Ornament, fundament, argument or what else? On the canonical role of the Bible in theological ethics and in joint Catholic-Protestant texts

Abstract

In moral ethics the bible is often used selectively, providing examples of ideal behaviour or serving as a source of motivation. Thus, strictly speaking, one could do without the bible. However, in rediscovering the bible as a canon of a community of faith and practice and in working out a new approach (''canonical approach''), one can redefine the bible's role in ethics: (1) A canonical contextualization is absolutely required for a thorough reference to the bible. (2) The bible presents a complex (''many-voiced'') concept of the world according to God's will, in which God's people holds a key position. (3) The bible provides fundamental ideas for a counter-real interpretation of the world (openness of the future; reversal of powers).