Colloquia Theologica Ottoniana

The interdisciplinarity of contemporary research on regions raises questions about the theological status of the region, the answers to which lie in the theology of place. The point of reference for this theology is the status of place in both the Old Testament and the New Testament and the life of the early Church. In the Old Testament, such theologically marked places are Eden, Canaan (the Promised Land), and the Jerusalem Temple. All of them are related to the special presence and intervention of God. The Garden of Eden is particularly important as it can be considered a primaeval place, a prototype of a holy place. Jesus’ activity relativises the special importance of the holy place. Indeed, Jesus denies the existence of the temple and values the faith of strangers, i.e., those from outside of Israel, and announces the Kingdom of God, which is “not of this world,” so its implementation will occur in relationships and not in places. Ancient Christianity lives in the tension between paroikein and katoikein, between being on earth, as if in a foreign land, and being at home. On the other hand, the concept of “holy places” (loca sacra) is developing rapidly, but they have a functional meaning and do not indicate God’s actual presence in geographical space. If a place is a storied place, then a region in the theological sense can be defined as a place separated from space through a narrative of a sacred nature.