New Being: A Study on the Relationship between Conditioned and Unconditioned Being according to Paul Tillich

237 Pages·1969·12.7 MB·English

by  Kenan B. Osborne O.F.M. (auth.)

NEW BEING
NEW BEING
A STUDY ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
CONDITIONED AND UNCONDITIONED BEING
ACCORDING TO PAUL TILLICH
by
KENAN B. OSBORNE
MARTINUS NIJHOFF / THE HAGUE / 1969
ISBN 978-94-015-0261-0 ISBN 978-94-015-0782-0 (eBook)
DOl 10.1007/978-94-015-0782-0
© I969 by Martinus Nijholl. The Hague. Netherlands
All rights reseroed. including the right to translate or to
reproduce this book or parts thereof in any form
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE IX
CHAPTER I: The threefold basic towards understanding conditioned
being's quest for the unconditioned
1. Identification and evaluation of the theme 1
2. The problematic of Tillich's "quest" 3
3. The axial concepts in this problematic of the "quest" 7
a. The axis: essence - existence -essentialization 7
b. The axis: dialectic -paradox 7
c. The axis: immanence -self -transcendence 7
CHAPTER II: Three fundamental approaches to resolve the problematic
of Tillich's "quest" 9
1. The first approach: Tillich's so-called "answering theology" 9
a. General notion: the unity of theology and culture 9
b. Tillich's disagreement with the dialectical theology of Karl Barth 10
c. Tillich in relation to contemporary radical theology in England and
America 14
d. Tillich's methodology of correlation 20
2. The second approach: Tillich's two formal criteria and his material norm for
all systematic theology 25
a. The first formal criterion: the question of ultimate concern 25
b. The second formal criterion: the question of being and non-being 26
c. The material norm: New Bing in Jesus as the Christ 30
3. The third approach: Tillich's existentialism 36
a. Tillich's understanding of existentialism 36
b. Tillich's limited acceptance of existentialism 39
CHAPTER III: Idealistic components in Tillich's interpretation of the
God-man relationship 46
1. German idealism in general 46
2. Tillich's interpretation of the God-man relationship and Kant's analysis of
finitude 51
VI TABLE OF CONTENTS
3. Tillich's interpretation of the God-man relationship and Fichte's dynamic
view of the subject-object structure 57
4. Tillich's prius of ultimate concern and Schleiermacher's prius of "Das schlecht-
hinnige Abhangigkeitsgefiihl 63
5. Tillich's interpretation of the God-man relationship and Schelling's expla-
nation of the transition from essence to existence 69
6. Tillich's interpretation of the God-man relationship and Hegel's explanation
of dialectic 76
CHAPTER IV: Tillich's interpretation of old being 83
1. Old being as reason and the quest for revelation 84
a. The aspect of Continuity 87
b. The aspect of gratuity 90
2. Old being as finite essence and the question of God 94
a. The aspect of continuity 96
b. The aspect of gratuity 101
3. Old being as existence and the quest for the Christ 108
4. Old being as ambiguous life and the quest for unambiguous life 124
a. Identification of concepts 125
b. The aspects of continuity and gratuity 135
5. Old being as history and the quest for the kingdom of God 136
a. The essential-existential pattern 138
b. The meaning of history 139
c. The aspect of continuity 142
d. The aspect of gratuity 143
6. Conclusion concerning old being and the God-man relationship 145
CHAPTER V: New Being in Jesus as the Christ 146
Introduction 146
1. What does Tillich find in adequate or false in the chalcedonian formula? 147
a. Tillich's Presentation of Chalcedon 148
b. Tillich's disagreement over the word "nature" 151
2. What does Tillich mean by the incarnation? 157
a. Tillich's differentation between dialectic and paradox 158
b. Tillich's explanation of Essential Godmanhood 167
3. What does Tillich mean by redemption? 177
4. What does Tillich mean by redemption applied to men? 182
CHAPTER VI: General conclusions and evaluations regarding Tillich's
interpretation of the God-man relationship 185
1. General criticisms 185
a. The content of these definitions 194
b. The predominance of essence 194
c. Essence is normative 195
2. Positive and valid aspects of Tillich's interpretation of the God-man re-
lationship 200
a. Continuity 201
b. Gratuity 202
TABLE OF CONTENTS VII
EXCURSUS: Tillich's explanation of the two streams of philosophical
thought since the renaissance 207
BIBLIOGRAPHY 216
INDEX 226
PREFACE
The following study on Tillich's theology is based on a doctoral dissertation,
presented to the Ludwig-Maximilian University at Munich in December,
1967. Tillich's theology, however, is not a simple structure to analyze, since
it is so systematically interrelated. Certainly every major area of his theo
logical system involves all other major areas, and even the minor areas have
complex ramifications to the total system itself. The following pages, there
fore, can only be construed as one among many viewpoints of his system.
Tillich's theological structure might be compared to a painting or some
other work of art: one must view it now from this direction, now from that.
in order to appreciate the total effect.
Certain points should, however, be mentioned here. First of all, a key
notion in this system is "essentialization." This concept rounds off and com
pletes Tillich's entire work. Unfortunately, Tillich himself did not write
extensively on this topic, nor did he actually correlate it to the beginning and
middle of his system, although it expresses the final telos of his entire theo
logical work. I have drawn out of the Systematic Theology as much as possi
ble on the subject of "essentialization," and have tried to analyze it in light of
other key-concepts in his system. I have likewise felt that other authors, who
have analyzed Tillich's works, have at times been limited, since their analyses
covered only the essence-existence process, and not the total process: from
essence, through existence, to essentialization. This limitation on the part of
other authors was, of course, at times quite understandable, since the third
volume of his Systematic Theology had not as yet appeared at the time of
their writing. I am sure that some of these authors would want to reappraise
their analysis in view of what Tillich wrote concerning "essentialization" in
his final volume.
A second point of interest focuses on the development within Tillich's
x PREFACE
own thought. The following pages offer only a few indications of this
thought-process. The Gesammelte Werke, published by Evangelisches Ver
lagswerk, Stuttgart, under the editorship of Dr. R. Albrecht, offer valuable
insights into this development of Tillich's thought, for Tillich personally
authorized changes in the text of the Gesammelte Werke, which nuance the
thought of his original articles or writings. I have compared the revised text
with the original and at times have noted the new emphases and clarifi
cations. Unfortunately, these areas of change are not indicated in the Gesam
melte Werke. A similar situation is found in The Protestant Era, as also the
German translation of this work, Der Protestantismus: Prinzip und Wirk
lichkeit, where original articles appear in a revised or even twice-revised
form.
The main sections of the following study are undeniably chapters four and
five. The opening chapter serves merely to establish the basis and framework
for the book. The second and third chapters are, in my opinion, necessary
viewpoints which one must take into account to understand Tillich's inter
pretation of both old and New Being, as also their relationship to the Ground
of all being. Many other approaches could have been selected, as, for in
stance, Tillich's notion of God or his concept of symbol. The first has been
treated rather thoroughly by Dr. Thomas O'Meara in another dissertation
presented to the university at Munich; the latter in Dr. Klaus-Dieter
Norenberg's book, Analogia Imaginis. The approaches which have been
selected, however, have as yet not been so thoroughly analyzed: namely,
Tillich's relationship to Die Theologie der Krisis of the late 1920' and early
1930's; or his relationship to the current radical theology, including the
"God is dead" movement. In light of what Tillich wrote on "essentialization"
I thought it necessary to add a new word on Tillich's existentialism. Finally,
a field which deserves greater exploration is Tillich's dependence on 19th
century thOUght, particularly on that of Schleiermacher and Hegel.
I would like to express my appreciation, first of all, to Dr. Leo Schef
fczyk, professor for dogmatic theology at Ludwig-Maxiniilians-Universitat,
Munich, who guided my initial research for this study. Appreciation is also
due to Dr. Heinrich Fries, professor for fundamental and ecumenial theology
at the same university, who critically read through the manuscript and
offered many corrective observations. I am also deeply indebted to Frau
Gertraut Stober, who directs the quite complete Paul-Tillich-Archiv at
Georg-August-Universitat, Gottlngen, and who made available to me in
numerable writings either by Tillich or about his theology. Dr. Moritz Stein
heimer and Dr. Antonellus ElsaBer, both of the Hochschule-Sankt-Anna in
Munich deserve my gratitude, since they graciously helped with a German
PREFACE XI
precis of the original dissertation. Finally, I wish to express my sincere
gratitude to my colleagues in the Franciscan Province of St. Barbara in
California, who made my entire graduate program possible.
Kenan B. Osborne, O.F.M.
Berkeley, California
1969
I
THE THREEFOLD BASIS TOWARDS
UNDERSTANDING CONDITIONED BEING'S
QUEST FOR THE UNCONDITIONED
I. IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION OF THE THEME
Der Priiistein der Theologie ist ihre Fiihigkeit, die
absolute Spannung zwischen dem Bedingten und
dem Unbedingten zu erhalten.1
This statement from Tillich's address Vber gliiubigen Realismus expresses
the theme of this present analysis of Tillich's thought on the relationship
between the conditioned being and the unconditioned being, or to use more
traditional terms, between the finite and the infinite. The importance of this
theme is underscored by Tillich himself who calls it der Prufstein der
Theologie; nor is Tillich's own theological system exempt from this text.
Should Tillich's interpretation of the finite-infinite relationship, and more
particularly the God-man relationship, be viable, there would be good in
dication that his system as such is valid; if, however, his interpretation be
nonviable, there would be strong indication that his system does not hold
together.
Theologians have continually discussed this finite-infinite relationship.
In traditional theology, whether catholic or protestant, such a discussion has
centered around the nature-grace problem, which includes the problem of
1 Tillich, "tJber gHiubigen Realismus," an address delivered to the studentbodies at
the University of Marburg and at the University of Halle, 1927. It was first published
in Theolog. Blatter, 7, (1928) pp. 109-118; it was reprinted in ReligiOse Verwirklichung,
(Berlin: Furche Verlag) 1930, pp. 65-87; a revised text appears in Gesammelte Werke,
4, (1961), pp. 88-106. The original text, as found in Religiose Verwirklichung, p. 82,
reads as follows: "Unbrauchbar wird jedes Wort in diem MaBe, als es die Spannungen
der Gegenwiirtigkeit und Unbedingtheit abschwlicht und durch tJbersteigerung der
Gegenwlirtigkeit und Abschwiichung cler Unbedingtheit einen tJbergang herzustellen
sucht. Das ist der Priifstein der Theologie."