Theology and Early Historicism (original) (raw)
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Introduction (from Theology as Science in Nineteenth-Century Germany)
Theology as Science in Nineteenth-Century Germany, 2013
This is the introductory chapter to my book Theology as Science in Nineteenth-Century Germany: From F.C.Baur to Ernst Troeltsch. It contextualizes the nineteenth-century debate about theology as science both within the larger question of whether and, if so, how theology is Wissenschaft (scientia; ‘science’) and within the more specific situation arising from the mid-eighteenth century through the rise of historicism and the specific turn in philosophy of religion since Kant. It starts from a discussion of theology’s institutional context in the university and its the modern transformations; F. Schleiermacher’s contribution to this debate is specifically treated. Subsequent sections explore historicization as a general phenomenon of European culture at the turn of the nineteenth century and its effect on theology in particular as well as the specific contribution made by the rise of German Idealism.
Schelling and historical theology
This article gauges the significance of Schelling's thought for the emergence of nineteenth century German, Protestant historical theology. The article first considers Schelling's relevant texts, mostly the System of Transcendental Idealism and the Lectures on University Studies. A second part looks at their theological readers considering in depth the early Philipp Marheineke and F. C. Baur. It becomes apparent that this reception occurs within intellectual networks consisting of individuals who are nowadays considered philosophers, historians, theologians or classicists, but who at the time participated in the same debates about history, mythology, speculation, and religion.
Historiography and Theology. Theology in the Weimar Republic and the Beginning of the Third Reich
Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte 20:1, 2007.
The interpretation of the different roles played by Christian theology during the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich is deeply intertwined with current understandings of the nature and role of church and theology. This article is a critical discussion of the attempt of the “Munich school” centered around Trutz Rendtorff to liberate Protestant liberalism from the history writing of Karl Barth and the Barthian tradition. It discusses concrete issues of historiography dealing with Barth and liberal Protestants such as Ernst Troeltsch, Emanuel Hirsch, and Martin Rade, at the same time as it discusses how historiography is interrelated with theology, sociology, and politics.
Thesis Eleven, 2013
This paper discusses attempts to think historicity in the work of the theologian Rudolf Bultmann and the German philosopher Hans Blumenberg. It then draws on the work of the Jesuit theologian Robert Doran in order to suggest how an historical pragmatics without historicism might be relevant to a future theology with social import.
The debate about theology as science in Germany: 1835 to 1848
In this article, I argue that the roughly ten years following the publication of D.F. Strauss' Life of Jesus had far-reaching consequences for the German debate about theology as science. I suggest that Strauss modifies the previous status quaestionis by (1) making the scientific character of theology a matter of public concern; (2) aligning the Hegelian emphasis on science as knowledge with the emerging imperative of science as procedural research; and (3) indicating that this question was further connected with societal and political modernisation. The result was an explosive mixture as is evident from the passionate responses to Strauss' publication. His most extreme opponents, such as E.-W. Hengstenberg, were eager to accept his claim that modern theology = Hegelian 'pantheism' = political reform. Those closer to Strauss, on the other hand, notably other members of the Tübingen School, sought to moderate his claims by restricting the problem of theology's scientific character to an inner-university affair. On the other hand, more radical thinkers, such as Ludwig Feuerbach and Karl Marx, soon moved beyond Strauss' original proposal of a modern, philosophical Christianity. While Strauss' own position was thus repudiated on the right and the left, his main significance was as a catalyst for fundamental theological and intellectual transformations.
This paper examines the working methods of an early modern church historian in detail. Barthold Nicolaus Krohn from Hamburg left behind a large number of working papers and preparatory documents for his unfinished project of a universal history of Anabaptism. These documents make it possible to reconstruct the daily course of research work down to the smallest detail. In particular, they show that the creation of historical narratives depended on a variety of preparatory practices of writing and paperwork. In line with recent research approaches, which overall emphasize the materiality and physical nature of knowledge production, the paper shows how research, critical method, handwriting and historical interpretation or narration were interconnected in the Age of Enlightenment. Zusammenfassung: Dieser Beitrag untersucht die Arbeitsweisen eines frühneuzeitlichen Kirchenhistorikers im Detail. Barthold Nicolaus Krohn aus Hamburg hat eine große Zahl an Arbeitspapieren und vorbereitenden Unterlagen für sein unvollendetes Projekt einer Universalen Geschichte des Täufertums hinterlassen. Diese Unterlagen erlauben es, den alltäglichen Gang der Forschungsarbeit bis ins kleinste Detail zu rekonstruieren. Es zeigt sich insbesondere, dass die Erschaffung historischer Narrative von vielfältigen vorbereitenden Praktiken des Schreibens und der gezielten Papierarbeit abhängig war. Im Einklang mit jüngeren Forschungsansätzen, die insgesamt die Materialität und physische Natur der Wissensproduktion betonen, zeigt der Beitrag auf, wie Recherche, kritische Methode, Handschriftlichkeit und historische Interpretation bzw. Narration im Zeitalter der Aufklärung miteinander verbunden waren.