Beata Toth – författare

The Heart Has Its Reasons explores a hitherto neglected area of theological anthropology: the unity of human emotion and reason embodied in the Biblical concept of the heart. While the theological contours of human rationality have long been clearly drawn and presented as the exclusive seat of the image of God, affectivity has been relegated to a secondary position. With the reintegration of the body into recent philosophical and theological discourses, a number of questions have arisen: if the image (also) resides in the body, how does this change one's view of the theological significance of human affect? In what way is our likeness to God realised in the whole of what we are? Can one overcome the traditional dissociation between intellect and affect by a renewed theory of love? In conversation with patristic and medieval authors like Irenaeus, Tertullian, Gregory of Nyssa, Maximus, and Thomas Aquinas, and in dialogue with more recent interlocutors such as Blaise Pascal, Ricoeur, Marion, Milbank, and John Paul II, Beáta Tóth pursues a novel theological vision of the essential unity of our humanity.

This book explores a hitherto neglected area of theological anthropology: the unity of human emotionality and rationality embodied in the biblical concept of the heart. While the theological contours of human reason have for long been clearly drawn and presented as the exclusive seat of the image of God, affectivity has been relegated to a secondary position. With the reintegration of the body into recent philosophical and theological discourses, a number of questions have arisen: if the image (also) resides in the body, how does this change one''s view of the theological significance of human affectivity? In what way is our likeness to God realized in the whole of what we are? Can one overcome the traditional dissociation between intellect and affectivity by a renewed theory of love? In conversation with patristic and medieval authors (e.g., Irenaeus, Tertullian, Gregory of Nyssa, Maximus, Aquinas) and in dialogue with more recent interlocutors (Pascal, Ricoeur, Marion, Milbank, John Paul II), this work pursues a novel theological vision of the essential unity of our humanity.

In less than a decade the notion of ‘synodality’ has emerged as a central theme in Catholic life and thought, especially in Catholics’ self-reflection on who they are as the People of God: ecclesiology. The notion of the Church as ‘synodal’ has early roots in the many councils and synods of the early churches, east and west, but now this notion has emerged from the history of canon law to become one that portrays a whole new image of the church. The church, Pope Francis has said, is called to be synodal as it changes its self-perception from being a power pyramid seeking to impose its vision to being a pilgrim people at the service of humanity. But what are the implications of synodality?The synod on synodality in Rome 2023/24 is grappling with this question, but if the notion has any meaning it will require steady examination over a much longer period, it will need to be owned, and it will call for engagement from all parts of the Catholic Church. One can only have a synodal coming together when people from every corner of the church set out on the journey to that meeting place (synodos) of many roads.As part of this synodal engagement the Catholic Theological Association of Great Britain invited its members – and some friends of the association – to offer their reflections on the importance of synodality, what it means, how it can build on the work of the Second Vatican Council, and how we can engage with it today.These essays – deliberately kept short and to the point – are offered to our sisters and brothers in baptism in order to help us all on our journey of renewal as a pilgrim people.