PhD EXTRACT
PH.D THESIS 1999.
THE VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OF WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND
It is nearly thirty-four
years since Paul Tillich (1886-1965) died, but he continues to be acknowledged
as a theologian of considerable stature and influence in the twentieth-
century theological scene. His mature thought is expressed in the three
volumes of his Systematic Theology, 1951-1963, developed in the form
of a system which stands in the tradition of German Idealists. Tillich’s purpose in his Systematic Theology
has been to answer the questions of the “modern mind” through
a correlation with the answers given in the revelation of Jesus as the
Christ.
In an age which suspects
the value of totalising systems such as Tillich’s Systematic Theology, this study claims that his thought
can be of continuing significance. This claim is based on the argument
that, in the course of writing the last volume of the system, his thought
underwent a significant transformation. Central to this transformation
was, following World War I, Tillich’s acceptance that the “Protestant
era” had come to an end and the impact that religious pluralism
in the fifties had on his thought. He called the post-war period the “post-Protestant
era.” In a series of lectures he delivered from 1958 to 1965 he
interpreted the post-war situation in terms of the “encounter of
religions”.
This study examines the
events and issues which were foundational to Tillich’s understanding of the “post-Protestant era” and
religious pluralism. Through a study of his published and unpublished
lectures on the “encounter of religions,” it is shown that
his analysis and understanding of the post-war era became fundamental
to some notable and significant shifts in his thought. The shifts in
his thought can be clearly discerned when compared with the ideas in
his Systematic Theology. However, the significance of such changes is
that they also mark a continuation of his thought which is being developed
in a new direction beyond the confines of his system and its christocentricism.
This study attempts to present a
new perspective on his thought and reveals a different Tillich to that
which is seen in his Systematic Theology. This is of considerable relevance
in a post-Tillichian era.
LINK: http://www.vuw.ac.nz/religion
