Models of Revelation Summary
Summary
How one views the topic of revelation depends upon what model one chooses as a framework. The five models of revelation are: revelation as doctrine, revelation as history, revelation as inner experience, revelation as dialectical presence, and revelation as new consciousness. Each model represents a unique view of revelation, yet after the first model, subsequent models all reflect influences from evolutions in thought and theory found in the modern world since the 16th century. Thus, whereas in the revelation as doctrine model objective truth is emphasized, all subsequent models tend to emphasize subjectivity more and more, elevating the role of the personal over the importance of the doctrinal.
The revelation as history model begins this trend of deviation away from objectivity insofar as it emphasizes Scripture as a witness to inspired events rather than as revelation itself. The revelation as inner experience model further moves the framework towards the subjective experience, emphasizing ones feeling and sentiment. The revelation as dialectical presence emphasize the interaction of the person with the text and the transformation that takes place. The revelation as new consciousness model emphasizes the need for the individual to move beyond Scripture and to see the divine as existing everywhere, in all cultures in different ways, and even in secular society where there is no strict emphasis on religion. At this point revelation is viewed more as an act of transcendence than as an objective fact that is meant to be respected with dogmatic certainty and commitment. Rather than seeing revelation as an act of God through Scripture and tradition, one is told to see revelation as an experience happening all around oneself even right now.
Introduction
Revelation is the removing of a veil so that a thing is seen. In terms of Scripture, revelation is the Word of God given to man through the intermediaries (the writers of Scripture) over the centuries. Other religions, such as Judaism and Islam, also have a similar understanding of revelationbut they view their texts as God-given and exclusive. For people who have not come to Jesus, the question is how God is revealed to them? Prayer, worship, belief and self-denial are some of the ways people come to revelation. Yet models of revelation are helpful for showing how Gods truth is revealed to people, and this paper will explain those models.
Models of Revelation
Avery Dulles proposed five models of revelation: revelation as doctrine, revelation as history, revelation as inner experience, revelation as dialectical presence, and revelation as new consciousness. Each of these models reflects some aspect or time in the evolution of thought regarding revelation, from revelation being regarded as an action of God to revelation being regarded as an objective deposit of truth, apologetically delivered both by Catholics and Protestants in the 16th century onwards to combat the arguments of Deists, who posited that all essential truths of religion were knowable by reason and that no supernatural revelation was in effect of any real assistance in the matter.
By the 19th century, revelation was caught in the midst of a battle with agnostics and philosophical skeptics on one side, and orthodox believers and Christians (both Protestant and Catholic) on the other. Kant and Schleiermacher were at the forefront of the agnostic movement, with the former arguing that human knowledge was confined to phenomenology and that transcendence, since it could not be directly experienced, could not be...
…irrelevant.Revelation as New Consciousness
This model is a further evolution of the previous model in that it emphasizes the reaction of the individual to revelation, which is measured by the extent to which the human consciousness is transformed when confronted with the divine. Revelation is viewed as a summons from the divine, a call to transcend ones current situation and perspective. This process is different for every epoch, according to this model. Teilhard de Chardin was a major proponent of this model in the mid-20th century. This model proposes that culture can limit ones perspective and that revelation obliges one to rise above this limitation and to be open to how the divine operates in other cultures and even in secular experiences. This model has been used to justify inter-religious dialogue and even the inter-faith prayer meetings inspired by Vatican II.
Conclusion
The models of revelation can thus be seen to be a series of evolutions that have transpired since the 16th century. The evolution of thought and philosophy, the rise of secularism, the rise of skepticism and agnosticism, and the rise of Deism all played a part in that evolution. Current perspectives on revelation tend to emphasize the subjective experience over any objective truth or reality. This can create confusion for people looking for religious truth as they equate truth with doctrine and dogma yet are simultaneously pulled or led towards embracing their own personal experience of truth and interpreting it as they see fit. Thus in todays Church there can be, for example, two opposing views on homosexual unions, with some seeing them as good and others as sinful. What does revelation say on the matter? Well, of course, that depends upon ones model…
References
Mueller, J.J., ed. Theological Foundations: Concepts and Methods for Understanding theChristian Faith. Winona: Anselm Academic, 2011.
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