The Main Aspects of John Paul II’s Encyclical Fides et ratio in the Current Historical and Theological Environment

Wrocławski Przegląd Teologiczny 28 (2020) 1, 109–131 Wrocław Theological Review Maksym Adam Kopiec Pontificia Università Antonianum a Roma, Italy ORCID: 0000-0002-1055-6251 The Main Aspects of John Paul II’s Encyclical Fides et ratio in the Current Historical and Theological Environment Główne aspekty encykliki Jana Pawła II Fides et ratio w obecnym dyskursie historyczno-teologicznym Abstr act: The article presents the fundamental aspects of the encyclical Fides et ratio of John Paul II concerning the historical and theological context of contemporary culture. It indicates current problems in the harmonious existence of societies that function according to paradigms contrary to the absolute truth of the theological subject. The errors resulting from modernism (subjective rationalism, the cognitive negation of faith) and postmodernism (relativization of truth, atheism and antitheism, the reductionism of faith) are discussed. Further, the existential value of religious faith is demonstrated through the correlation of meaning/sense and truth. In doing so, this article serves as an apologetic for the rational nature of faith. Truth is emphasized as a gift both contained in and received from God’s Revelation, a gift necessary for discovering the sense of human reality. Keywords: truth, faith, knowledge, research of truth, sense, rationality of the faith Abstr akt: Artykuł przedstawia fundamentalne aspekty encykliki Fides et ratio Jana Pawła II w odniesieniu do kontekstu historycznego i teologicznego współczesnej kultury. Wskazuje na aktualne problemy w harmonijnym egzystowaniu społeczeństw funkcjonujących według paradygmatów sprzecznych z prawdą absolutną stanowiącą przedmiot teologiczny. Omówione są tu błędy wynikające z modernizmu (subiektywny racjonalizm, poznawcza negacja wiary), postmodernizmu (relatywizacja prawdy, ateizm i antyteizm, redukcjonizm wiary). Wyjaśniono wartość egzystencjalną wiary religijnej jako ukazującej korelację sensu i prawdy, w ten sposób dokonując apologii racjonalnego charakteru wiary. Wyakcentowano prawdę jako dar zawarty w Bożym Objawieniu, niezbędny do odkrycia sensu ludzkiej rzeczywistości. Słowa kluczowe: prawda, wiara, poznanie, poszukiwanie prawdy, sens, racjonalność wiary DOI: 10.34839/wpt.2020.28.1.109-131 © Papieski Wydział Teologiczny we Wrocławiu 110 Maksym Adam Kopiec Introduction More than twenty years have passed since the encyclical Fides et ratio appeared, dealing not only with the relationship between reason and faith in the development of Christian thought, but also with the lives of Christians, whose call it is to deepen their relationship with God and to know themselves, their nature, and their final destiny. Faith and reason are like the two wings with which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth. God has placed in man’s heart the desire to know the truth and, ultimately, to know Him because, by knowing and loving Him, he 1 can also reach the full truth about himself. Contemplating truth, in this case, means touching the mystery of being and experiencing the admiration and joy of being. The terms found at the beginning of the text such as “diakonia of truth,”2 “wonder,” “speculative capacity,” “capacity of knowing God, the truth, the good,” are fundamental to express the relationship between faith and reason.3 The question of this mutual relationship lies in the close connection with the anthropological theme, in the light of which man, in and of himself, constitutes a mystery that cannot be fully understood without the Truth, which reveals itself through the gift of self. This gift is given to him and his reason, stimulating him to engage in a conscious, free, and responsible act of faith. The main premise for reflecting on the content of the encyclical is its continuous novelty. Moreover, there is a kind of intellectual and spiritual anticipation of what is happening before our eyes in the Church, and in what man, society, and the world are facing in their defense of an elemental value such as Truth, which is the first form of love. It is impossible to present all the threads and questions contained in the magisterial document in a single article. Thus, only those that are crucial for shaping the conscience of contemporary Catholic believers will be taken into consideration. These elements are linked to the problem of Truth (in fact, the very beginning Fides et ratio recalls this idea as part of the process of continuity 1 2 3 Giovanni Paolo II, Lettera enciclica Fides et ratio (herefurther: FR), [in:] Tutte le encicliche di Giovanni Paolo II, Milano 2005, p. 1421. Unless otherwise noted, all English translations are by the WTR. FR 2. FR 4. The Main Aspects of John Paul II’s Encyclical Fides et ratio… 111 already dealt with in Veritatis splendor), the crisis of modern philosophy, the mystery of man, the question of meaning, and the theme of Revelation. Truth in theology Both in the East and in the West, it is possible to discern a path, which, over the centuries, has led humanity progressively to meet and confront the truth. A journey that has taken place – nor could it have been otherwise – within the horizon of personal self-awareness: the more man knows reality and the world, the more he knows himself in his uniqueness, while the question of the meaning of things and of his own existence becomes increasingly urgent. What comes as an object of our knowledge becomes a part of our life itself. The warning ‘Conosci te stesso’ was carved on the lintel of the temple of Delphi, as a testimony of a basic truth that must be assumed as a minimum rule by every man eager to distinguish himself, in the midst of all creation, by qualifying himself 4 as ‘uomo’ precisely as a ‘conoscitore di se stesso.’ In light of the words contained at the beginning of St John Paul II’s encyclical letter Fides et ratio, the terms “fede” and “ragione” have their own meaning and proposition concerning the Truth. For Christian life and science, Truth is a fundamental aspect of love. By this, we do not mean simply telling the truth at the level of theoretical discussions or exchanging opinions and ideas between people. By “Truth,” we mean the truth that defines and determines the being, reality, the human mystery, the ability to recognize and distinguish good from evil. The Truth presented in the encyclical letter is not abstract or theoretical but refers to the words of Christ: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6, KJV). He who allows himself to be embraced by the Truth, allows God to realize in himself a Salvation that was fulfilled in Christ once and for all. There is, however, another way of perceiving each person in their relationship with God and their relationship to Truth and Salvation. Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller5 stresses an important element innate to human nature: the desire to seek the absolute and ultimate Truth. Therefore, not only the formula l’ homo capax Dei but also l’homo capax veritati (...truncated)