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Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

rechtfertigungstheologische Zuspitzung

English translation:

[characterised by] greater emphasis on / extension / amplification of the doctrine ...

Added to glossary by Helen Shiner
Sep 28, 2014 15:17
9 yrs ago
1 viewer *
German term

rechtfertigungstheologische Zuspitzung

German to English Art/Literary Philosophy Theology, Reformation
Das Wort zum Sonntag? ;)

Am having problems with a very chewy essay on Philipp Melanchthon, Martin Luther's cohort in the 16th century. The focus is on philosophy, and how it influenced and was influenced by his theology etc.
Before the excerpt below there's just a few sentences discussing the prevailing opinions in research on Melanchthon's philosophy - mostly described as 'fundamentally Aristotelian' despite evidence (claims the author) that he was also influenced by Erasmus, Plato, Cicero etc.

"Die Frage, was nach Melanchthon unter Philosophie zu verstehen ist, lässt sich jedoch nur intern klären, mithin als Frage, was Melanchthon selbst unter Philosophie verstand. Insgesamt lassen sich drei Philosophiebegriffe in den Schriften Melanchthons bestimmten [sic]:
1.1. Philosophie im erasmischen Sinn als 'Philosophia Christi' oder als 'Philosophia christiana': In den frühen 20-er Jahren findet sich in paulinischen Schriften Melanchthons die erasmische Vorstellung einer 'christlichen Philosophie', die er auch als 'paulinische', 'hochheilige' oder 'heilige' Philosophie bezeichnen kann. Die Rede von der 'philosophia christiana', die von einer **rechtfertigungstheologischen Zuspitzung** der paulinischen Theologie bestimmt war, blieb jedoch zeitlich begrenzt auf die ersten wenigen Jahre des 2. Jahrzehnts des 16. Jhdt.
1.2. Der Philosophiebegriff des melanchthonischen Humanismus..."

...(defined by?) the amplification of the doctrine of justification in Pauline theology...
intensification of/pointed emphasis on... the Pauline doctrine of justification

Am really not sure how to express this, or if I've understood it correctly - any suggestions would be much appreciated, target is UK English, but don't think thats so important here, US ideas welcome too, I can work out the spelling ;)
Proposed translations (English)
4 +1 [characterised by] greater emphasis on / extension / amplification of the doctrine ...
4 exacerbation of teological justifications
4 intensified by justification theology
3 brought..to a head through the doctrine of justification
Change log

Oct 4, 2014 06:01: Helen Shiner Created KOG entry

Aug 18, 2017 14:13: Helen Shiner changed "Field" from "Other" to "Art/Literary"

Discussion

oa_xxx (X) (asker) Oct 4, 2014:
Thanks again to everyone, @Johanna, your rewording of the German has really helped, I was trying to do just that but ended up getting myself in knots! @Horst - not sure if this makes a difference, but it is very much about Melanchthon, his infliuences (a bit of this, a bit of that?) and influence etc. - the vague "Die Rede von" doesn't really help but has to refer to Melanchthon, as the last part of the sentence - it being limited to the 1520s - defintely does.
oa_xxx (X) (asker) Oct 1, 2014:
Thank you for all the last comments, very helpful! Will have to check in again later, not much time now but think I do have a clearer sense of what its all about, thanks!
Johanna Timm, PhD Sep 30, 2014:
Versuch! “die Rede von” = die Ansicht, Meinung
http://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Rede 2 a.

paraphrasiert: Die (Melanchtons) Ansicht, dass es sich bei der „philosophia christiana“ [….] um eine Engführung/ Fokussierung der paulinischen Theologie auf die Rechtfertigungslehre handelte, wurde so von ihm nur bis etwa 1520/25 vertreten
oder noch verkürzter: Nur in den Schriften, die Melanchton bis 1520 verfasst hat, versteht er die „philosophia christiana“ in erster Linie im Sinne der paulinischen Rechtfertigungslehre/theologie.

(steht die paulinische Rechtfertigungslehre bei seinem Verständnis der „philosophia christiana“ im Vordergrund)
Horst Huber (X) Sep 29, 2014:
Never disagree with Johanna, I'd hesitate, though, to think the idea is that phIlosophia christiana wold amount to a reduction of Pauline thinking to justification theology, unless that is meant as a critical note about the "Rede von'?
Johanna Timm, PhD Sep 29, 2014:
Popping in, II „rechtfertigungstheologische Zuspitzung der paulinischen Theologie“:
die Zuspitzung auf die Rechtfertigungstheologie; Zuspitzung= Engführung (Zusammenführung, Fokussierung)
Ramey Rieger (X) Sep 29, 2014:
Just popping in on this and the term 'refinement' comes to mind. ...which was defined as a refinement of justification theology....
It's Monday afternoon and I'm swamped....
Horst Huber (X) Sep 28, 2014:
Hate to quibble after all this immense erudition. However, the statement parses as a "sharpening" of Pauline theology in or through justification theology, not the sharpening of justification theology supposedly found in Pauline thinking. Its a difference worth noting.
Helen Shiner Sep 28, 2014:
@fbbest I was the one who commented on 'exacerbate'. It has negative connotations. It means to make worse. Make pain worse, make an argument worse. In what was intended to be humourful (apologies if British humour isn't your thing), it sounds to me like you are suggesting St. Paul's teachings are bad and made even worse by these people.
oa_xxx (X) (asker) Sep 28, 2014:
@all I've a bit of time before it has to be handed in so will sleep on it and have a look again tomorrow, thanks for all the help, especially on a Sunday!
oa_xxx (X) (asker) Sep 28, 2014:
@fbbest I didnt make any comment about the word exacerbate, thanks for the suggestion but I'm not too sure that it fits the context.
Inter-Tra Sep 28, 2014:
exacerbate and 'sound like crime'... ?!? if I may Orla, your interpretation of the word exacerbate is pretty personal. This is a word that is very much used in connnection with feelings.. "to make (pain, disease, emotion, etc) more intense; aggravate"
Helen Shiner Sep 28, 2014:
@Donald At this time on a Sunday evening (in the UK), I am definitely absenting the floor!
Donald Jacobson Sep 28, 2014:
@Helen No, I've actually been going back to some historical texts and some modern comparisons of the theologians since it has been a long time since I did any seminary work and my MA in German included a lot of this type of material which we had in the original publications at Northwestern, My wife is a Lutheran pastor, so I am surrounded by a theological library, but beyond what I've offered I don't think I will solve this and I wish the asker well and yield the floor to Helen. I don't think I have any more to offer.
Helen Shiner Sep 28, 2014:
@Donald I would hope all of our answers are based on the context given, not just looking in a thesaurus (which I am not suggesting you did, btw).
Donald Jacobson Sep 28, 2014:
@Helen Looking at Linguee, I am now even more baffled as to the correct meaning of Zuspitzung here/ There is 'worsening, intensification, aggravation, deterioration, culmination, critical development, escalation (of a crisis), increasingly escalating, apex, etc. It think that Orla will have to determine this by context or historical context
Donald Jacobson Sep 28, 2014:
My stab at the translation: The discussion of the 'philosphia christiana,' that was determined by an intensification of of the justification theology within Pauline theology, remained, however limited in time to the first few years of the second decade of the sixteenth century. /does that help, Orla?
Helen Shiner Sep 28, 2014:
@Donald Exactly, but then the text doesn't claim that he did. 'They' got that from St. Paul. They looked to Erasmus on the basis of his "Vorstellung eines religiös-sittlichen Lebens".
Donald Jacobson Sep 28, 2014:
Only when he had mastered Latin did he begin to express himself on major contemporary themes in literature and religion. He felt called upon to use his learning in a purification of the doctrine by returning to the historic documents and original languages of sacred Scripture. He tried to free the methods of scholarship from the rigidity and formalism of medieval traditions, but he was not satisfied with this. His revolt against certain forms of Christian monasticism and scholasticism was not based on doubts about the truth of doctrine, nor from hostility to the organization of the Church itself, nor from rejection of celibacy or monastical lifestyles. He saw himself as a preacher of righteousness by an appeal to reason, applied frankly and without fear of the magisterium. He always intended to remain faithful to Catholic doctrine, and therefore was convinced he could criticize frankly virtually everyone and everything. Aloof from entangling obligations, Erasmus was the centre of the literary movement of his time, corresponding with more than five hundred men in the worlds of politics and of thought. From ENGLISH WIKI on Erasmus. He did not believe in justification by faith/grace.
oa_xxx (X) (asker) Sep 28, 2014:
@Helen Yes, that makes more sense, seems clearer without theology/theological everywhere! There are lots of references to different philosophers/theologians from Ancient Greece to German Reformers throughout the text, I definitely need to do a lot more reading...!
Helen Shiner Sep 28, 2014:
@orla Thanks. It doesn't really change the essential meaning though, does it? Just adds to the context. So they were looking to Erasmus for how to live a good religious life and going further than St Paul on the doctrine of justification front. I feel I need to bone up on my theological history when I read this!!
oa_xxx (X) (asker) Sep 28, 2014:
sorry, I've jsut noticed that I managed to leave out part of the sentence, I had removed it for my own purposes but should've included it here:

"Die Rede von der ´philosophia christiana`, die neben der erasmischen Vorstellung eines religiös-sittlichen Lebens aller Christen von einer rechtfertigungstheologischen Zuspitzung der paulinischen Theologie bestimmt war, blieb jedoch zeitlich begrenzt auf die ersten wenigen Jahre des 2. Jahrzehnts des 16. Jhdt.
Helen Shiner Sep 28, 2014:
@orla With your comments in mind, it reads as if the 'philosophia christiania' was characterised by a further emphasis on or extension of the doctrine of justification found in St Paul's teachings. I couldn't agree with 'exacerbation' (makes it sound like a crime) or 'intensification' (since they were adding to it or fleshing it out, not underlining it), and I believe 'bringing it to a head' is missing the point here. Does that accord better with your original ideas?
oa_xxx (X) (asker) Sep 28, 2014:
@Helen - I dont know! Your suggestion sounded very plausible too!
oa_xxx (X) (asker) Sep 28, 2014:
I think this is the main source of my confusion - ignoring "Zuspitzung" for a moment, I've been assuming rechtfertigungstheologische referred to Rechtfertigungstheologie (Rechtfertigungslehre) = the doctrine of justification (by faith)

Proposed translations

+1
3 hrs
Selected

[characterised by] greater emphasis on / extension / amplification of the doctrine ...

... of justification as found in St. Paul's teachings.

Following your comments, this would be my take on it. The 'amplification' is yours - so, in effect, I think it would be fine.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2014-09-28 18:25:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Characterised by a greater emphasis on ...
Characterised by an extension of ...
Characterised by the amplification of ...

Hope that clarifies!
Peer comment(s):
agree Lancashireman : Clarified
4 hrs
Thanks, Andrew
neutral Michael Martin, MA : Amplification is not the same as Zuspitzung. Most online dictionaries are useless here because they’re compiled by amateurs. Also, when I read ‘Zuspitzung’ in the German context, I have an immediate idea of what they’re talking about. Here, not so much.
21 hrs
Not sure what online dictionaries have got to do with it, but agree amplification is not first choice (nor was it mine). I work from the context and understanding of the doctrinal disputes.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks Helen, both your answer and comments above have helped a lot! "
36 mins

exacerbation of teological justifications

I would use the term 'exacerbate'.
It was Paul who developed the term 'justification' in the theology of the church.
Something went wrong...
2 hrs

intensified by justification theology

...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2014-09-28 17:57:52 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

or intensification of,, depending on how you word the remainder of the translation.
Something went wrong...
1 hr

brought..to a head through the doctrine of justification

"..was rooted in a school of thought that brought Paulinian theology to a head through the doctrine (theology) of justification.."

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 12 hrs (2014-09-29 04:16:48 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

“Zuspitzung” in this context, or rather my translation of it (‘bringing (an argument) to a head’) does not mean what this source suggests: http://www.answers.com/topic/bring-to-a-head Here’s the thing. Dictionaries are just mechanical tools - abstract, devoid of context... If you rely on them more than on your own brain, they will eventually get you into trouble...
Here, “Zuspitzung” means taking an argument or, by extension, a school of thought to its logical extreme. Consider the following quotes:

“But, wrote Thoreau, ‘No man ever stood the lower in my estimation for having a patch on his clothes; yet I am sure that there is greater anxiety, commonly, to have fashionable, or at least clean and unpatched clothes, than to have a sound conscience.[12] Bringing his argument to a head, Thoreau stated: ‘Only those who go to soirees and legislative halls must have new coats, coats to change as often as the man changes in them.” http://simplicitycollective.com/thoreau/thoreau-on-clothing

“This same error underlies the charge of absurdity and inconsistency that the authors level against Kant in bringing their argument to a head.” http://books.google.com/books?id=Y0tWjRmxFE4C&pg=PA180&lpg=P...

“Embrace Epicurus, deny spirit, allow twenty centuries of stony sleep to bring his materialist doctrine to a head.” http://www.firstthings.com/article/2005/05/gardens-of-good-a...
Peer comment(s):
neutral Lancashireman : Origin of the phrase: "...alludes to the medical sense of head, the tip of an abscess that is about to burst..." http://www.answers.com/topic/bring-to-a-head
2 hrs
These definitions are not particularly relevant here..
neutral Helen Shiner : Brought to a head is not appropriate in this context. They are fleshing it out, adding further commentaries and detail to St Paul's teaching.
23 hrs
Something went wrong...