Theology and other languages: a contribution of the history of theory to the field of theological knowledge

Abstract

The history of Christianity, as well as cover stories and records of past experiences of the various faith communities and institutions derived from them, also serves as a substrate for theoretical reflection interested in discussing the nature and meaning of theological science. After all, the role, mission and evangelization of the various Christian Churches as institutions are explained by documentation, by written narratives that have been meticulously studied in its historicity. While the Christian message is conceived as ever present reality, its roots are in the past, the evidence and the conditions of its emergence. Thus, thanks to the care of the sources and analyzes developed by the researchers, the theological knowledge went from mere formalization of beliefs to a knowledge structure can qualify theology as a science, founded then on a solid foundation of academic knowledge. This paper aims to relate theories and languages that surround the historiographical field with the reality of specific knowledge of theology, checking their similarities and differences. It should be recognized at the end of the article, for example, that history not only complements the theological reflection, but also stands as a logical imperative of the latter, since without the past sources and devoid of the practice of historical research and writing, theology would lose much of its scientific.