Texts in Contexts
Texts have inherent significance, both in themselves and in relation to the contexts in which they are retold, written down, and processed into new texts. The study of religiously charged texts and contexts contributes to religious literacy and dialogue skills in science and society. The research program of the Department of Texts in Contexts brings together various disciplines to accomplish this.
Those who read texts while being aware of the context learn to put things into perspective. The beauty of the text as it stands becomes apparent. But the text is not created in a vacuum. Texts arise in a context of both other texts and extratextual situations, and once created, they contribute to the further development of the contexts within which they function. They also harbor experiential data, which can emerge from the text in various ways. The fascination with texts and their contexts is what drives the scientist in the Department. They represent various disciplines: Biblical studies, church history, philosophy, and systematic theology. By nature, these disciplines have a strong orientation to texts from the Scripture and the intellectual tradition from the early church to the present.
The name of the Department reflects the qualities TST possesses: careful reading of texts, which become comprehensible because they are well understood in their contexts. This is important for several reasons: it clarifies that the text is a product of context and prevents a quick, fundamentalist or intellectually unchallenging reading of that text. Texts also form new context in turn. Many of the texts studied in the Department are defining sources of Western thought and of modern beliefs and practices. In the context of communities, texts are also often normative: people claim to live by them, with ongoing discussion about the meaning of the text. Finally, texts are in constant dialogue with each other and with context: one text is woven into another, and texts respond to existing practices. By understanding texts in their context, we better understand not only what they were trying to say at the time, but also how they have lasting meaning now.
Research is the cork on which the Department floats. Three pillars can be distinguished in this: the interpretation of text, the clarification of context, and the analysis of the impact and development of texts in contexts. The various research lines in the Department are strongly determined by the texts being studied. As such, they contribute to carrying out the TST's strategy of increasing religious literacy in the secularized Dutch context. And by curiously addressing the theological and spiritual questions alive in society, the university's motto Understanding Society is fulfilled.
1. At the beginning: the text
The first key to understanding a text is, of course, the text itself. Texts are considered as they are, paying attention to their literary, historical, religious, and philosophical uniqueness. Texts are also considered in their context. In the Department, texts from the Bible are read as text-as-it-is and understood in their context as a product of a community, book of faith, and cultural influence. The Bible emerges in the context of the world of its time: Jewish and other traditions, the Middle East, and the various empires that rose and fell. Through the study of scriptures, historical texts, inscriptions, and through the historical study of this context, it becomes clearer how Bible texts come into being and what power of expression they may have.
By texts here, we also refer to elements carrying theological meaning, such as ritual spaces, digital media and works of art. Reading skills are built by carefully re-reading texts repeatedly. In what language or form is a text written? What is surprising, or not, about the choice of words or images? what stylistic devices are used? Another crucial aspect is how texts come to us: what meaning does the text have in the context in which the author introduces it? And through what medium were the texts preserved, and what light does that shed on the function that the texts had? In doing so, we also observe that "text" is rarely stable: texts emerge and develop, and they disappear and reappear. What does this use of texts illuminate about valuation in different places and time periods? To answer these questions, we draw upon insights from exegesis, Judaic studies, church history, and linguistics—with particular attention to Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.
2. The text in dialogue: the context
As the above shows, there is a continuous interaction between texts and contexts. Sometimes there is continuity, and texts retain their meaning in a particular language field. Discontinuity exists not only in the disappearance of texts but also involves shifts in their meaning. For instance, texts might be understood differently in a post-Eurocentric world compared to before or become subject to explicit criticism.
The TST research also presupposes the context of the Christian tradition, and more specifically the Catholic one. In this, the patristic tradition, with Augustine of Hippo as a defining influence, occupies an important place. Both the theological and church historical aspects of this period are examined. Hereby, collaboration with other institutions takes place in the Center for Patristic Studies. This collaboration also makes the ecumenical significance of patristics more apparent.
Biblical and early Christian traditions have been received and processed in a variety of ways. This reception history is an example of reading skills. A specific quality of TST is the study of this process in medieval theology and philosophy, especially that of Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, and their contemporaries from the Franciscan tradition. Members of the Department are co-organized in the Thomas Institute Utrecht and the Franciscan Study Center to promote this research, together with international and civil societal partners. Authors from this era receive special attention across the breadth of systematic theology: in dogmatics, spirituality, and moral theology. Although these authors wrote their texts in a medieval context, they are continually received in new contexts such as religious communities and ecclesiastical speech. From a later period, Ignatian spirituality receives special attention, from the chair established for that purpose.
Furthermore, philosophical and theological texts from the current and last century receive special attention. During this era, the Catholic Church also rediscovered itself as part of a historical and social context, rather than as a quasi-timeless entity. Research on dialogue with other churches and religions makes this development visible. In collaboration with the Department of Religion and Practice, we also examine the social context, particularly in the study of Catholic social thought. Theology is now also found online and in games. In doing so, texts are in a dynamic relationship with contexts, and researchers in the program shed light on how these relationships evolve.
3. The development of texts in contexts
The interpretation of texts changes with context. The liturgical use of stories of the Last Supper, for example, gives them greater theological weight. A long pictorial tradition of that meal means that it is always understood in different ways, with themes of poverty, leadership, and friendship, for example, being interpreted through the lens of this story. Another example is that in a social context in which climate issues and social justice are high on the agenda, stories of deluge and slavery are suddenly read and understood differently.
One of the keywords to interpret this development is intertextuality. Every text is in turn composed of parts of other texts. Texts function diachronically, as the meaning of texts shifts over time, as well as synchronously, as different stakeholders at the same time use or even appropriate certain texts.
Research questions
The research directions described above can be summarized in a number of research questions. These give a first and not exhaustive impression of questions that can be explored in individual or joint research projects.
- What are the obstacles to religious reading skills, and how can these skills be practiced?
- How can texts with religious significance be read in different contexts?
- What aspects of texts and contexts contribute to the interpretation of central source texts of theology?
- In what ways did theological texts shape the contexts in which they were read, prayed, studied, and discussed?
- In what ways does context change the meaning of a text, for example, by editing it, prohibiting it, or making it normative?
- Where do we encounter manifestations of theology in the current social context?
- In what ways does theology contribute to dialogue skills in science and society?
Societal relevance
The Texts in Contexts research program examines texts that are sources of Western thought and that continue to be influential in thinking about society, law and injustice, war and peace, and other important themes. By studying how the text is always in dialogue with other texts and contexts, the program contributes to dialogue skills in science and society. Especially in times of polarization, deliberate placement of sacred and other texts in their context helps. This prevents opposites from being unnecessarily absolutized and increases mutual understanding. When society is in search of what ties it together, it will eventually reclaim its sources. This program helps to understand these sources in the context in which they originated, as well as their functioning in the contemporary social context.
The researchers in the program contribute their expertise to social debates. A biblical scientist helps to read (sacred) texts, a historian sees and puts into perspective the newness of the times in which we live, an ethicist can show what values are at stake in choices regarding a social crisis, such as the coronavirus pandemic. For a further deepening we offer courses and study days in collaboration with Luce, in which we explicitly also serve the field in which our alumni work: categorical and parish chaplaincy, education, and other sectors.
Scientific relevance
Scientists from different disciplines work together in the Department. This allows interdisciplinary collaborations to emerge, as was the case in previous research programs. The international collaborations established by researchers and institutes allow us to realize relevant conferences and publications for a wide scientific audience.
In addition to different disciplines, the Texts in Contexts program hosts scientists at different stages of their careers. This means that there will be a great diversity of research output. The priority is that the output delivered has the maximum impact in the field into which it is introduced. In this way, we work on high-quality research that contributes to an equally high-quality range of educational programs. Here, the cross-connections within the Department serve to increase the quality of each other's work. Thus, work is being done to reinforce research applications and PhD research, and the possibilities for realizing joint projects of high scientific quality are being explored.