ABSTRACT
The title of the encyclical Fides et Ratio has been infelicitously translated into English as Faith and Reason, an occasion for confusion for the reader from the very outset. To make this observation is not to quibble about the translation of words, but rather to point to an emblematic instance of the grandeur of the problems we are faced with in understanding and 'receiving5 this text. However, the problematic translation is perhaps zfelix culpa, since it focuses our attention from the outset on the basic content and intent of the text, to reconsider just what faith and reason are, and consequently how they must relate to each other. That reconsideration will require the text to define certain terms and to construct their history, to recast the metaphors which bind those terms together, and to propose an agenda for their use. My remarks will consider each of these elements where necessary, beginning with a brief account of the introduction and conclusion of the encyclical. As will become evident, ambiguity, contesting metaphors and incongruities are not merely the elements of the text itself, but essential aspects of both the task and the content being considered - namely, the encounter of faith and reason within contemporary culture.
