What do you think?
Rate this book
Prolegomena: The relation of theology to modern thought forms
English, German (translation)
- GenresTheologyChristianity
420 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 1968
5 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 26, 2024
THE FIRST VOLUME IN A THREE-VOLUME SERIES
Helmut Thielicke (1908-1986) was a German Protestant theologian, and rector of the University of Hamburg from 1960 to 1978. This volume consists of two sections: The State of Theological Discussion, and Theology in Self-Grounded Secularity.
He explains the title in his Preface as follows: "when I use the title Evangelical Faith ... What I have in view is faith to the degree that it stands representative for him who is believed and for what is bound with his benefits... the book is about the relation between God and man and not about a purely transcendent God taken theistically in and for himself." (Pg. 15)
He distinguishes between "modern" (or "Cartesian," as he calls it) and "conservative" theology, noting that "the word 'conservative' is also a poor one... because it is already freighted in theology to the extent that it ... carries with it the sense of what is past and dead and done with... we have thus thought it better to use the word `non-Cartesian.'" (Pg. 115) He defines the crucial issue in modern theology to be whether "the kerygma (message) is put under man's control, so that in the last analysis theology is reduced to a mere chapter in anthropology." (Pg. 53)
He states that "The NT is supra-mythical inasmuch as it proclaims as reality what belongs to the structure of mythical speech (the incarnation). In so doing it goes beyond myth. It thus demythologizes, yet not in such a way as to set forth the signification of mythical statements, but rather by claiming a reality behind the mythical ciphers." (Pg. 83) He concludes that the Bible is "poles apart from the world of myth." (Pg. 88)
He asserts that "the Christian is always ahead of the theologian... because theology is never more than an inquiry into the basis of the Christianity that is already there." (Pg. 125) He argues that the Holy Spirit "does not let us begin with the axioms of our own self-understanding but turns our gaze on what has happened historically." (Pg. 138) He makes the interesting statement, "God acknowledges his Word. This means that in principle the canon is not closed on the Reformation view. We cannot say what might not prove to be canonical in the further course of proclamation." (Pg. 201)
Thielicke's work will be of interest to most students of evangelical theology.
Helmut Thielicke (1908-1986) was a German Protestant theologian, and rector of the University of Hamburg from 1960 to 1978. This volume consists of two sections: The State of Theological Discussion, and Theology in Self-Grounded Secularity.
He explains the title in his Preface as follows: "when I use the title Evangelical Faith ... What I have in view is faith to the degree that it stands representative for him who is believed and for what is bound with his benefits... the book is about the relation between God and man and not about a purely transcendent God taken theistically in and for himself." (Pg. 15)
He distinguishes between "modern" (or "Cartesian," as he calls it) and "conservative" theology, noting that "the word 'conservative' is also a poor one... because it is already freighted in theology to the extent that it ... carries with it the sense of what is past and dead and done with... we have thus thought it better to use the word `non-Cartesian.'" (Pg. 115) He defines the crucial issue in modern theology to be whether "the kerygma (message) is put under man's control, so that in the last analysis theology is reduced to a mere chapter in anthropology." (Pg. 53)
He states that "The NT is supra-mythical inasmuch as it proclaims as reality what belongs to the structure of mythical speech (the incarnation). In so doing it goes beyond myth. It thus demythologizes, yet not in such a way as to set forth the signification of mythical statements, but rather by claiming a reality behind the mythical ciphers." (Pg. 83) He concludes that the Bible is "poles apart from the world of myth." (Pg. 88)
He asserts that "the Christian is always ahead of the theologian... because theology is never more than an inquiry into the basis of the Christianity that is already there." (Pg. 125) He argues that the Holy Spirit "does not let us begin with the axioms of our own self-understanding but turns our gaze on what has happened historically." (Pg. 138) He makes the interesting statement, "God acknowledges his Word. This means that in principle the canon is not closed on the Reformation view. We cannot say what might not prove to be canonical in the further course of proclamation." (Pg. 201)
Thielicke's work will be of interest to most students of evangelical theology.
Displaying 1 of 1 review