Wolfhart Pannenberg

Wolfhart Pannenberg ( born October 2, 1928 in Szczecin ) is a German Protestant theologian.

Childhood, youth

Wolfhart Pannenberg was born the son of a customs officer. The family moved, due to the occupation of the father, often to. In 1942 she moved to Berlin. Although he was baptized as a child but had no Christian education because his parents had become so estranged from the Church, that they had left. In an autobiographical note mentioned Pannenberg, that his father was temporarily worried his son would neglect to attend school and dealing with serious objects because of his love for music. In 1944 he was 16 years old soldier, 1945, he was for a short period of British POWs. Although he grew up in a non-Christian environment, he began in 1947 a study of theology and philosophy. Triggering moment for this decision was his critical engagement with the work of Friedrich Nietzsche. The mediated image of Christianity in Nietzsche disagreed with the experience of Pannenberg.

Teaching and clerical tasks

Pannenberg studied in Berlin, Göttingen, Heidelberg and Basel. In Basel Pannenberg was among other things a student of Karl Barth. His doctoral thesis was on Edmund Schlink in Heidelberg on the predestination of Duns Scotus, which he submitted in 1953 and published a year later. His habilitation thesis in 1955 dealt with the relationship between analogy and revelation, especially the discussion about the concept of analogy in the teaching of the knowledge of God, and was built in 2007 - slightly expanded - published.

Wolfhart Pannenberg taught from 1958 to 1961 as a professor of Systematic Theology at the Theological Seminary Wuppertal, from 1961 to 1967 at the Theological Faculty of the University of Mainz and 1967 until his retirement in 1994 at the Faculty of Protestant Theology of the University of Munich. He founded the Institute of Fundamental Theology and Ecumenism, which should foster dialogue with the Roman Catholic theology and gained recognition as one of the most prominent representatives of the Lutheran- Catholic theological dialogue. Pannenberg was from 1975 to 1990 also delegate to the Evangelical Church in Germany in the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches. His theology has exercised great influence internationally. He is one of the most well-known evangelical theologians of our time.

Theological Significance

Pannenberg's approach is due out in his manifesto " Revelation as History " of 1961, in which he explicitly sets itself apart from the Word of God theology both Barth'scher and Bultmann'scher embossing. Based on exegetical studies by Rolf Rendtorff and Ulrich Wilcken he developed the position that the disclosure within the meaning of self-revelation of God be done, not directly by individual disclosure events, but by God's action in history as a whole. God's self- revelation could therefore be, in the eschatological future, fully understood only from their end. However, the event of Christ, especially the resurrection, as anticipation ( prolepsis ) is to be understood in this eschatological future, so is being attached to him in Christian theology rightly exclusive importance. Thus Pannenberg opens the Christian faith of the universal human experience and rational interdisciplinary discourse. Revelation could not be justified by the authority of an ecclesiastical authority, but have to prove themselves before the forum of autonomous philosophical and historical reason. Consequently, one of intense discourse with the philosophy, but also the social and natural sciences, the salient features of the theological work of Pannenberg.

In his further theological work Pannenberg develops the approach of revelation further than history. Of particular importance is his work on the theory of science of theology. It represents the view expressed that it is theological statements ( up to the statement of the existence of God ) to handle hypotheses that need to prove themselves in the experience. This probation could only be done indirectly, a final verification is only possible in the afterlife ( a thought that Pannenberg John Hick takes over ). For this reason, theology should the (systematic ) does not presuppose the truth of the Christian faith formal statements on the authority of the event of revelation; Rather, it was her job to establish this truth content.

Memberships and scientific contacts

1977 Pannenberg was elected as a member of the Philosophy and History Class of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences. At various scientific institutions in the U.S., the UK and Italy (philosophy ) and with the University of Comillas in Madrid, he maintained close contacts. Until April 1, 1998 was Pannenberg ( Protestant ) Scientific Director of the Ecumenical Working Group of Protestant and Catholic theologians.

Awards and honors

Statement on Homosexuality

In 1997, Pannenberg his Federal Cross of Merit in protest after 1996, the deaconess and social worker Herta Leistner was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit. According to Pannenberg, the award is contrary to the Basic Law Article 6 ( 1) enshrined protection of marriage and family. In addition, the commitment to homosexuality is contrary to the theological doctrine. Pannenberg refers in Scripture " standards for ecclesiastical judgments about homosexuality " from 1994 decidedly on the subject position. He stated that the biblical witness are clear in their sharp rejection of homosexual behavior. This brings the turning away from God particularly striking expression. The task of the Church, which had a hand raise tolerance and understanding, is to call the person concerned to repentance is. Would the Church recognize homosexual unions, they would no longer be on the ground of Scripture.

Works (selection)

  • The predestination of Duns Scotus in the context of scholastic teaching development. Research on the church and the history of dogma 4 Cambridge University Press, Göttingen, 1954 ( dissertation)
  • (Ed. :) Revelation as History. Kerygma and Dogma Supplement 1 Cambridge University Press, Göttingen (1961 ) 5th edition 1982 ( engl.: Revelation as History, 1968)
  • Broad Christology. (1964 ) 7th ed poppy, Gütersloh 1990 ISBN 3-579-04014-6 (English: Jesus - God and Man, 1968)
  • Reformation between yesterday and tomorrow. Aspects of modern theology 7 poppy, Gütersloh 1969
  • Theology and the Kingdom of God. Poppy, Gütersloh 1971 ISBN 3-579-04096-0
  • Christianity and myth. Late horizons of the myth in biblical and Christian tradition. Poppy, Gütersloh 1972 ISBN 3-579-04228-9
  • Presence of God. Sermons. Claudius Verlag, Munich 1973 ISBN 3-532-61128-7
  • Philosophy of science and theology. (1973 ) 676 stw Suhrkamp, Frankfurt aM 1987 ISBN 3-518-28276- X (English: Theology and the Philosophy of Science, 1976)
  • Ethics and ecclesiology. Collected Essays. Cambridge University Press, ISBN 3-525-56139-3 Göttingen 1977
  • The destiny of man. Humanity, election and history. Small Vandenhoeck series 1443rd Cambridge University Press, ISBN 3-525-33423-0 Göttingen 1978
  • God's thought and human freedom. (1974 ) 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 3-525-01605-0 Göttingen 1978
  • Basic questions Systematic Theology. Collected Essays. Cambridge University Press, Göttingen 1967/1980 ( Vol 1: 1967, 2nd edition 1971 ISBN 3-525-58141-6; vol 2:. ISBN 3-525-58142-4 1980 )
  • Image of God as a destiny of man in the modern history of theology. Meeting reports / Bavarian Academy of Sciences of Humanities class 1979.8. ET Bayerische Akad the Wiss. , Munich 1979 ISBN 3-7696-1501-8
  • Christian spirituality. Theological Aspects. Small Vandenhoeck series 1519. Cambridge University Press, ISBN 3-525-33522-9 Göttingen 1986
  • Christianity in a secularized world. Herder, Freiburg 1988 ISBN 3-451-21244-7
  • Metaphysics and God's thought. Small Vandenhoeck series 1532. Cambridge University Press, ISBN 3-525-33541-5 Göttingen 1988
  • The Creed. Designed and accountable to the issues of the day. Gütersloher paperbacks Seven Star 1292nd 5th ed Gütersloher publisher Poppy, Gütersloh 1990 ISBN 3-579-01292-4
  • Systematic Theology. 3 vols Cambridge University Press, Göttingen 1988/1991/1993 ( central station) (English: Systematic Theology, 1991ff. ) Vol 1: 1988 ISBN 3-525-52185-5
  • Vol 2: 1991 ISBN 3-525-52187-1
  • Vol 3: 1993 ISBN 3-525-52190-1
  • Vol 1: Philosophy, Religion, Revelation. 1999 ISBN 3-525-56194-6
  • Vol 2: Nature and Man - and the future of creation. 2000 ISBN 3-525-56193-8
  • Vol 3: Church and ecumenism. 2000 ISBN 3-525-56197-0
Rudolf Bultmann Eschatology Bavarian Order of Merit Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Protestant Reformation Klaus Koschorke Integrated Authority File
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