The (Father Almighty) God we worship: the epistemological role of liturgy in christian theology

Abstract

In this paper I will argue that Christian theology is rooted in liturgical practices, being theology the theoretical reflection on the ritual practices of the Church. I will show that Christian Personal Theism stems from a liturgical practice by which we praise God as Father Almighty. Taking into account Eleonor Stump’s idea of Franciscan knowledge, and Nicholas Wolterstorff’s and Terence Cuneo’s works on liturgy and theology, I argue that God is deemed in our religious practices as a person to whom we honor and praise. I will, then, focus on the title of God in our Credo as Father Almighty to show the political meaning of Páter Pantokrátor. Attending to this political dimension, I will examine Thomas Aquinas’ definition of religion as a special part of the virtue of justice that is connected to piety and the honor we owe to God as our Father and Lord. Third, I will take Basil of Caesarea’s argument on the holiness of the Holy Spirit to show how the configuration of God as Father Almighty entails as well the configuration of all His creatures as His servants and children. The objective of this paper is to consider the essential role that liturgy plays in the epistemology of theology and the need to complete an analytic perspective with Political Theology and hermeneutics.