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Theologie der Hoffnung: Untersuchungen zur Begrundung und zu den Konsequenzen einer christlichen Eschatologie
340 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1969
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November 10, 2025
This book, which brought Moltmann to prominence, is considered one of the central works of mid-twentieth-century German theology. In it, Moltmann argues for the central role of eschatology (the study of the last, or ultimate things) in Christian teaching. In the common Christian triad of faith, hope, and love, it expresses hope. This hope is not, however, restricted to a distant judgment day, but should permeate our daily lives. It is not hope that the soul floats off from this vale of tears to an imagined heaven. It recognizes in the resurrection of Christ not an eternity in heaven but the future of the earth on which the cross stood. In a memorable image, Moltmann argues that eschatology should not be relegated to carrying the train of Christian theology, but rather carrying a torch at the head of the procession.
The proclamation of the crucified and risen Christ points to his coming, to the fulfilment of history, which, refreshingly, Moltmann does not see as fixed in advance according to a divine plan, but as a forward-looking field in which the church has its mission (“Sendung”) or commission (“Auftrag”). This emphasis on history marks a departure from Karl Barth, who was otherwise a significant influence on Moltmann.
The strongest objection to the theology of hope, Moltmann concedes, is that which focuses on the present moment as an expression of eternity. He traces this view to the pre-Socratic philosopher Parmenides and, through him, to Greek thinking as a whole. Greek thought, throughout this book, is something Moltmann views as distinct from Christian teaching, although he concedes that the concept of the God of Parmenides has deeply permeated Christian theology.
I was taken by Moltmann’s sorting of arguments for the existence of God into three groups: arguments from the existence of the cosmos, from human consciousness, and from the concept of God. None of these proves that God exists, Moltmann concedes, but they all give occasion to inquire after or seek God (German: “nach Gott zu fragen”).
Central to Moltmann’s claims is the reality or truth of the resurrection. His discussion of that occupies the third of his five chapters: structurally, as well as thematically, the middle of the book.
The book concludes with an examination of the mission of Christianity in the world, including an update on the Reformation view of the calling (“vocatio”) of a Christian. Christianity has lost the dominant role it had in Western society since Constantine and has been relegated to an acceptable niche as something private. Moltmann emphasizes, however, that “sotēria” (the Greek word usually translated as salvation) is more than individual deliverance, but should be understood in the comprehensive Old Testament sense of “shalom.”
This book gave me much to think about, both in aspects with which I agreed and some points for further consideration. For instance, how does this emphasis on the cross and resurrection of Christ as pointing toward the world’s future work out in interreligious dialogue?
I’ll confess, though, that I nearly bailed on this book nearly halfway through; it is written in the dense style beloved of German scholars since Kant and Hegel. I decided to persevere and found that it began to make sense, only to be pulled up short by an opaque four-and-a-half-line sentence containing a dozen or so abstract terms. Thinking that perhaps part of the difficulty is that German is my second language, I sampled a few pages of James W. Leitch’s English translation. He did a valiant job, faithful to the original, but the difficulty remained. Nor does the original book’s layout help, with no paragraph indentation, and some paragraphs nearly two pages long (I read the first edition; perhaps later printings were more reader-friendly). I made it to the end and got enough out of the book to have made reading it worth the effort. If I give this book three stars, perhaps one of the stars is for me for not giving up.
The proclamation of the crucified and risen Christ points to his coming, to the fulfilment of history, which, refreshingly, Moltmann does not see as fixed in advance according to a divine plan, but as a forward-looking field in which the church has its mission (“Sendung”) or commission (“Auftrag”). This emphasis on history marks a departure from Karl Barth, who was otherwise a significant influence on Moltmann.
The strongest objection to the theology of hope, Moltmann concedes, is that which focuses on the present moment as an expression of eternity. He traces this view to the pre-Socratic philosopher Parmenides and, through him, to Greek thinking as a whole. Greek thought, throughout this book, is something Moltmann views as distinct from Christian teaching, although he concedes that the concept of the God of Parmenides has deeply permeated Christian theology.
I was taken by Moltmann’s sorting of arguments for the existence of God into three groups: arguments from the existence of the cosmos, from human consciousness, and from the concept of God. None of these proves that God exists, Moltmann concedes, but they all give occasion to inquire after or seek God (German: “nach Gott zu fragen”).
Central to Moltmann’s claims is the reality or truth of the resurrection. His discussion of that occupies the third of his five chapters: structurally, as well as thematically, the middle of the book.
The book concludes with an examination of the mission of Christianity in the world, including an update on the Reformation view of the calling (“vocatio”) of a Christian. Christianity has lost the dominant role it had in Western society since Constantine and has been relegated to an acceptable niche as something private. Moltmann emphasizes, however, that “sotēria” (the Greek word usually translated as salvation) is more than individual deliverance, but should be understood in the comprehensive Old Testament sense of “shalom.”
This book gave me much to think about, both in aspects with which I agreed and some points for further consideration. For instance, how does this emphasis on the cross and resurrection of Christ as pointing toward the world’s future work out in interreligious dialogue?
I’ll confess, though, that I nearly bailed on this book nearly halfway through; it is written in the dense style beloved of German scholars since Kant and Hegel. I decided to persevere and found that it began to make sense, only to be pulled up short by an opaque four-and-a-half-line sentence containing a dozen or so abstract terms. Thinking that perhaps part of the difficulty is that German is my second language, I sampled a few pages of James W. Leitch’s English translation. He did a valiant job, faithful to the original, but the difficulty remained. Nor does the original book’s layout help, with no paragraph indentation, and some paragraphs nearly two pages long (I read the first edition; perhaps later printings were more reader-friendly). I made it to the end and got enough out of the book to have made reading it worth the effort. If I give this book three stars, perhaps one of the stars is for me for not giving up.
Displaying 1 of 1 review