Theologie der Hoffnung. Untersuchungen zur Begründung und zu den Konsequenzen einer christlichen Eschatologie.

by Jürgen Moltmann

Wahrscheinlicher Grund des ungewöhnlichen Buch-Erfolges ist der revolutionäre Inhalt von "Theologie der Hoffnung". Moltmann propagiert darin ein umstürzlerisches, gesellschaftsänderndes - wie er sagt: ursprüngliches - Christentum und offeriert damit Christen und Kirchen eine Theologie, die zu aktiven, ja aggressiven Auseinandersetzungen mit der politischen Umwelt ermächtigt und anfeuert.
Die Christen, so ruft Moltmann seine Glaubensbrüder auf, sollen der Wirklichkeit nicht mehr "die Schleppe nachtragen, sondern die Fackel voran".


The following efforts bear the title Theology of Hope, not because they set out once again to present eschatology as a separate doctrine and to compete with the well known textbooks. Rather, their aim is to show how theology can set out from hope and begin to consider its theme in an eschatological light. For this reason they inquire into the ground of the hope of Christian faith and into the responsible exercise of this hope in thought and action in the world today. The various critical discussions should not be understood as rejections and condemnations. They are necessary conversations on a common subject which is so rich that it demands continual new approaches.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Christianity, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Christian, Faith

344 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Jürgen Moltmann is a German Reformed theologian. He is the 2000 recipient of the Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion.

Moltmann's Theology of Hope is a theological perspective with an eschatological foundation and focuses on the hope that the resurrection brings. Through faith we are bound to Christ, and as such have the hope of the resurrected Christ ("Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3, NIV)), and knowledge of his return. For Moltmann, the hope of the Christian faith is hope in the resurrection of Christ crucified. Hope and faith depend on each other to remain true and substantial; and only with both may one find "not only a consolation in suffering, but also the protest of the divine promise against suffering."

However, because of this hope we hold, we may never exist harmoniously in a society such as ours which is based on sin. When following the Theology of Hope, a Christian should find hope in the future but also experience much discontentment with the way the world is now, corrupt and full of sin. Sin bases itself in hopelessness, which can take on two forms: presumption and despair. "Presumption is a premature, selfwilled anticipation of the fulfillment of what we hope for from God. Despair is the premature, arbitrary anticipation of the non-fulfillment of what we hope for from God."

In Moltmann's opinion, all should be seen from an eschatological perspective, looking toward the days when Christ will make all things new. "A proper theology would therefore have to be constructed in the light of its future goal. Eschatology should not be its end, but its beginning." This does not, as many fear, 'remove happiness from the present' by focusing all ones attention toward the hope for Christ's return. Moltmann addresses this concern as such: "Does this hope cheat man of the happiness of the present? How could it do so! For it is itself the happiness of the present." The importance of the current times is necessary for the Theology of Hope because it brings the future events to the here and now. This theological perspective of eschatology makes the hope of the future, the hope of today.

Hope strengthens faith and aids a believer into living a life of love, and directing them toward a new creation of all things. It creates in a believer a "passion for the possible" "For our knowledge and comprehension of reality, and our reflections on it, that means at least this: that in the medium of hope our theological concepts become not judgments which nail reality down to what it is, but anticipations which show reality its prospects and its future possibilities." This passion is one that is centered around the hope of the resurrected and the returning Christ, creating a change within a believer and drives the change that a believer seeks make on the world.

For Moltmann, creation and eschatology depend on one another. There exists an ongoing process of creation, continuing creation, alongside creation ex nihilo and the consummation of creation. The consummation of creation will consist of the eschatological transformation of this creation into the new creation. The apocalypse will include the purging of sin from our finite world so that a transformed humanity can participate in the new creation.

Reviews

[Kris]

Jordan B. Cooper says is one of the most influential theological texts of the twentieth century.

[Dani Pop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Printre altele, Moltmann spune că modernismul, bineînțeles, vrea să rupă "lanțurile" tradiției, in sensul păgân al expresiei cel puțin, și anume dorința de reîntoarcere la o epocă de aur de la început. Modernismul e progresist, vrea Utopia. Însă și acest progresism e orientat greșit. Pozitia creștină învață din ambele: se uită la evenimentul ei fundamental, la Hristos, dar asta numai pentru a se arunca înspre înainte, înspre viitorul promis când Dumnezeu va fi totul în toți. De asta noi nu ar trebui să fim "conservatori" în sensul politic al cuvântului. Pentru că noi chiar așteptăm viitorul, noi chiar ne luptăm pentru viitorul lui Dumnezeu. Bineînțeles, e nedesăvârșită lupta, dar va fi desăvârșită la arătarea lui Hristos. Și până atunci, muncim: prin predicare, prin lupta pentru viață, prin lupta pentru dreptate.

Îl iubesc pe Moltmann pentru că ne-a ajutat să redescoperim speranța. Îl urăsc pot Moltmann pentru că a chiulit cam mult de la orele de română. Frate, cartea asta a fost aproape prea grea de citit. Dar a fost o carte bună de citit.

[Luís Branco · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is the second time that I have read this volume. I read it first in Portuguese some years ago and now in English. JÜRGEN MOLTMANN has a really impressive background. A former German soldier in WWII, taking as a prisoner in Belgium and UK for his participation as a soldier in the German Army at a time when the Nazis were terrorizing Europe. His transition to Christianity (Reformed Faith) while in prison is something amazing. He is a fine theologian, in spite of his admiration to Karl Barth theology. A man held in a hopeless state, captive in body and mind, affected deeply by his remembrance of the Nazi's brutality, who met Christ in his most profound distress, has enough authority to write about hope and deserve our attention.

[Galen Dalrymple]

I learned that Mr. Moltmann is a brilliant thinker. Also, that we shouldn't project a future based on historical events of the past - at least not a future that only assumes "more" of what has already happened.

[Jennifer Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a trained theologian, so, of course, I didn’t come to the text with a full picture of where Moltmann fits into the discourse on eschatological theology. Having said that, I can say that it is clear to me why his work is cherished. I will read this work again so that I can have a more full understanding. For now, I will share one of his concluding thoughts that seems to capture the essence of the theological argument laid out in the work: “Faith can expend itself in the pain of love, it can make itself ‘into a thing’ and assume the form of a servant, because it is upheld by the assurance of hope in the resurrection of the dead. For love, we always require hope and assurance of the future, for love looks to the as yet unrealized possibilities of the other, and thus grants him freedom and allows him a future in recognition of his possibilities. In the recognition and ascription of that human dignity of which man is deemed worthy in the resurrection of the dead, creative love finds the comprehensive future in view of which it loves.”
Amen.

[Timo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Moltmann, isn't always easy. It is dense and he is often in conversation with contempary theological discussions of his day (which is the 1960's). A basic understanding of the main discussions in systematic theology, especially Barth is helpfull.

The book has challenged me to look different at eschatology within Scripture. It is also a book that requires you to take your time, for it is scattered with beautiful and challenging sections that makes you stop and wonder what you think of what Moltmann is putting down. Especially the introduction is amazing (the first 30 pages).

[Timothy Dalrymple]

I don't intend to write a lengthy review, but I do wish to say that it should be read alongside Moltmann's "The Crucified God." These form two very important strands of Christian thought, and the dialectic between them is what makes them so richly productive.

[David Gregg]

The first in Moltmann's trilogy, spanning forty-five years: continuing with "Crucified God" and ending with the recently-published "Ethics of Hope".

[Jon Bauman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This work is less personal and more systematic. It's quite concerned with secular thoughts regarding reality and history because Moltmann is seeking to address those thoughts with this theology.

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took me months to get through. It was challenging to read and was not light bedtime reading for me. I had to really focus on it. I didn't always know what was going on. Can't tell if it's the translation from German to English or I was just too dense to follow at times, but I got through it and I think I at least get the idea. Below are some of my favorite quotes.

"'Why is the church opposed to cultural development? ' asked R. Rothe, and answered: 'Oh, I blush to set it down: because it fears for belief in Christ. That is for me not faith, but faith-heartedness. But that is precisely what comes of disbelief in the real, effective world-dominion of the Saviour.'"

"To know God is to suffer God, says an old adage. But to suffer means to be changed and transformed."

"Despondency and despair are sin--indeed they are the origin of all sins."

"'...neither male nor female' (Gal. 3:28). Only when the real, historic and religious differences between peoples, groups and classes are broken down in the Christ even in which the sinner is justified, does there come a prospect of what true humanity can be and will be."

"Yet the ground of this assurance is new: because God has the power to quicken the dead and call into being things that are not, therefore the fulfilment of his promise is possible, and because he has raised Christ from the dead, therefore the fulfilment of his promise is certain."

"This tradition of promise turns our eyes not towards some primaeval, original event, but towards the future and finally towards an eschaton of fulfillment."

"Christian tradition is then not to be understood as a handing on of something that has to be preserved, but as an event which summons the dead and the godless to life."

"Missions perform their service today only when they infect men with hope."

"This does not mean merely salvation of the soul, individual rescue from the evil world, comfort for the troubled conscious, but also the realization of the eschatological hope of justice, the humanizing of man, the socializing of humanity, peace for all creation."

[Phillip Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

German theologians are notoriously challenging to read and this book was no exception. But dispersed throughout it were statements of gold that challenged my thinking. Moltmans picture of the role of the Church today stands in stark contrast to what most of us experience. Regaining his picture of the eschatological mission of the Church would certainly impact the world today. Christians need to abandon the influence of the world and live again under the hope and promise of a renewed world that the cross of Christ gives.

[Vyacheslav Okun sj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro profetico per un mondo che a volte sembra sta per morire senza la prospettiva della speranza. La speranza escatologica diventa una forza motrice della storia a favore delle utopie creative dell’amore per l’uomo sofferente e per il suo mondo imperfetto, muovendosi verso il futuro sconosciuto, ma promesso, di Dio. In questo senso l’escatologia cristiana potrà esprimersi a favore del ‘principio speranza’ e d’altra parte ricevere dal ‘principio speranza’ l’impulso a meglio delinearsi

[Steve Irby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quarantine-Book #32:

I just finished "Theology of Hope: On the Ground and the Implications of a Christian Eschatology," by Jurgen Moltmann.

No comments, critique or summary. I finished the race and fell over just crossing the finish line. It is equally as deep as Volf's E&E.


#JurgenMoltmann #Umlaut #Moltmann #TheologyOfHope #Eschatology #GermanTheologians

[E. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read a few Moltmann books and been deeply influenced by him, but I had never read this early, seminal text. And, despite some gems, it just didn't resonate with me as much as other works. I think many of the ideas he pioneered here he developed more fully and eloquently later.

[Greg Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book for PhD ‘s

[Matt Wiseman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a moving theological work, albeit weighed down at times by Moltmann’s meticulous argument. Those who wade through the tedium and persevere to the end will be not be disappointed.

[Anthony Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

The single most important modern work of modern theology I have read. The degree of influence Moltmann has had both on critics and aficianados speaks for itself. What may put off American readers in the early 21st a bit is the fact that most of the scholars he discusses from the early post-War era are obscure to many of us, but the analysis is incisive, and the directi0n superb. May this be the first of many books by Moltmann you read.

[Clayton Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moltmann would be a lot cooler if he wasn’t a Barthian

[Seth Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredibly difficult to read and even though i put "read" I'm only like halfway through it but I'm taking probably a 6 month break

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

The introductory 'meditation on hope' contains the seeds of the rest of the book, some parts of which I found very difficult. But the introduction was inspiring enough for me to persevere. A thought provoking and exciting book that has started my love affair with Moltmann's theology.

[Marco Ambriz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep reflection on concepts of Hope, Eschatology, The History and Future of the Risen Jesus, the Mission of the Church, the Kingdom of God, social justice and peace. The introduction alone is worth it! Moltmann shares that the Christian is called to live in contradiction to the status quo verdict of death, fatalism and brokenness in our world by proclaiming and living into our call towards the destiny of the future of Jesus in the power of his resurrection.

[Kev · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book that put Moltmann on the theological map and started his career as the most influential Protestant theologian of the last 50 years.

Moltmann argues that all of theology is centered on eschatology. Not the doom and gloom eschatology prevalent in so much of evangelicalism, but a hopeful Christian eschatolgy which "speaks of Jesus Christ and his future. It recognizes the reality of the raising of Jesus and proclaims the future of the risen Lord."

Yet this hope in the God of promise is more than “a hymn in praise of a noble quality of the heart”, because "as long as hope does not embrace and transform the thought and action of men, it remains topsy-turvy and ineffective." Rather, a true Christian hope sets out to transform the present. As Moltmann succinctly explains:

"The theologian is not concerned merely to supply a different interpretation of the world, of history and of human nature, but to transform them in expectation of a divine transformation."

Theology of Hope is undoutedly one of the most important and influential works of twentieth century Christian theology. It is a dense academic theological work, but well worth the read. Reading the introduction alone was enough to alter my entire theological perspective, particularly the following snippet:

"That is why faith, wherever it develops into hope, causes not rest but unrest, not patience but impatience. It does not calm the unquiet heart, but is itself this unquiet heart in man. Those who hope in Christ can no longer put up with reality as it is, but begin to suffer under it, to contradict it. Peace with God means conflict with the world, for the goad of the promised future stabs inexorably into the flesh of every unfulfilled present."

[ben adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

By relegating eschatology to the "end times", we suppress a powerful, rich piece of Christian The*logy to a time not our own thereby rendering it meaningless. Moltmann argues that we turned eschatology into a fixed position at the end and therefore an appendix to actual The*logy because of the Hellenized attempts to define G*D as the eternal and immutable. He states that Jesus believed in the G*D of the Promise from the Hebrew Bible. This G*D is free to behave with totally independent volition. G*D can fulfill the Promises made in any way G*D desires. This means we as Christians should be less concerned about clearly-defined, eschatological events than about understanding the substance of the Promise and living into that Promise. Moltmann locates this activity in the Christian attitude of Hope. He states that The*logy has entered into a time period of Hope. The existentialist philosophies and The*logies have left us void, attempting to look for G*D within ourselves, separated from history and therefore, severed from the Promise which is itself historical. Moltmann goes on to say that the Promise is one of justice, that all Christian belief (as it is intrinsically linked to the Promise) is eschatological, and that all Christian faith and love must be geared toward the hope of that justice. Finally, that justice is the vocation of faith and love as it is the goal of hope.

[Bob Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jurgen Moltmann has made a dramatic impact on the Christian church, primarily with that branch connected to liberation theology.

Theology of hope has much to commend in it. Moltmann's recovery of the concept of 'hope' for the Christian Church will (I hope) continue to be a source of fresh insight for years to come. His attention to the concept of the future horizon as a fundamental concept for the Christian church highlights our present need to reconsider the point and purpose of our common mission.

But like many critical scholars, Moltmann is willing to compromise too much and to abandon too much of the historic Christian faith. Gone, for Moltmann, is any sense of true meaning for Scripture. Rather, scripture is open to the possibilities of the future.

The conceptual notion of the future horizon becomes paradigmatic for Moltmann and rather than Scripture informing it, it informs Scripture.

Overall, it is well worth reading and struggling with and I highly recommend it.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

May be one of Moltmann's best known works. "Theology of Hope" does not treat eschatology under its traditional definition as "doctrine of the last things," but as the starting point for all Christian theology and the filter through which theology is understood and articulated.

Contains extensive meditations on theology and history, particularly where the historicity of Christ's resurrection is concerned. This is an important point as Christianity stands or falls on whether or not Jesus rose from the dead. It also contains the most extensive passage I've yet found not only on Moltmann's theological reflections on history and time, but also with direct reference to his interpretation of Constantine's influence on Christianity.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moltmann's first book could probably be considered a classic. It is no easy read, but those who work through it are rewarded. Basically, Moltmann places hope for the future at the center of Christian faith. Because of Christ's resurrection there is hope for a better future than what the world experiences now. This future is not then a stale doctrine, but is the motivation for the Church to do mission in the world.

Awesome.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I was younger I really enjoyed reading deep theological works like this one. In fact I read this book once before but decided to read through it again with the perspective of a few more years on this planet. However, what I've found is that this type of theology does not interest me at this point in my life. It seems to disconnected from the real world in which I live. Perhaps I shall return to this book again in the future, but for now I am conceding disinterest and setting it aside.

[Gene Bales · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful theological excursion, though more than a little dense at times. I appreciated the tie-in with continental European philosophy in the late 20th century, which is the intellectual standpoint I generally have in reading theology. Putting hope at the base of the Christian life makes much sense to me, not in the least because it has become more relevant personally as I age. I recommend it to anyone with similar interests or background.

[Mauberley]

This is a transformative book, one that will change whatever you thought you knew about eschatology, God, and hope. In a penetrating engagement with European thought, Moltmann ignites an understanding of what it means to hope for 'the kingdom of God'. Hope for the kingdom is restored as central to Christ's 'message' (e.g., Mark 1:15) and to the lives of those who have responded to that message.

[Hillingdon Libraries]

Find this book at Hillingdon Libraries