神學史、歷史神學、歷史神學史

「神學」與「歷史」間的關係錯綜複雜。澳洲昆士蘭大學的神學家Ben Myers在他2007年6月8日的網誌「What is historical theology?」中，針對「歷史神學」作出4個實驗式的命題陳述，很具有參考價值，在此介紹給我的讀者。
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1. What is the history of theology?
The history of Christian theology is a history of conflicts and negotiations over the identity of God.
1. 神學史是什麼？
基督教神學史是關於上帝身份之爭論及妥協的歷史。

2. What is historical theology?
Historical theology is a disciplined analysis of the conditions of these conflicts and negotiations, resulting in the construction of narratives about the dispute over the identity of God.
2. 歷史神學是什麼？
針對這些衝突、妥協的條件，歷史神學作出條理分析，以建構關於上帝身份之論爭的敘述。

3. What is the relationship between historical theology and dogmatic theology?
By constructing histories of theology, the discipline of historical theology makes available the conditions of theological dispute for contemporary reflection, and in that way it participates in contemporary disputes over the identity of God.
3. 歷史神學和教義神學有什麼關係？
藉由建構神學史，歷史神學作為學科，將神學論爭的條件提供給當代作反思，進而參與當代關於上帝身份的論爭。

4. Does historical theology have a history?
Very little work has yet been done on the history of historical theology – but such work would aim to analyse the specific conditions under which the historicising of theology becomes possible, and the manner in which such historicising participates in theological conflicts over the identity of God. It would thus demonstrate the way in which the discipline of historical theology participates in dogmatic theology, and, conversely, the way in which dogmatic theology passes over into histories of theology.
4. 歷史神學本身有其歷史嗎？
關於歷史神學史的作品非常少，但這類作品致力於分析的對象是：使神學歷史化成為可能的特定條件，以及此種歷史化以何種方式參與在關於上帝身份的論爭中。因此，歷史神學史能說明，歷史神學作為學科以何種方式參與在教義神學中，相反，它也能說明教義神學以何種方式轉化進入神學史。

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正如同「歷史學」（history as a discipline）的本意雖在研究歷史事件，但發展到一定程度時，就開始針對歷史學之歷史發展作出分析，從而產生「史學史」（historiography as a discipline）；類似地，Myers是以歷史神學為中心，向前延伸論及此學科的材料（神學史），往後延伸針對自身作歷史反思（歷史神學史）。此種討論的前提是：任何事物（或學科）都有其歷史，任何事物（或學科）都會歷史化。（There is a history to anything or any academic discipline; anything or any academic discipline is in the process of historicisation.）若此前提為真，或在其尚未被駁倒／否證前，作為神學研究者的我們將認清，將神學視為歷史現象研究，是一不可避免的過程。這主張的其中一個涵義是：任何神學命題（或加上對聖經的詮釋、釋經原則等）之產生均有其歷史條件及特定發言對象，切忌絕對化。神學家不該也不可能成為神，釋經者不該也不可能成為聖經。

該篇網誌未直接觸及「關於歷史的神學」（theology of history），而這正是我在研究的主題。什麼時候我也能進步到對此主題作出實驗式命題陳述的地步呢？