Revisiting the faithful’s imagination in the light of John Henry Newman and Jean-Luc Marion

Our common understanding of reason and imagination does not always seem to coincide. In Christianity, and particularly in Catholicism, theology uses rational concepts to account for the truths of faith. While this is natural and necessary, faith knowledge does not come from rational understanding al...

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Main Author: Hadrianus Tedjoworo
Format: Article
Language:Afrikaans
Published: AOSIS 2025-05-01
Series:HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/10567
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author Hadrianus Tedjoworo
author_facet Hadrianus Tedjoworo
author_sort Hadrianus Tedjoworo
collection DOAJ
description Our common understanding of reason and imagination does not always seem to coincide. In Christianity, and particularly in Catholicism, theology uses rational concepts to account for the truths of faith. While this is natural and necessary, faith knowledge does not come from rational understanding alone. There is a need for some explanation of the ‘reasonableness’ of faith knowledge that the faithful acquires from their experience and that is captured by their religious imagination. This study explores the realness of images captured by the faithful’s imagination and placed within the framework of God’s grace. By revisiting Catholicism, this article sees the faithful’s imagination as a gift from God, and its limits can be found by analysing it phenomenologically in the faithful’s role as witness to the truths of faith. Newman’s concept of real apprehension and Marion’s views on givenness and the turn from subject to witness will be correlated constructively to reveal the realistic features of the appeal of Catholicism. The following analysis provides a theological basis to recognise the layers of religious experience and the faculties in the faithful’s mind that may be valuable to build faith knowledge more comprehensively. Contribution: This article offers a different angle of faith knowledge as collected by the faithful with their imagination, phenomenologically exploring the realness of that knowledge in relation to their experience. It provides a theological basis for the faithful’s real apprehension in Catholicism.
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2072-8050
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spelling doaj-art-52671449ee8e4bc2aead28dfc4f805fe2025-08-20T02:05:28ZafrAOSISHTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies0259-94222072-80502025-05-01811e1e810.4102/hts.v81i1.105676121Revisiting the faithful’s imagination in the light of John Henry Newman and Jean-Luc MarionHadrianus Tedjoworo0Department of Theology, Faculty of Philosophy, Parahyangan Catholic University, BandungOur common understanding of reason and imagination does not always seem to coincide. In Christianity, and particularly in Catholicism, theology uses rational concepts to account for the truths of faith. While this is natural and necessary, faith knowledge does not come from rational understanding alone. There is a need for some explanation of the ‘reasonableness’ of faith knowledge that the faithful acquires from their experience and that is captured by their religious imagination. This study explores the realness of images captured by the faithful’s imagination and placed within the framework of God’s grace. By revisiting Catholicism, this article sees the faithful’s imagination as a gift from God, and its limits can be found by analysing it phenomenologically in the faithful’s role as witness to the truths of faith. Newman’s concept of real apprehension and Marion’s views on givenness and the turn from subject to witness will be correlated constructively to reveal the realistic features of the appeal of Catholicism. The following analysis provides a theological basis to recognise the layers of religious experience and the faculties in the faithful’s mind that may be valuable to build faith knowledge more comprehensively. Contribution: This article offers a different angle of faith knowledge as collected by the faithful with their imagination, phenomenologically exploring the realness of that knowledge in relation to their experience. It provides a theological basis for the faithful’s real apprehension in Catholicism.https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/10567john henry newmanreligious imaginationfaith knowledgephenomenologyreligious experiencereal apprehensionthe faithful’s mindcatholicism
spellingShingle Hadrianus Tedjoworo
Revisiting the faithful’s imagination in the light of John Henry Newman and Jean-Luc Marion
HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies
john henry newman
religious imagination
faith knowledge
phenomenology
religious experience
real apprehension
the faithful’s mind
catholicism
title Revisiting the faithful’s imagination in the light of John Henry Newman and Jean-Luc Marion
title_full Revisiting the faithful’s imagination in the light of John Henry Newman and Jean-Luc Marion
title_fullStr Revisiting the faithful’s imagination in the light of John Henry Newman and Jean-Luc Marion
title_full_unstemmed Revisiting the faithful’s imagination in the light of John Henry Newman and Jean-Luc Marion
title_short Revisiting the faithful’s imagination in the light of John Henry Newman and Jean-Luc Marion
title_sort revisiting the faithful s imagination in the light of john henry newman and jean luc marion
topic john henry newman
religious imagination
faith knowledge
phenomenology
religious experience
real apprehension
the faithful’s mind
catholicism
url https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/10567
work_keys_str_mv AT hadrianustedjoworo revisitingthefaithfulsimaginationinthelightofjohnhenrynewmanandjeanlucmarion