Heilsgeschichte (Salvation History)
I'm fascinated by Heilsgeschichte, which is German for the "Salvation History" and refers to the redeeming acts that God has progressively done to give salvation to Man (or the elect.) I always flip between Dispensationalism and Covenant Theology but it is clear that God has revealed himself in portions whether it was with covenants or with dispensations (government, law, grace, etc.) or gradually like in John 5:17: Jesus said “My Father is working until now, and I am working,” and reminds me that God is conforming everything for the Heilsgeschichte.
Despite the overwhelming evidence of "Salvation History," people still struggle to believe God exists. Someone said to me, "you can't prove that God exists," which I replied, "and you can't prove that you exist either." Most people who've had Philosophy 101 will prove their existence by quoting Descartes' statement "Cogito, ergo sum (I think, therefore I am,)" or the reduction "I am." The irony is that Descartes was a Christian, and this prove for self-existence was modeled after the most holy word for God in Hebrew: "I AM." It was so holy, that it was only written and not spoken, and is known today as the Tetragrammaton or YHWH (Yahweh.)
Christ Jesus created the world in the beginning and pointed to nature as evidence of God's existence and said that even flowers and birds are a valuable part of Heilsgeschichte, therefore Man is much more valuable in contrast. This idea is throughout scriptures and even the first verse I memorized agrees: Psalms 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
I work in the city and everything I see is Man made, and its easy to be blinded by philosophy of Materialism that ignores how everything initially came to be and only concerns itself with what is immediately around us. I still struggle to understand how I didn't exist at all 30yrs ago, and looking at the rat race downtown Chicago I see that most everyone ignores that they will no longer be living in 100yrs from now. G.E. Ladd's book has been an excellent reminder of all the intermediary steps between Jesus' birth and the Material world around me, and how everything has been effected by it.
"Show me evidence of God's existence," is another common question by those ignorant of Heilsgeschichte. I have to be patient because this same person cannot prove their own existence without an ontological argument (that also proves God's existence) - so I have patience and point to the myriad churches. I say, "there's a church on every church corner for a reason, how did it get there?" Studying the Heilsgeschichte reminds us why there are churches, why we have a bible, and why Christianity is everywhere. According to Materialism, we only look at the here-and-now and ignore why we are here and now.
Before I give up, I also enjoy explaining St. Thomas Aquinas's Five Proofs for the Existence of God: 1. The argument of the unmoved mover (ex motu). 2 The argument of the first cause (ex causa). 3. The argument of contingency (ex contingentia). 4. The argument of degree (ex gradu). 5. The argument of design (ex fine).
Lately, I've been most fascinated by the idea of kerygma, which is a Greek word that refers to the different teachings about Jesus Christ. Since Jesus didn't write anything himself (like Socrates), we must look at him through the witnesses who wrote about him. It's amazing that so many witnesses wrote such detailed histories and first-hand accounts that are harmonious and accurate! If it weren't for the implications for Jesus' teachings, no one would doubt anything he said. G.E. Ladd compared the two witness of Socrates (Plato and Xenophan) and commented how superior the kerygma compare to them.
I would love to talk more about Heilsgeschichte and the events leading up to Christ, but I'll leave this work unfinished...
Original posted at Wyatt's Haven of Bliss: http://www.havenofbliss.com/cgi-bin/columns.cgi?writer=0&entry=20070518165637
I'm fascinated by Heilsgeschichte, which is German for the "Salvation History" and refers to the redeeming acts that God has progressively done to give salvation to Man (or the elect.) I always flip between Dispensationalism and Covenant Theology but it is clear that God has revealed himself in portions whether it was with covenants or with dispensations (government, law, grace, etc.) or gradually like in John 5:17: Jesus said “My Father is working until now, and I am working,” and reminds me that God is conforming everything for the Heilsgeschichte.
Despite the overwhelming evidence of "Salvation History," people still struggle to believe God exists. Someone said to me, "you can't prove that God exists," which I replied, "and you can't prove that you exist either." Most people who've had Philosophy 101 will prove their existence by quoting Descartes' statement "Cogito, ergo sum (I think, therefore I am,)" or the reduction "I am." The irony is that Descartes was a Christian, and this prove for self-existence was modeled after the most holy word for God in Hebrew: "I AM." It was so holy, that it was only written and not spoken, and is known today as the Tetragrammaton or YHWH (Yahweh.)
Christ Jesus created the world in the beginning and pointed to nature as evidence of God's existence and said that even flowers and birds are a valuable part of Heilsgeschichte, therefore Man is much more valuable in contrast. This idea is throughout scriptures and even the first verse I memorized agrees: Psalms 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
I work in the city and everything I see is Man made, and its easy to be blinded by philosophy of Materialism that ignores how everything initially came to be and only concerns itself with what is immediately around us. I still struggle to understand how I didn't exist at all 30yrs ago, and looking at the rat race downtown Chicago I see that most everyone ignores that they will no longer be living in 100yrs from now. G.E. Ladd's book has been an excellent reminder of all the intermediary steps between Jesus' birth and the Material world around me, and how everything has been effected by it.
"Show me evidence of God's existence," is another common question by those ignorant of Heilsgeschichte. I have to be patient because this same person cannot prove their own existence without an ontological argument (that also proves God's existence) - so I have patience and point to the myriad churches. I say, "there's a church on every church corner for a reason, how did it get there?" Studying the Heilsgeschichte reminds us why there are churches, why we have a bible, and why Christianity is everywhere. According to Materialism, we only look at the here-and-now and ignore why we are here and now.
Before I give up, I also enjoy explaining St. Thomas Aquinas's Five Proofs for the Existence of God: 1. The argument of the unmoved mover (ex motu). 2 The argument of the first cause (ex causa). 3. The argument of contingency (ex contingentia). 4. The argument of degree (ex gradu). 5. The argument of design (ex fine).
Lately, I've been most fascinated by the idea of kerygma, which is a Greek word that refers to the different teachings about Jesus Christ. Since Jesus didn't write anything himself (like Socrates), we must look at him through the witnesses who wrote about him. It's amazing that so many witnesses wrote such detailed histories and first-hand accounts that are harmonious and accurate! If it weren't for the implications for Jesus' teachings, no one would doubt anything he said. G.E. Ladd compared the two witness of Socrates (Plato and Xenophan) and commented how superior the kerygma compare to them.
I would love to talk more about Heilsgeschichte and the events leading up to Christ, but I'll leave this work unfinished...
Original posted at Wyatt's Haven of Bliss: http://www.havenofbliss.com/cgi-bin/columns.cgi?writer=0&entry=20070518165637
Labels: christianity, covenant theology, dispensationalism, havenofbliss, Heilsgeschichte, jesus, Salvation History, wyatt
posted by Wyatt at 8:52 AM
