Language

William Tyndale – A passionate belief in the power of language

William Tyndale In 1535, Tyndale was imprisoned in a castle outside Brussels. In 1536, he was executed by strangulation, after which his body was burnt at the stake. His dying prayer was that the King of England's eyes would be opened. Two years later Henry authorised the Great Bible, which was largely Tyndale's own work. In 1611, the scholars who produced the King James Bible drew significantly from Tyndale. One estimate - the New Testament in the King James Version is 83% Tyndale's and the Old Testament 76%. In 2002, Tyndale was placed 26th in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons.

A.J. Ayer – Giving up on religious language Logical Positivism (1930s) What makes a statement meaningful? A.J. Ayer (1910-1989) The Principle of Verification: A statement is only meaningful if it is either analytic or empirically verifiable (shown by observation/sense experience to be true or false). All talk of God is therefore meaningless.

On its own terms Logical Positivism is therefore meaningless. BUT … Logical Positivism itself makes a statement that is not analytic and cannot be verified empirically. On its own terms Logical Positivism is therefore meaningless.

Moses Maimonides and Thomas Aquinas – recognising the limitations of religious language

Maimonides – Apophatic Theology

Apophatic Theology From Ancient Greek meaning "to deny", also known as via negativa. An attempt to clarify religious language by speaking of what God is not, rather than by describing what God is. The apophatic tradition is often allied with the mysticism, which focuses on individual experience of the divine beyond the realm of ordinary perception.

Aquinas - Analogical Language

The words mean the same thing in both cases Univocal Language A black cat A black car The words mean the same thing in both cases Equivocal Language A goal post A post box The words have totally different meanings in each case

Analogy When we speak of God there is an analogy between language relating to this world and language relating to God. E.g. Our ‘love’ is analogous to God’s ‘love’. The language we use about this world does not have exactly the same meaning when applied to God, but neither does it mean something completely different. We cannot know the full meaning of the language we use about God, but it does say something meaningful.

Julian of Norwich – Language and Gender

Genesis 1.27 ‘So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.’ *** ‘So God created mankind in her own image, in the image of God she created them; male and female she created them.’

‘As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.’ Isaiah 66.13 ‘As a mother comforts her child,     so will I comfort you.’

Implications? Is God ‘male’? ….. Implications for gender equality? If not …. Should we rewrite Christianity in more gender equal language? …. Implications for the Faith?

In other words …. God known in Creation Psalm 19.1-4 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his (her?) hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. 3 They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. 4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

God known in Christ John 1 God known in Christ John 1.14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

God known in silence How shall I sing that Majesty which angels do admire? Let dust in dust and silence lie; sing, sing, ye heavenly choir. Thousands of thousands stand around thy throne, O God most high; ten thousand times ten thousand sound thy praise; but who am I? Words: John Mason, 1683

Glossolalia – Ecstatic Language The phenomenon of (apparently) speaking in an unknown language, especially in religious worship. It is practised especially by Pentecostal and charismatic Christians.

Acts 2.1-4 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 10.44-46 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The Jewish believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.

Job 42.3 Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.