Faith
The term "theology" is from the Greek theos 'God', and logos, 'meaning'. There have been many thoughts about theology, for pagan antiquity it meant mythological explanation of the ultimate mysteries of the world.
St. Anselm defined it famously as fides quaerens intellectum, meaning 'faith seeking understanding'. If theology is faith seeking understanding, then we presume there is something called faith to begin with. It is this which is seeking to understand, or which we are seeking to understand. If this is the case, then the discipline of undertaking theological study must be rooted in faith.
So what is this thing, Faith? For me, as a member of the Catholic Church, the word is used in two seperate ways; Fides quae means the faith of the Church that is believed. This is the deposit of faith, the revelation of God. This is the faith as a noun sometimes called the 'prophetic light'.
Fides qua means the act of faith, the act of believing in God's revelation. This is faith as a verb. The 'sanctifying light' of faith.
What does Faith mean for you?
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Roma locuta est, causa finita est
Domine Iesu Christe, Fili Dei, miserere mei, peccatoris.
~ Ubi caritas et amor deus ibi est.~
Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi
http://marklambert.blogspot.co.uk/
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