Saturday, March 12, 2016

Latin Legalism

I was trying to recall areas in which Latins may be said to be legalistic, that is, exaggerating law or (the role of) law as a model of understanding something else.

1. I don't think the charge that Latins are legalistic with respect to moral theology is true, at least with respect to the medievals, though it may be true of Counter-Reformation and post-Counter-Reformation moral theology (see Fr. Pinckaers).

2. Popular piety: indulgences, etc. Possibly a consequence of (1).

3. Speculative theology: the understanding of Redemption, i.e. models of Atonement, Divine Justice, tc.

4. Ecclesiology: conception of episcopal/papal authority (though this is probably not a problem only in the West).

Anything else?

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