquinas presents an Aristotelian account of activation rooted in his understanding of cognition, Marcel offers a broader vision of activation that gives pride of place to intersubjectivity. A Marcelian-Thomistic synthesis preserves the Aristotelian systematization of Aquinas, while adding Marcel’s expanded understanding of activation and his prioritization of intersubjectivity. Such a synthesis allows for a treatment of self-knowledge that is metaphysically systematic and true to lived experience.
This article suggests that the religious epistemology of John Henry Newman can be enhanced if read through the philosophical lens of Gabriel Marcel. After briefly describing Newman’s epistemology as it appears in his most philosophically mature work, An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent, and with particular attention paid to the illative sense, the charge of relativism will be considered. The answer to this concern of relativism is found in embryo in the pages of the Grammar itself, when it highlights not only the personal nature of assent but also suggests a communal dimension. To make this point explicit, I suggest reading Newman’s epistemology through the lens of Marcel’s philosophy. While being akin to Newman in terms of what constitutes genuine knowledge and one’s attainment of it, Marcel provides a richer philosophical story as to why our knowing is both personal and communal. To this end, the Marcelian understanding of situated existence and testimony will be explored. In sum, a Marcelian optic helps to supplement Newman’s epistemology while not detracting from it.
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