Boston Colloquy in Historical Theology

The scholarly and academic study of the history of Christian theology, especially that focused on the early and medieval periods, is at a critical juncture. After decades of being, in turns, dominated by confessional Dogmengeschichte agendas, assimilated within the history of philosophy, and eclipsed by social and material history, recent developments signal a revival of interest in the explicitly theological traditions of ancient and medieval Christianity.

At present, however, the discipline has neither a clear professional identity, nor a recognizable scholarly profile within the academy; nor does a robust guild-consciousness exist among its practitioners. To be sure, there are senior scholars of patristic or medieval theology whose work over the past three or four decades is widely recognized and respected. But their achievements have occurred in the absence of a larger sense of professional identity or guild association within the academy. Moreover, their active presence in the academy will not likely extend beyond the current decade.

At the same time, the current menu of academic conferences affords little opportunity for substantive professional development among historical theologians. Many conferences are not at present especially welcoming to explicitly theological material. More importantly, though, the very structure of academic conferences is typically not effective in promoting scholarly work leading to substantive, field-advancing publication. Accommodating the demands of today’s conference venue—imposed themes, general audiences, writing for “the ear,” and time constraints—often does little to advance a presenter’s scholarly pursuits. Rarely, furthermore, is substantial engagement or feedback from scholarly peers possible.

In addition to the more practical and historical issues just noted, there is a pressing need at present to address questions of method. What are we doing when we say that we are doing historical theology or that we are historical theologians? In relation to other fields within the academic study of theology, historical theology is relatively new and, in certain ways, ill-defined. How might the practice of historical theology situate itself, both professionally and methodologically, within and/or between the disciplines of history and systematic theology? How does contemporary historical theology see itself in relation to other and earlier approaches to history, in particular, to intellectual history or the “history of ideas” (Geistesgeschichte)? How do post-modern convictions regarding the necessarily situated, local, contingent, provisional, even fiduciary nature of human thought and discourse affect the project of historical theology?

In addition to methodological questions, there is also a need for sustained, vigorous discussion regarding the substance or subject matter of historical theology. How does the present practice of historical theology situate itself in relation to the history of dogma? of doctrine? of Christian thought? Might there be value in reflection on other proposals for defining this endeavor—for example, that put forward in the mid-twentieth century by Gerhard Ebeling (and later by Karlfried Froelich) that the history of Christian theology be seen as the history of biblical interpretation—even if this has not been adopted? In a similar vein, might there be value in asking a revised form of the 19th-century “development of doctrine” question. This might take the form of exploring the ambivalent notion of traditio—which is perhaps always a “handing down,” as well as a “handing over” that risks harmful betrayal or facilitates needful change. Attending to the question of how doctrine was (and is) related to expressions of Christian life (ecclesial practices, liturgy, devotional traditions, spirituality, etc.) may also be fruitful. This is another way of exploring the living "texture" of theology—not only how theology comes to life, but the life that leads to theological formulations.

Beyond issues of method and content, there is, moreover, a growing sense among many, both within and outside the academy, that these ancient theological traditions, perhaps more than others, continue to nourish and shape contemporary expressions of Christian faith across the ecclesial spectrum. Clearly, patristic and medieval theological traditions have important trajectories, which extend well beyond the arc of historical periodization. The question of how in the 21st-century Christian theology might strive to be or remain C/catholic, or of how these older traditions might be both constructively and critically engaged, is of particular moment in relation to these periods. Thus, while the immediate focus here is with pre-modern theology, the value of a vigorous exchange about forms of theological discourse that are rooted in, but not confined to these periods is patent. This is an area of enormous importance, in part because it clarifies how historical theology is not finally something separated from the living traditions of Christian life.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, a venue in which historical theologians can exhibit their on-going scholarly work in an environment that is both critical and charitable, that is constructively engaging, that goes beyond questions of method and delves deeply into the content of patristic and medieval theology is sorely needed. In short, a place for this kind of substantive conversation of these various issues does not at present exist, and the current guilds are neither disposed toward nor structured for such work. For all these reasons, the creation of a new and different scholarly venue for promoting early and medieval historical theology is both desired and warranted.

In an effort, then to promote the scholarly study of historical theology in the academy today, and to overcome the obstacles currently inhibiting scholarly excellence in this field, the formation of the Boston Colloquy in Historical Theology (BCHT) is here announced.

The BCHT seeks to gather active historical theologians annually (for the next three years at Boston College) for the purpose of promoting excellence in research and publication in the field of patristic and medieval historical theology. The general goals of the BCHT are as follows:
- To create a community of scholars to facilitate substantive research and high-quality publication in patristic and medieval historical theology.
- To create a professional identity and visibility for scholars and scholarship in patristic and medieval historical theology.
- To create a guild-consciousness among historical theologians to foster sophisticated reflection on the nature, method, and practice of historical theology.