Paul Tillich is one of the most celebrated theologians of the 20th century. His wide appeal beyond theology has often-made him more prominent than Karl Barth, particularly in the American context, since his approach to theology is motivated, in part, by making theological symbols relevant to wider communities who are made up of their own unique non-religious traditions and symbols. While this distinct 'method of correlation' is a unique feature of his early work, it is a principle carried throughout his later writings, particularly in his three-volume 'Systematic Theology'.
In this Seminar, 'An Introduction to Paul Tillich's theology,' we
will consider the five parts of Tillich's 'Systematic Theology': 1)
Reason and Revelation 2) Being and God 3) Existence and the Christ 4)
Life and the Spirit and 5) History and the Kingdom of God. These five
parts can all be read as posing a 'question' followed by an 'answer'
which 'correlates' to a particular Christian symbol. For example, taking
the first part of his 'Systematic Theology', we can say that reason has
to do with the question of knowledge (eg. how can we know with
certainty what is true?) and revelation provides the answer (eg. the
revelation of Christ as the symbol of the Logos). We can see this
question-answer structure in the other parts of his systematic theology
too. Tillich, therefore, provides a unique and comprehensive theological
approach to the general questions which are addressed to all of human
existence. This seminar will be conducted in English and will provide the chance
for Credit Points awarded for an 'Abschlussdiskussion' and for a short
Essay.
- Kursleiter/in: Calvin Dieter Ullrich