The Theory And Practice Of Textual Comparison

The relationship between Christianity and non-Christian religions ranked among one of the most important agendas in 20th Century Roman Catholicism according to British theologian David Ford.Almost 50 years ago,the ground-breaking Second Council of Vatican unexpectedly threw open some locked ecclesial windows such as religious freedom,collegiality and liturgical renewal.The most astounding and liberating message,however,was conveyed through the issuance of "The Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions(Nostra Aetate)".For the first time in history,the Roman Catholic Church officially recognized the presence of God and the reality of truth and goodness outside the confines of the Christian Church but within other religious traditions.To be sure,it is a most positive response from the Roman Catholic Church to 20th century modernity and religious pluralism.Nostra Aetate has equipped the Roman Catholic theologians with the guidelines in dealing with interreligious relationship and dialogue,yet it fails to stipulate any concrete models of dialogue.For instance,how should Christians see their neighbors?What kind of dialogue and learning is most effective for the religious community and the peaceful coexistence of the religious peoples?These issues have preoccupied Christian theologians since late 1960s.The America Roman Catholic theologian Francis Clooney,growing up in 1960's,has come up with a model of interreligious learning——comparative theology,the double reading of classical texts between two religious traditions as a creative response to the historical challenge,which is particularly well suited to the times in which we live.As the pioneer of this relatively unknown field,Clooney has been learning from Hinduism for more than 40 years,crossing the borders between Christianity and Hinduism unceasingly.Clooney sought to leave his Western comfort zone and explore the Hindu wisdom so as to renew and reinvigorate his Christian home tradition.The creativity of comparative theology as a means of intereligious learning is significant for the study of religion as a whole not only in the Western context but also in China today.This essay aims to study the textual comparison theory and practice as constituted by Clooney.Specifically,it seeks to see comparative theology in perspective as a response to religious pluralism and a product of Clooney's unique identity as a Catholic priest and Jesuit.How comparative theology differs from other models of interreligious relationship will also be exposited.On the other hand,the essay will identify the reconstruction and renewal of Christian theology by the study of texts from other religious tradition,including some challenges for comparative theology.A comparative analysis between Clooney's comparative theology and other theologian's work will be incorporated to distinguish the multifarious development of comparative studies in the new millenium and a foreseeable future of comparative theology.The last part of the essay will present my own comparative study project based on Clooney's textual theory.Chapter one and Chapter two provided necessary introduction to the study.Chapter one charted the map of comparative theology and the emerging field since late 1990s.Chapter two identified the present phenomenon of religious pluralism and the Roman Catholic official stance on interreligious dialogue since Vatican II.Clooney's personal background,i.e.his Jesuit education was also explicated.Chapter three exemplified the development of early Christianity as a successful historical endeavor in comparative theological practice,which is the origin and inspiration for today's comparative theology.The second part of the essay comprised four chapters,focusing on the practice of Clooney's comparative theology.Chapter four discussed the defining features of comparative textual reading as well as its demand on readers and scholars alike.Chapter five presented the major contributions of Clooney's works,especially the thematic and transformative type of comparative work.It sought to clarify what it means to "knowing God" more fully by comparative double reading.The comparative analysis between Clooney,Robert Neville and Michelle Voss Roberts'comparative work would be identified respectively so as to highlight Clooney's work as Catholic comparative theology.In the same chapter,we could also predict the development of comparative theology based on the study of Voss Roberts' work,a representative of the promising next generation comparative theologians.Chapter seven reviewed those challenges and issues confronting Clooney's version of comparative theology,from the Pluralists,Roman Catholic theologians such as Paul Knitter,conservative Christian theologians such as Gavin D'Costa and Indian scholars of religion.Arguments about those criticisms helped to distinguish comparative theology from theology of religions and Christian hegemonism in the post modern world.A concluding section in chapter seven commented on the pros and cons of comparative theology and how it was deeply Catholic since the theologian didn't live in a vacuum,while seeking to push the study to its furthest reach.The implication from comparative theology to the study of religion will also be helpful and salutary for the Chinese academic world.In the last part of the dissertation,Chapter eight demonstrated Clooney's theory of comparative theology by my own small-scale comparative project of the action theory in the Bhagavad Gita and the Dao De Jing.From a double reading of the Karma Yoga and Wu Wei,the Chinese Taoist action concept will be enriched and seen anew through the lens of Bhagavad Gita.