Exegesis of social reality in the Fathers of the Church

Abstract

Nowadays, a challenged theology cannot simply re-issue ideas and phrases in
a mechanical manner, without further deep analysis of the epistemological
pattern, which makes a message coherent and allows it to interact with its surrounding
circumstances in a mature way. The thought and praxis of the
Fathers of the Church enable the discovery of key elements in a particular
reading of their times. This article aims at an exegetical study of the two texts
read by patristic authors: the Holy Scriptures and social reality. The aim is not to repeat formulas but to find inspiring principles and keys to a present interpretation of the social and cultural situation in the contemporary world. The social analysis made by the Fathers from the Scriptures implies an anthropological, cosmological, and an ecclesiological view. The comprehensiveness of their thought reveals unity of life, of thinking about the world, human beings and the Church in relation to God.