Matthew Ryan Robinson | Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn (original) (raw)

Books by Matthew Ryan Robinson

Enemy, Stranger, Neighbor, Friend: A Rough Guide on Religion and Othering, 2023

How do religions represent inside and outside “others” in their ideas, symbols, and practices? Ho... more How do religions represent inside and outside “others” in their ideas, symbols, and practices? How do religious representations of others influence social cohesion? And what role can young leaders play in engaging with the challenges and the potential found within religious traditions’ representations of “others” to cultivate social resilience?

This Rough Guide On Religion and Othering offers a practical resource for group study and project visioning that can inspire and equip groups to address core tensions that emerge in religious representations of “otherness”. The guide presents four chapters on how religious ideas, symbols, and practices represent other persons and groups as enemies, strangers, neighbors, and friends. The guide includes anecdotes drawn from real-world situations, short essays on each topic, group reading exercises that draw on the sacred writings of many of the world’s religious traditions, and a gallery of projects developed by young leaders to engage with the challenges of othering by drawing on their religious traditions’ beliefs, symbols, and practices as resources. https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/publications/enemy-stranger-neighbour-friend

Lexington Books / Fortress Academic, 2019

Theological work, whatever else it may be, is always a reflection on social transformations. Not ... more Theological work, whatever else it may be, is always a reflection on social transformations. Not only pastors but also theologians work with the sources of the Christian traditions in one hand and a newspaper in the other. But how are we to understand the relationship between social transformations and the continuously “compromised” development of Christian ideals, as these are measured by doctrinal formulations? And how might a more deeply sociological perspective on this relationship inform theological work?

Matthew Ryan Robinson and Evan F. Kuehn approach this question, not by reconstructing a history of ideas, but rather by telling a story about the development of churches and theological institutions. They take the turbulent and dynamic ecclesiological situation of nineteenth-century Germany as a representative case, focusing on the sociological methodological orientation of Friedrich Schleiermacher and Ernst Troeltsch in the context of the rise of theological liberalism, the history of religions, and the German churches’ confrontation with social and political challenges. Robinson and Kuehn then connect this orientation with the sociology of religion of Hans Joas and Niklas Luhmann, arguing for a functional focus in theological research on what doctrines do rather than what the reality behind or in any particular doctrine is.

A renewed focus on the role of interpersonal relationships in the cultivation of religious sensib... more A renewed focus on the role of interpersonal relationships in the cultivation of religious sensibilities is emerging in the study of religion. Matthew Ryan Robinson addresses this question in his study of Friedrich Schleiermacher's notion of "free sociability." In Schleiermacher's ethics, the human person is formed in and consists of intimate, tightly interconnecting relationships with others. Schleiermacher describes this sociability as a natural tendency prompted by experiences of physical and existential limitation that lead one to look to others to complete one's experience. But this experience of incompleteness and orientation to "the completion of humanity" also constitute the fundamental structure of religion in Schleiermacher's theory of religion as orientation to "the universe and the relationship of humanity to it." Thus, Schleiermacher not only presents sociability as basic to human nature, but also as inherently religious - and, potentially, redemptive.

Edited Volumes by Matthew Ryan Robinson

What Does Theology Do, Actually? Vol. 2 Exegeting Exegesis, 2023

The fields of ‘‘Exegesis’’ have long been characterized by broad disciplinary di- versity, but al... more The fields of ‘‘Exegesis’’ have long been characterized by broad disciplinary di- versity, but also ambiguity, combining biblical studies, exegesis, early Jewish studies, early Christian studies, Ancient Near Eastern studies, and classical stud- ies in various ways. This is to say nothing of the development of contextual and engaged exegesis informed by critical-theoretical insights in the twentieth and twenty-first century as reflected, for example, in feminist, liberation, postcoloni- al, and queer Biblical exegesis. How and why scholars study the Bible varies, not only across confessional or cultural contexts, but across institutional-academic contexts. Given the overarching interest of the WDTD project in observing theol- ogy sociologically in the various global contexts in which it is practiced, how can the diversity of understandings and practices of exegetical work be organized in a way that is helpful for prompting critical self-reflection on the field as a whole?

What Does Theology Do, Actually? Observing Theology and the Transcultural, 2020

The What Does Theology Do, Actually? project aims not to do theology, but to observe what theolog... more The What Does Theology Do, Actually? project aims not to do theology, but to observe what theologies do, around the world today, in and for the communi- ties in which they circulate and hold meaning. How is theology understood and practiced as a semantics of global society? What kinds of problems do theologies solve and how? These questions are pursued, moreover, with specif- ic attention given to the “transcultural”. Much might be learned both about the role of Christian religion in public life and about evolving trends in theological understanding or praxis by examining comparatively the ways Christian communities encode transcultural experiences of irritation coming from the social environment (for example, climate change, protest movements, digitali- zation, mass migration, or global pandemics) into their self-understanding (for example, in engagement with received tradition) and self-formation (for ex- ample, in liturgy and community ethics).

This requires theoretical open mindedness and methodological agility. The project therefore follows a two-step logic. First, the project seeks to observe theological work as itself a set of social discourses or objects contingently particular to certain contexts. A focus on answering the question “What is theology?” privileges those who already possess the resources and power to shape what counts as being “really” theology or not. By contrast, the descrip- tive approach preferred by the question “What does theology do?” objectifies “theologies” as a kind of social artifact and recognizes a variety of reflected religious communications as communicating theology. Second, in this way, the project aims to disrupt dominant paradigms in academic theological re- search, to expand the category of theological work(s) beyond textual formats and classroom or conference situations to include a variety of spaces, symbols, practices, and artifacts that function as transmitters of reflected religious communications, and to contribute to work diversifying theological methodologies to include empirical, qualitative, and quantitative research methods.

The What Does Theology Do, Actually? project consists of symposia and a limited book series. An international community of theologians, sociologists, anthropologists, philosophers, scholars of religion, and practitioners, from widely differing contexts, and at all career stages are invited to disruptive dialogue with one another in the context of symposia devoted to comparative study of theological production and communication systems. The inaugural symposium called into question such basic issues as what a context is, what counts as a theological work, and what publics theologies inevitably address and how. It addressed these questions with Protestant, Pentecostal, and Ro- man Catholic theological interventions from Ethiopia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Argentina, Hong Kong, the USA, and Germany. Subsequent symposia and volumes in the series will continue to apply this same approach, each with a focus on a theological sub-discipline or external humanities perspective.

The rise of populism and nationalism in the West have raised concerns about the fragility of libe... more The rise of populism and nationalism in the West have raised concerns about the fragility of liberal political values, chief among them tolerance. But what alternative social resources exist for cultivating the interpersonal relationships and mutual goodwill necessary for sustainable peace? And how might the lived practices of religious communities carry potential to reinterpret or re-circuit these interpersonal tensions and transform the relationship with the cultural "other" (Fremde) from "foe" (Feind) to "friend" (Freund)? This volume contributes a unique analysis of this shifting discourse by viewing the contemporary socio-political upheaval through the lens of Friedrich Schleiermacher's theology, with a focus on the themes of friendship, interpersonal subjectivity, and sociability as a path beyond mere tolerance. Each of the essays of the volume is written by an internationally recognized scholar in the field, and the volume examines Schleiermacher's novel reflections across multiple social contexts, including North America, Great Britain, western Europe, and South Africa. As these essays demonstrate, the implications of this conversation continue to resound in contemporary religious communities and political discourse.

Papers by Matthew Ryan Robinson

Journal of Religious and Theological Information, 2023

As societies have sought to adapt to the (post-)pandemic realities, one of the most profound and ... more As societies have sought to adapt to the (post-)pandemic realities, one of the most profound and far-reaching consequences has been a society-wide acceleration of the turn toward the digital. Following a crucial link between social media communication and resilience, the article (1) aims to investigate how "digital religious communication" on social media can be used to measure and assess ecclesial organizations' social resilience. In a second step, the Twitter communication of 126 ecumenical and social justice-oriented organizations is then analyzed for how much they communicated about the pandemic during the early phases, for the sentiment of their communication, and for religious semantics and narratives used to address the pandemic. In doing so, the study (2) inquires after the role of communicating religious self-understandings in navigating the pandemic, deepening thereby understanding of the connection between "digital religious communication" and the facilitation of social resilience in the face of crisis.

Journal of Religious and Theological Information, 2023

As societies have sought to adapt to the (post-)pandemic realities, one of the most profound and ... more As societies have sought to adapt to the (post-)pandemic realities, one of the most profound and far-reaching consequences has been a society-wide acceleration of the turn toward the digital. Following a crucial link between social media communication and resilience, the article (1) aims to investigate how “digital religious communication” on social media can be used to measure and assess ecclesial organizations’ social resilience. In a second step, the Twitter communication of 126 ecumenical and social justice-oriented organizations is then analyzed for how much they communicated about the pandemic during the early phases, for the sentiment of their communication, and for religious semantics and narratives used to address the pandemic. In doing so, the study (2) inquires after the role of communicating religious self-understandings in navigating the pandemic, deepening thereby understanding of the connection between “digital religious communication” and the facilitation of social resilience in the face of crisis.

Dialog, 2023

What are we talking about when we talk about the postsecular? This article looks at the ways arti... more What are we talking about when we talk about the postsecular? This article looks at the ways articulations of the secular often presuppose the presencenot the absence-of religion and religious plurality. This can be observed even in the work of early theorists of secularism as well as of the first sociologists who observed secularizing tendencies in society and sought to conduct socialscientific inquiry in a way that aimed to be analytically agnostic. At the same time, the return or renewed visibility of religion does not imply a decrease in individualization of religious expression, the disappearance of secularist attitudes, or that challenges of negotiating religious pluralism have been overcome. This more complicated orientation toward relating secularity and religious pluralism shifts the focus away from debates over the truth or rationality of religious beliefs and practices to the need for mutual, voluntary, open, and ongoing communication among them. On the one hand, a commitment is necessary to the creation and maintenance of meaningful participation opportunities in the self-presentation of religious self-understandings in relation to issues of common concern (the mutuality requirement); on the other hand, a steadfast commitment is needed from religious persons and groups themselves to persistent participation in presentation of one's own views or those of one's constituencies in ways that are clear and accessible to all other participants (the voluntariness requirement).

Current Dialogue, 2023

More than 600 million young people today live in economically and environmentally fragile context... more More than 600 million young people today live in economically and environmentally fragile contexts. Scholarly literature on the interconnections between these young people and religion has often portrayed them as prone to radicalization and drawn to violent extremism. Such framings, however, render invisible their potential as agents for positive change. In this article, we take a step back to consider more basic questions about the socio-political significance of youth leadership in (inter)religious contexts for the cultivation of peace. In particular, we focus on youth, religion, and religious representations of insider and outsider “others.” In this article, we report on the youth-focused programme Enemy, Stranger, Neighbor, Friend, aiming to contribute to understanding the complexities that youth working in conflict prevention, informal peace education, and interreligious work face and the contributions they can make.

Interreligious Studies and Intercultural Theology

International Journal of Systematic Theology, 2017

Modern Western Protestant theology has become a difficult field of study to sell in the humanitie... more Modern Western Protestant theology has become a difficult field of study to sell in the humanities. There is a variety of good and less good reasons for this. But University of Chicago Divinity School theologian Kevin Hector wants to suggest that the work of several modern theologians is worth reading today not only for historical purposes but also because this oeuvre has something important to contribute to contemporary discussions. In particular, Hector argues that Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Schleiermacher, Georg F.W. Hegel, Albrecht Ritschl, Ernst Troeltsch and Paul Tillich were deeply concerned with a problem that many might regard as quintessentially post-modern and which they are chiefly critiqued for ignoring, namely, particularity and embodied, individual vulnerability. This provocative thesis, combined with Hector's lucid analytic voice, yields a creative and highly integrated retrieval of modern theology for the present. Formulated as a question, the 'project of modernism', as Hector characterizes it, asks how one might experience one's life as one's own and as taking the shape one has intended it to take such that it may be seen as 'self-expressive' (p. 12). How, in other words, can I identify my life as 'mine'? This is the question of 'mineness'. A major challenge to realizing a relation of mineness with one's life is that the 'narratives' one uses to identify one's life as 'mine' are often interrupted and obstructed in a variety of ways. These interruptions create 'oppositions', to use Hector's dialectical terminology, between the self one wants to become and the self one experiences oneself as being (pp. 19-21): oppositions between nature and morality, rendering knowledge and morality seemingly arbitrary and individuals therefore unfree (Kant, p. 43); between knowing and desiring and, more fundamentally, between one's sense of discrete freedom and awareness of deep dependence (Schleiermacher, pp. 81, 91, 97); between subject and object resulting from an inability to recognize oneself in others' representations of one (Hegel, pp. 126-7, 163); or between existence and essence resulting in estrangement from one's ground of being (Tillich, pp. 234-5). Hector reads Kant, Schleiermacher, Hegel, Ritschl, Troeltsch and Tillich as squarely addressing this challenge. The characterization of the problem itself may feel very philosophical-perhaps existential at times, but not particularly religious. But Hector argues convincingly that the approaches these figures take to resolving the problem are explicitly theological. Each figure proposes a certain understanding of 'faith' or conceptualization of relationship with God as a resolution to the oppositions that disjoint and distance one from a relationship of mineness with one's life (p. 23). The helpfulness of a shorthand summary of some of Hector's rather detailed arguments for understanding those arguments seems doubtful, but it can show the pattern Hector outlines nonetheless: faith in God as guarantor for the hope that opposition between nature and reason is not ultimate can play a powerful role in making up for the inconsistency of human will and

ABSTR AC T Qualitative methodological approaches have become increasingly important for theologic... more ABSTR AC T Qualitative methodological approaches have become increasingly important for theological research as lived theology and ecclesiological practices are recognized as being a relevant part of the theological information ecosystem. These new approaches require attention to how field research in theology is documented and described. Evan Kuehn (North Park) will discuss the transculturality of theological research and the relevance of qualitative approaches to theological librarianship. Hadje Sadje (Leuven) will share about his research on the political theology latent in the practices of Oneness Pentecostal congregations in the Philippines and the role that documentation and description play in this research. Matthew Ryan Robinson (Bonn) will discuss the nature of non-textual theological artifacts by focusing on two case studies—a painting from Ethiopia and a devotional cross from the Philippines— as objects that present challenges and opportunities for extracting, coding, and...

Recent Western scholarship in social theory has seen a renewed interest in questions of theology ... more Recent Western scholarship in social theory has seen a renewed interest in questions of theology and its relationship with other disciplines. For instance, what does sociology have to do with Christian theology? This is a significant question that leads to more questions: Is there an intersectional relationship between sociology and theology? What role does sociological inquiry have, if any, in the construction of contemporary theology? For hardcore positivists, there are many ways to answer this question. However, the dominant response is that theology must be subject to the scrutiny of the social sciences, especially sociological questions. At least on the surface, sociology and theology have often been viewed as oppositions. The opposition model seeks to isolate Christian theology from public discourse. In Theology Compromised: Schleiermacher, Troeltsch, and the Possibility of a Sociological Theology (2019), Matthew Ryan Robinson and Evan F. Kuehn negate the opposition model. Robinson and Kuehn demonstrate how the implications of sociology (social formation) in theological reflection shape the nature and content of Christian doctrine, and vice versa. In other words, Robinson and Kuehn highlight the dialectical, mutual dynamic of the development of theological reflection and societal evolution. The book is divided into six brief chapters. In Chapter 1, Robinson and Kuehn offer an overview of how systematic theology and social formation mutually respond to and produce one another, drawing chiefly from the writings of Friedrich Schleiermacher and Friedrich Naumann. Following Schleiermacher and Ernst Troeltsch, Robinson and Kuehn reveal the evolving history of theological methods (not to be equated with a vulgar relativism) and the transformation of systematic theology. On the other hand, they also show the dramatic structural transformation of modern society, particularly in the twentieth century. Robinson and Kuehn write, Taken together, the historicist and phenomenological programmes meant that not only exegesis, but all work in theology now needed to be done historically-critically, and this in turn required of contemporary systematic theology sensitivity to subjectivity-forming factors involved in the cultivation and expression of Christian practice and belief; factors Theology Compromised | 110

What Does Theology Do, Actually? Observing Theology and the Transcultural, 2020

Pastoraltheologie, 2019

Theology – in Transcultural Practices: What an Excursion to Ethiopia and System-atic Theology Hav... more Theology – in Transcultural Practices: What an Excursion to Ethiopia and System-atic Theology Have to Do with each. The article outlines a hermeneutical paradigm for how the intercultural or transcultural might be plotted dogmatically, i.e., in a system of Christian doctrine. It looks at the ways this theological framing can pro-vide orientation for students and researchers in intercultural theology. Inter- or transcultural encounters are theologically theologically within doctrinal reflection on createdness, as reflecting the human experience of interdependent intersubjec-tivity. The attention to life-giving mutual dependencies leads, to the development of a paradigm: that calls systematic theology to use empirical methods and more spe-cifically to focus on cultivating intercultural exchange (1), that works collaborative-ly to build a fair and mutually life-giving oikos or “Ökumene” (2), and that in so doing conducts a careful analysis of concentrations of power that facilitate or im-pede these efforts (3).

Der Artikel skizziert einen hermeneutischen Ansatz dazu, wie die interkulturelle-genauer transkulturelle-Konstellation sich in das dogmatisch berücksichtigen lässt als einen integralen Bestandteil systematisch-theologischer Reflexion. Es geht darum, eine theologische Rahmung zur Orientierung für Studierende und Forschende der Interkulturellen Theologie bereitzustellen. Die Ausführungen verorten inter-und transkulturelle Erfahrungen theologisch in der Schöpfungslehre, als etwas, in dem sich die menschliche Erfahrung von Intersubjektivität spiegelt. Die Aufmerksamkeit auf die lebensspendende wechselseitige Abhängigkeit von Menschen führt sodann zu einem Konzept, das die Systematische Theologie dazu veranlasst, sich, bei Öffnung für empirische Methodiken, deutlicher als gewohnt zur Kultivierung interkulturellen Austauschs beizutragen (1), welcher an einer fairen und wechselseitig lebensspen-denden Ökumene des gemeinsamem Bewohnen des Schöpfungsraum arbeitet (2). Dies zu tun schließt eine sorgfältige Analyse von Machtkonstellationen, die die Be-mühungen fördern oder behindern, ein.

Open Theology, 2019

The article examines the disparity in use of digital humanities tools and resources among the the... more The article examines the disparity in use of digital humanities tools and resources among the theological disciplines, highlighting the question of why systematic theology has struggled to follow the digital turn. The author argues that issues of fairness in access and use of digital resources in knowledge production constitute an important set of concerns for systematic theologians in considering appropriate uses of the digital in their research. The article suggests that there are indeed reasons for methodological innovation in systematic theology in reaction to the digital revolution in humanities research-not, however, toward more plugged-in methods but toward methods embedded in life with the poor, underrepresented, and excluded. Three principles for a methodological "reboot" in systematic theology are given, which offer directions for further research as well as material for debate. Introduction: digital humanities, systematic theology and the cultivation of good knowledge

Itinerari, 2017

Schleiermacher combines an “Irenaean” ethics of teleologi- cal aspiration toward perfection with ... more Schleiermacher combines an “Irenaean” ethics of teleologi- cal aspiration toward perfection with an “Augustinian” her- meneutical epistemology of discernment of error. As this re- lates to the question of evil, Schleiermacher’s position al- lows him to maintain, in continuity with both types, that «Evil is nothing in itself and emerges only together with the appearance of the good, insofar as this good is posited as be- coming» and thus that «evil is posited in both particular and large scale acts partly as incapacity (Unvermögen) and partly as corruption (Verderben)».

Pastoraltheologie, 2018

Tolerance is often seen as not only a formal-political mechanism but also a social value. In both... more Tolerance is often seen as not only a formal-political mechanism but also a social value. In both cases, tolerance is thought to be important for social integration of migrants. However, the article shows that, because tolerance is always a granting of permission by a dominant group to a permitted group, it works in exactly the opposite way that its defenders intend: namely, tolerance formalizes differences of migrants that are experienced as objectionable and makes their marginal social standing concrete. More than tolerance is necessary for successful integration. The second half of the article reports on an experiential learning seminar in which theology students and asylum-seekers in Bonn formed “fake friendships” as a way of becoming familiar with one another’s experience and contributing to social-belonging through cultivating mutual belonging to one another.

Reviews by Matthew Ryan Robinson

Journal for the History of Modern Theology / Zeitschrift für Neuere Theologiegeschichte, 2020

One often hears the term "Schleiermacher Renaissance" to refer to the surge of new dissertations,... more One often hears the term "Schleiermacher Renaissance" to refer to the surge of new dissertations, monographs and articles on Schleiermacher, not to mention the volumes of the Kritische Gesamtausgabe, which began in the s and continues today. Research on the work and contributions of Ernst Troeltsch has been undergoing analogous developments, especially under the leadership of Friedrich Wilhelm Graf and earlier Trutz Rendtor in the volumes of the Troeltsch-Studien, and continuing today via the Troeltsch research center in Munich and the publication of the KGA of Troeltsch's work as well as newer Troeltsch-Studien volumes. Di erent from the case of Schleiermacher, however, is that Troeltsch's work has struggled to find in-roads with non-German-speaking audiences, and this point coincides (whether causing or being caused by is di cult to say) with comparatively little English-language scholarship on Troeltsch. Aside from the few existing English translations of Troeltsch's main works and a handful of (parts of) his essays, one finds articles in scientific journals semi-regularly and a slow but consistent flow of dissertations in the English-language scholarship. This is a point that The Anthem Companion to Ernst Troeltsch volume editor Christopher Adair-Tote notes ( ) and would like to change, and even if it were only for this reason alone, the volume constitutes a serious contribution -to the study of Troeltsch's work itself as well as to the situation of research at the intersection of philosophy, theology and religion at the start of the twentiethcentury. And not only do we have with this volume a whole collection of essays in English devoted specifically to the thought of Ernst Troeltsch, the volume also represents the current state of research on Troeltsch and his context as found in Germany, North America and Great Britain and from disciplinary perspectives in sociology, philosophy, theology and religious studies. The big-name attraction in the volume is undoubtedly that of Hans Joas. But many of the scholars whom Anglophone readers associate with research on Troeltsch and German theology more broadly at the turn of the century also appear, including Mark Chapman, Lori Pearson, Arie L. Molendijk, Adair-Tote himself, and Je ery Kinlaw, and their chapters should not be overshadowed by Joas's own. Two newer names also Angemeldet | mrobinso@uni-bonn.de Autorenexemplar Heruntergeladen am | 09.11.19 15:25

Enemy, Stranger, Neighbor, Friend: A Rough Guide on Religion and Othering, 2023

Lexington Books / Fortress Academic, 2019

What Does Theology Do, Actually? Vol. 2 Exegeting Exegesis, 2023

What Does Theology Do, Actually? Observing Theology and the Transcultural, 2020

Journal of Religious and Theological Information, 2023

As societies have sought to adapt to the (post-)pandemic realities, one of the most profound and ... more As societies have sought to adapt to the (post-)pandemic realities, one of the most profound and far-reaching consequences has been a society-wide acceleration of the turn toward the digital. Following a crucial link between social media communication and resilience, the article (1) aims to investigate how “digital religious communication” on social media can be used to measure and assess ecclesial organizations’ social resilience. In a second step, the Twitter communication of 126 ecumenical and social justice-oriented organizations is then analyzed for how much they communicated about the pandemic during the early phases, for the sentiment of their communication, and for religious semantics and narratives used to address the pandemic. In doing so, the study (2) inquires after the role of communicating religious self-understandings in navigating the pandemic, deepening thereby understanding of the connection between “digital religious communication” and the facilitation of social resilience in the face of crisis.

Dialog, 2023

Current Dialogue, 2023

Interreligious Studies and Intercultural Theology

International Journal of Systematic Theology, 2017

What Does Theology Do, Actually? Observing Theology and the Transcultural, 2020

Pastoraltheologie, 2019

Open Theology, 2019

Itinerari, 2017

Pastoraltheologie, 2018

Journal for the History of Modern Theology / Zeitschrift für Neuere Theologiegeschichte, 2020

This volume, edited by respected scholars in hermeneutics and translation studies, brings togethe... more This volume, edited by respected scholars in hermeneutics and translation studies, brings together a rich interdisciplinary community of perspectives on Schleiermacher's "contribution to the theory of translation two centuries after his Academy address" from academicians as well as those working professionally in translation ( ). Each of the contributions takes as a main point of orientation Schleiermacher's address to the Prussian Academy of Sciences, "On the Different Methods of Translation Studies." Three essays (from Christian Berner, Denis Thouard, and Theo Hermans) provide illuminating analysis of the roots of Schleiermacher's lecture in his own system of thought. But this lecture, which Schleiermacher described to his wife as "ziemlich triviales Zeug," also marks a milestone in the history of translation ( ) as well as in the history of linguistics, and hermeneutics, and the philosophy of language more broadly ( ; cf. Michael N. Forster's essay in the volume.) But the chapters of the volume-written in German, French, and English-go far beyond Schleiermacher and his lecture on translation to consider its historical contexts in the German-speaking regions, France, and England, as well as its ongoing contributions to translation theory in those lands and more widely in Europe. Each of the essays deepens understanding of Schleiermacher's essay by placing it into conversation, thematically or historically, with other thinkers or developments in translation studies. Mary Snell-Hornby and Michael Forster plot Schleiermacher in relation to developments in theory of translation and philosophy of language developed by contemporaries, including Herder, Goethe and others. Christian Berner and Denis Thouard show the ways Schleiermacher's essay reflects his systematic thought, in his hermeneutics and dialectic. In addition to the influence of Schleiermacher's hermeneutical thinking on his theory of translation, Theo Hermans moves in the other direction, describing ways Schleiermacher's work on translating Plato contributes to his theory. Rainer Kohlmayer draws attention to the importance of orality in translation, arguing Schleiermacher does not take this adequately into account. Radegundis Stolze, in keeping with the association of Schleiermacher's theory of translation with

International Journal of Systematic Theology, 2017

Journal for the History of Modern Theology, 2016

Journal for the History of Modern Theology / Zeitschrift für Neuere Theologiegeschichte, 2015

xiv + 318pp. (Hardcover) £75.00, 978-0-19-964191-8. In this revised and updated Habilitationsschr... more xiv + 318pp. (Hardcover) £75.00, 978-0-19-964191-8. In this revised and updated Habilitationsschrift, Zachhuber has produced a fascinating new apology for a period of theology too long dismissed in the twentieth century with a wave of the hand and the assignation "liberal theology": namely, that of the schools of Ferdinand Christian Baur and Albrecht Ritschl. Zachhuber suggests "a retrospective survey of that period will not fail to acknowledge the sheer amount of creative, subtle, and scholarly work these theologians produced over several decades" and further maintains this period "remains utterly impressive and establishes these decades, arguably, as one of theology's classical periods of all time whose influence extends far into the twentieth century and is likely to be significant in the twenty-first as well." (296)

Journal for the History of Modern Theology, 2014