TA 4/2007 (112. vuosikerta)

Have They Found King David’s Palace? How Archaeology, Ideology and Politics Are Linked in Jerusalem — Archaeological excavations in Jerusalem often attract widespread attention. With regard to the Old Testament, the most significant dig is perhaps that which began in the northern part of David’s city in 2005. The director of the dig, Eilat Mazar, has suggested that they may have discovered remains of David’s palace. If this were confirmed, it would be an indisputable indication that Jerusalem was a major city in King David’s day. The recently developed notion that the city was little more than a tiny village at the time would receive a severe knock, and the new find would endorse the view of the early monarchy given in the Old Testament. However, the dig involves problems that pose several questions underlying which political and ideological interests can be discerned.

Anselm’s Proslogion: Argumentation, Devotion and Rhetoric — Due to its peculiar combination of argumentation and devotion, Anselm’s Proslogion (1078) is one of the most controversial works within the history of Christian thought. The article aims at elucidating this combination by suggesting that the Proslogion should be viewed in the framework of rhetoric as a subtle attempt to manipulate the audience’s views about theological method. The first part argues that Anselm had the abilities and skills required for such an attempt. The second part investigates the context in which the Proslogion was composed in order to establish that the attempt was called for. The third part focuses on the ”single argument” that is at the core of the argumentation in the Proslogion. The fourth part examines the devotional exercise in the Proslogion. The final part discusses Anselm’s endeavour to modify the impression that one gains of the Proslogion by adding commenting material to it afterwards.

The Functions of Pastoral Care and Psychotherapy in the Theology of Paul Tillich — In pastoral theology, Paul Tillich has been considered one of the most significant theologian in systematic theology, because his method of correlation seems to offer a meaningful theoretical backbone for customer-oriented pastoral care. This correlation has been considered to function not only between theology and philosophy but also between theology and psychology. The danger in counselling is that the psychological side of the correlation may begin to dominate the theological side, which leads to a situation where pastoral care evolves into mere social work and has nothing to do with theology any more. This can be avoided only if the function of pastoral care is separated from the function of therapy.

Ecumenical Prayer and the Roman Catholic Church — This article discusses the approach of the Roman Catholic Church to ecumenical prayer. In the period following Vatican II, the Church has taken the Day of Prayer for Peace held at Assisi in 1986 as its model for ecumenical prayer (”multi-faith prayer”). Theologically, ecumenical prayer can be justified on the basis of the Doctrine of the Trinity, drawing on the theology of creation, the universal function of the Holy Spirit and the presence of the Kingdom of God; on the other hand, its Christological and ecclesiological dimensions create tensions that cannot be dissipated by force.