TA 1/2015 (120. vuosikerta)

Proverbs Turning towards the Torah: The Beatitudes (4Q525) as an Example of the Continuity of the Jewish Wisdom Tradition — This article discusses the late Second Temple wisdom text Beatitudes (4Q525), found at Qumran, as an example of early Jewish wisdom thought. The author has shaped and renewed earlier tradition in the light of his view of the world: he was clearly inspired by the Proverbs tradition but, unlike the Book of Proverbs, connected wisdom explicitly with divine revelation and interpreted that true wisdom may be found in Torah. The text invites scholars to pay attention to the continuation of the Proverbs tradition in the pre-canonical era and to evaluate the function of wisdom teaching from the viewpoint of spiritual and social formation.

Affects in the Theology of Philip Melanchthon — The Latin word affectus may be translated as ‘emotion’, ‘mood’, ‘inclination’ or ‘affection’. In essence, affectus comprises the involuntary movements of the human soul. Affectivity plays a major part in Lutheran theology. The writings of Philip Melanchthon have a peculiar affective emphasis. In Loci communes (1521), Melanchthon distinguished two parts of the human soul, understanding and will, the latter being the source of affects. Affects were considered to rule over the will. The academic textbooks written by Melanchthon show that, compared to Luther, Melanchthon developed a more thorough taxonomy of emotions and also explained their origin in physical terms. In the various versions of the Augsburg Confession, Melanchthon repeatedly used affective words such as motus cordis, motus spiritualis or vivificatio to imply that the human heart is unable to love God unless God changes the direction of its basic affect through the Holy Spirit. The affectivity of Lutheran theology is related to the issue of free will. Humans do not have free will in the sense that one cannot decide to fall in love. Both sin and faith have an affective character.

Trust in the Testimony of Others as a Reason for Belief in God and Evolutionary Theory — Recent philosophical work in epistemology has highlighted the social nature of knowledge. The present article illustrates this discussion, focusing on the work of Linda Zagzebski. These philosophical insights are then applied to the cases of testimony-based belief in God and acceptance of evolutionary theory. It is argued that trust in the testimony of others provides a rational ground for belief but that this does not make dissent from majority opinions impossible. To gain the maximal epistemic benefits from group activity, it is important to foster a culture of tolerance that responds to minority opinions with dialogue and arguments rather than with peer pressure.