Jaarboek Thomas Instituut 1995 - Thomas Instituut te Utrecht

20 H.W.M. RIKHOF
human person, but it does mean that in faith the human person with
the intellect reaches towards the divine mystery. That is why insisting
on receptivity, on the passive characteristics of the intellect and on the
corresponding attitude of the theologian, is so important, for this
reaching can easily become capturing and mastering. That is why
concepts are so important, for in concepts, in working with concepts
the intellect functions most specifically. Assensus intellectus implies
also freedom on the side of the human person. To assent presupposes
not just some understanding, but also judgement and acceptance, and
therefore freedom. Precisely because faith is concerned with content,
because faith is a free assent to God's revelation, theology as a
'scientific' endeavour is possible.
The affinity with this type of theology, with trancendental or
contemplative theology, does for De Grijs not amount to a dismissal of
the categorical reflection, as becomes clear in the critical remarks he
makes about Kreling. They are related to Kreling's hesitant
appreciation of the emergence of positive theology and of its
contribution to the whole of theology (30, pp. 83-84), to his
concentration on the ascesis of the individual theologian (30, p. 87), to
his negligence of one of the tasks of theology: to discuss the question
of meaning (30, p. 91). Central to this criticism is the lack of
historical awareness on behalf of Kreling.
If one compares, though, Kreling's remarks about positrve
theology and De Grijs' rendering and explanation of his hesistant
attitude one can discover an interesting nuance or difference. Kreling
refers in an important speech to the attacks also within catholic
theology on speculative, scholastic theology. "Speculative theology,
deadly boring by the monotony of the same answers to the same
questions, finds itself in competition with a new theology, that,
equiped with the modem tools of historical work, presents constantly
something new. Many positive theologians think therefore that only
their discipline is important as living theology, so that speculative
theology should vacate it's privileged position" _2 So, Kreling sees the
P. Kreling, "Het goddelijk geheim in de theologie", 1939, reprinted
in: Het Goddelijk Geheim. Theologisch werk van G.P. Kreling o.p.,
uitgegeven en ingeleid door F.J.A. de Grijs, F. Haarsma, H.I. Kouwenhoven,
LH. Roes en E.C.F.A. Schillebeeckx o.p., Kampen: Uitgeversmaatschappij