Foreword

Theological Language

Foreword

This booklet is the first theological work of Rosmini to be translated into English but is not entirely alien to the series of translations of his philosophical works carried out over these last eighteen years. He had in mind, for the complete ‘Collection’ of his works, a section entitled ‘The philosophy of supernatural things’. He wanted to construct a philosophy which, following a very genuine and critical process of rational investigation, could serve as a foundation for religious truth.

The right order to follow in this study was first reason (philosophy) and then the content of revelation (theology). This explains the many philosophical works he wrote and published and why his theological works were fewer and nearly all incomplete and left in manuscript form. He intended to add Theological Language to his moral works to serve as an introduction to this theological section of his plan.

But, apart from its theological importance, the work has importance for any philosophical treatise because the use of words is a perennial problem in human discussion and Rosmini was as fully aware of this as any author. From his earliest years he had dedicated himself to the search for truth and called what he wrote ‘the system of truth’. This search for and fidelity to truth demanded much profound and arduous reflection, scrupulous analysis of ideas and deep penetration into the mysteries of nature and life. But of course none of his discoveries and teachings could be communicated to others except through language, above all, written language. Hence, the paramount importance of the precision and discipline of this communication. He saw that it would be a betrayal to omit problems and concepts demanding solid concentration simply because the concepts might cause difficulty in comprehension; the search for truth must be determined and far-reaching, not limited, narrow and superficial. His awareness of this importance of language and the use of words is apparent in nearly all his works. He continually insists that the meaning of words must not be changed, otherwise all discussion is profitless and the search for truth is compromised. For him, the meaning of words was always the meaning given by people in general, by common speech, and this is the meaning that any serious author will want to convey as he writes. It was precisely this lack of the correct understanding and use of words, this re-interpretation and change of their meaning, that compelled him to compose the present work.

This problem of language became more acute when the subject was theological because here one was dealing with revealed truths, truths not verifiable by the senses but demanding faith. But since the time of the Christian revelation, there were those who had meditated deeply on revealed truths and in doing so had come to know more of the truth. St. Augustine, a prolific writer, was aware of this problem of language and wrote to defend its use in expounding and enriching doctrine. But he was attacked for his so-called newness of language and misuse of words, and these attacks did not end with his death. They continued on through the centuries. In the 18th century, the Italian scholar, L.A.Muratori (1672-1750), writing under the pseudonym of Lamindo Pritanio, wrote an answer to the latest attack on Augustine. Muratori himself was writing on textual criticism and reform but, like others, did not escape the opposition of those who failed to understand the language used to develop teaching and deepen knowledge of truth.

For Rosmini, the problem and the unfortunate results it could cause began with the publication (in 1839) of his work ‘Conscience’. In this work, he dedicated a chapter to deliberate and indeliberate morality, where he distinguishes between sin and fault. Sin is present when the will departs from the rectitude of the law, although the will may not be acting freely; fault is present when the will acts evilly but with freedom of choice. This distinction could not be discussed without reference to the Catholic teaching on original sin, and it was here that theologians, writing mainly anonymously, took him to task. Rosmini vigorously defended his teaching, but battle was now ferociously engaged.

His opponents considered his language dangerous, inappropriate and obscure, because he departed from traditional language and used new expressions without corresponding terms in Scripture, the Fathers and the Magisterium of the Church. He was accused of various heresies.

Even some of his supporters found his language contorted and difficult, stilted. But in a letter to a friend he revealed how conscientious he had been in the use of words: ‘I have taken all the care I could to avoid inappropriate and ambiguous expressions that might cause suspicion and wrong understanding. I chose expressions which seemed to me more precise, and from which errors could not be extracted. To keep to this purpose, I have never neglected to go through my works from beginning to end when preparing a new edition. I have always added explanations, comparisons and examples wherever I thought it might be helpful or necessary or would clarify better certain scholastic or technical expressions. These expressions, being little known, could either appear new or be misunderstood. Similarly, whenever I have been asked for a clarification, I have not delayed to give it’. As the controversy became more widespread, the Pope of the time, Gregory XVI, imposed silence on both sides, but that did not settle matters. Eventually in 1848, under Gregory’s successor, Pius IX, two of Rosmini’s works were put on the Index of Forbidden Books, and at the same time the Pope ordered a full examination of all his published works. This was carried out over the following years with a happy ending: in July 1854, a solemn declaration was made by the Holy See dismissing all his writings as free from error.

With his name cleared, he felt he must go to the heart of the matter and clarify how language must be used by authors and how it should be understood by the reader. In October of that year, three months after the papal declaration, he began Theological Language. Unfortunately, he never completed it before his death in July 1855. The manuscript lay unpublished until 1880 and even then was not published in its entirety. Only in 1975 did it appear for the first time in its full form, in the Italian critical edition of Rosmini’s works (from which this present translation has been made). The critical edition classifies it, fittingly, as the first volume of his theological works and it is the least known of all his published material. The work was to consist of two parts, the first dealing with theological language, the second with the question of original sin, but the second part was never written, and even the first was not completed.

He wrote Theological Language to make his thought clearer, more for others than for himself. It can in fact be read as a kind of autobiography of the process of his thought, as he gently introduces the reader into his system. As a work to help our understanding of what is another is saying, especially in written works, it is a sober instruction and perennially relevant for anyone seeking truth.

Note:
The many and long quotations in Latin used by the author have been translated. An asterisk indicates that the original Latin can be displayed in a seperate window by clicking on the link next to the relevant note. * {OLR}

Finally, and sadly, the translator of this work, Denis Cleary, died before the book was ready for the printer. He had left the foreword till last but was unable to write it. I have tried to compose it in accord with his thoughts and intentions.

TERENCE WATSON

Durham, February, 2004