Considerations on the Relationship between Theology and Philosophy

Abstract

Throughout history, theology and philosophy have had many interactions, with the theologian and the philosopher often being discussion partners. Theology and philosophy each have a particular understanding of life and seek to present a specific perspective on reality. The theology-philosophy relationship has taken different forms, beginning with the demarcation of theology from philosophy, continuing with the view that theology can be elucidated with the help of philosophy, and including the idea that philosophy can sometimes give rise to theology. The last two orientations suggest that theology can be evaluated by philosophy—that is, philosophy can even provide content for theology. KEYWORDS: history, theology, philosophy, theology-philosophy relationship