Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist der Entwurf einer theologisch fundierten und empirisch-psychologisch evidenten Persönlichkeitstheorie. Sie soll christologisch verankert sein. Dazu wird zunächst mit Paul Tillich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer und Helmut Thielicke vor dem biblisch-theologischen Hintergrund des Noahbunds die grundsätzliche Doppelseitigkeit der menschlichen Existenz aufgezeigt. In der postlapsalischen Erhaltungsordnung herrschen Sünde und Tod vor, aber die Schöpfungsrealität bleibt fragmentarisch bewahrt, so dass psychosoziale und spirituelle Gesundheit unter dem Vorbehalt der Vorläufigkeit möglich ist. Um diese zu erlangen, muss der Mensch zur adäquaten Befriedigung seiner Bedürfnisse finden. Dies geschieht nur unter dem Primat der Verantwortlichkeit. Verantwortlichkeit beinhaltet, dass der Mensch in die Schuld gestellt ist. Schuld und Verantwortlichkeit besitzen ontologische Tiefe. Der Sünde wegen ist der Mensch bestrebt, sein Leben nicht vor Gott verantworten zu müssen. Sein Verhältnis zu Gott ist von Angst bestimmt. Dies hat Paul Tillich in seiner Ontologie der Angst entfaltet. Die Versuche des Menschen, die existenzielle Angst der Gottentfremdung zu objektivieren, hat Søren Kierkegaard mit den vier Grundformen der Verzweiflung beschrieben. Ihr psychopathologisches Äquivalent sind die von Fritz Riemann überlieferten vier Grundformen der Angst. Diese drei Modelle der dunklen Seite menschlicher Persönlichkeit sind deckungsgleich. Die Doppelseitigkeit der menschlichen Existenz impliziert, dass die Kehrseite der existenziellen Angst das existenzielle Bedürfnis ist. Die Bedürfniskonstrukte von Fiedler, Epstein und Grawe, die aus dem gegenwärtigen Erkenntnisstand der Persönlichkeitsforschung unter Einbezug der Neuropsychologie hervorgehen, erweisen sich in diesem Sinne als auffallend deckungsgleich mit den Modellen der dunklen Seite. Daraus ergibt sich ein holistisches Persönlichkeitsmodell, das die negative Determiniertheit durch die Sünde und die positive durch die Grundbedürfnisse, das ontologische Bedürfnis nach Spiritualität eingeschlossen, als unlösliche Einheit aufweist. Der gemeinsame Nenner dieser Modelle scheint sich auch allmählich in der Persönlichkeitsdiagnostik durchzusetzen. / The aim of this paper is the outline of a theologically founded and empirically-psychologically reasonable theory of personality. It shall be christologically anchored. For this purpose at first with Paul Tillich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Helmut Thielicke the fundamental double-sidedness of human existence in front of the biblical-theological background of the noachitic covenant is pointed out. Within the divine conserving order after the fall of man sin and death dominate, but the reality of the order of creation is fragmentarilly saved as well, so that psychosocial and spiritual health, with reservation of preliminarity, is possible. To achieve it, man must get to the adequate satisfaction of his needs. This can only happen under the dominance of responsibility. Responsibility contains being put into debt and therefore being guilty as well. Guilt and responsibility own ontological depth. As the result of sin man tries to avoid responsibility in the presence of God. His relation to God is determined by anxiety. That's what Paul Tillich pointed out by his ontology of anxiety. The attempts of man trying to overcome the existencial anxiety under the alienation from God Søren Kierkegaard has described by the four fundamental forms of desperation. Their psychopathological equivalent are the four fundamental forms of anxiety, which Fritz Riemann described. These three models of the dark side of human existence are congruent. The double-sidedness of human existence contains that the other side of existencial anxiety is existencial need. The need-models of Fiedler, Epstein and Grawe, which result from the present state of personality-research under regard of neuropsychology, show significant congruence with the models of the dark side. This leads to an holistic model of personality, which demonstrates the negative determination by sin and the positive one by the fundamental needs, including the ontological spiritual need, as an insoluble unit. The common denominator of these models gradually seems to prevail in the field of personality-diagnostic as well. / Abstract in German and English / Practical Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology)

Thesis (Th. M.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1994. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-127).

Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist der Entwurf einer theologisch fundierten und empirisch-psychologisch evidenten Persönlichkeitstheorie. Sie soll christologisch verankert sein. Dazu wird zunächst mit Paul Tillich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer und Helmut Thielicke vor dem biblisch-theologischen Hintergrund des Noahbunds die grundsätzliche Doppelseitigkeit der menschlichen Existenz aufgezeigt. In der postlapsalischen Erhaltungsordnung herrschen Sünde und Tod vor, aber die Schöpfungsrealität bleibt fragmentarisch bewahrt, so dass psychosoziale und spirituelle Gesundheit unter dem Vorbehalt der Vorläufigkeit möglich ist. Um diese zu erlangen, muss der Mensch zur adäquaten Befriedigung seiner Bedürfnisse finden. Dies geschieht nur unter dem Primat der Verantwortlichkeit. Verantwortlichkeit beinhaltet, dass der Mensch in die Schuld gestellt ist. Schuld und Verantwortlichkeit besitzen ontologische Tiefe. Der Sünde wegen ist der Mensch bestrebt, sein Leben nicht vor Gott verantworten zu müssen. Sein Verhältnis zu Gott ist von Angst bestimmt. Dies hat Paul Tillich in seiner Ontologie der Angst entfaltet. Die Versuche des Menschen, die existenzielle Angst der Gottentfremdung zu objektivieren, hat Søren Kierkegaard mit den vier Grundformen der Verzweiflung beschrieben. Ihr psychopathologisches Äquivalent sind die von Fritz Riemann überlieferten vier Grundformen der Angst. Diese drei Modelle der dunklen Seite menschlicher Persönlichkeit sind deckungsgleich. Die Doppelseitigkeit der menschlichen Existenz impliziert, dass die Kehrseite der existenziellen Angst das existenzielle Bedürfnis ist. Die Bedürfniskonstrukte von Fiedler, Epstein und Grawe, die aus dem gegenwärtigen Erkenntnisstand der Persönlichkeitsforschung unter Einbezug der Neuropsychologie hervorgehen, erweisen sich in diesem Sinne als auffallend deckungsgleich mit den Modellen der dunklen Seite. Daraus ergibt sich ein holistisches Persönlichkeitsmodell, das die negative Determiniertheit durch die Sünde und die positive durch die Grundbedürfnisse, das ontologische Bedürfnis nach Spiritualität eingeschlossen, als unlösliche Einheit aufweist. Der gemeinsame Nenner dieser Modelle scheint sich auch allmählich in der Persönlichkeitsdiagnostik durchzusetzen. / The aim of this paper is the outline of a theologically founded and empirically-psychologically reasonable theory of personality. It shall be christologically anchored. For this purpose at first with Paul Tillich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Helmut Thielicke the fundamental double-sidedness of human existence in front of the biblical-theological background of the noachitic covenant is pointed out. Within the divine conserving order after the fall of man sin and death dominate, but the reality of the order of creation is fragmentarilly saved as well, so that psychosocial and spiritual health, with reservation of preliminarity, is possible. To achieve it, man must get to the adequate satisfaction of his needs. This can only happen under the dominance of responsibility. Responsibility contains being put into debt and therefore being guilty as well. Guilt and responsibility own ontological depth. As the result of sin man tries to avoid responsibility in the presence of God. His relation to God is determined by anxiety. That's what Paul Tillich pointed out by his ontology of anxiety. The attempts of man trying to overcome the existencial anxiety under the alienation from God Søren Kierkegaard has described by the four fundamental forms of desperation. Their psychopathological equivalent are the four fundamental forms of anxiety, which Fritz Riemann described. These three models of the dark side of human existence are congruent. The double-sidedness of human existence contains that the other side of existencial anxiety is existencial need. The need-models of Fiedler, Epstein and Grawe, which result from the present state of personality-research under regard of neuropsychology, show significant congruence with the models of the dark side. This leads to an holistic model of personality, which demonstrates the negative determination by sin and the positive one by the fundamental needs, including the ontological spiritual need, as an insoluble unit. The common denominator of these models gradually seems to prevail in the field of personality-diagnostic as well. / Abstract in German and English / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology)

Afrikaans: In hierdie proefskrif word 'n postmoderne weergawe van die filosofiese redekritiek gesitueer binne die hermeneutiese raamwerke van die onderskeie eietydse diskoerse van die filosofie en die gangbare teologie in die Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika. Vanuit 'n Kantiaanse oriëntering word aangetoon dat daar pogings was om die spanning tussen moderne filosofie en die gangbare teologie in die Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk te bestendig. Die vrugbare gesprek in die Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk oor die verhouding teologie-filosofie gedurende die negentigerjare word in hierdie verband krities geresumeer en van 'n analitiese forum voorsien. Postmoderniteit word vervolgens geanaliseer en beskryf as wesenlik redekritiek met dringende identiteitskritiese implikasies. Hier kry die kandidaat se teologiese aansluiting by 'n filosofiese kontinuum waarvan Nietzsche die oorsprong was en wat eietyds verteenwoordig word deur veral Foucault en Adorno, reliëf. Vanuit hierdie weergawe van die postmoderne redekritiek tree die kandidaat, met verwysing na 'n "negatief-dialektiese teologie" en 'n "postmoderne hermeneutiek", met die gevestigde etiese-, konfessionele- en dialektiese tradisielyne in die gangbare teologie in die Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk en die neerslagte daarvan in hierdie kerk se lewe en werk, in gesprek. English: From the premise of a (postmodern) critique of instrumental reason, this dissertation explores some consequences of such a critique for church and theology. The candidate finds an intimate relation between the philosophical critiques of reason in the work of Nietzsche, Adorno, Foucault and his own theological position which is being described as a "negative dialectical theology". A postmodern critique of reason as presented here is very specific in its relation to history, society and knowledge. It has as its main influence or philosophical source the Kantian project of limiting conventional theoretical rationality. From this Kantian position it proceeds to show how Nietzsche exploited the Kantian notion of the limits of reason and how Adorno and Foucault extended Nietzsche's position to its most extreme but, nevertheless, logical socio-historical consequences. This critique of reason boils down to a somewhat subversive stance. By teaming up with Adorno and Foucault, the candidate describes both modernity and Enlightenment as something to be overcome, to be transgressed, exactly because of the dangerously ambivalent nature of modernity's favorite presentation of rationality: instrumental reason, which focuses on identity thinking, cognitive results and the formalization of reality. The implications of a postmodern critique of reason extend towards a deep rooted pessimism of modern culture, a critique of its systems of knowledge and actions, a critique (or at least recognition) of the typical-modern configuration of power into "normal" socio-historical discourses such as those we find in the institusionalised church and in theology, a critique of identity thinking, a critique of rational propositions (without necessarily agitating for an epistemological relativism), an encouragement to honour the inherent flaws in language and linguistic constructions, the ability to recognize and honour singularity whilst shifting the focus away from universal claims or "master narratives" and, last but not least, the critical recognition of "Otherness" or non-identity. These consequences are brought forward into the socio-historical reality, life and work of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika and its current theology by strategic means of a negative dialectical theology, a theology which is mutually Nietzschean, Adornian and Foucauldian in its philosophical nature and eventually, in its theological convictions. / Thesis (DPhil (New Testament))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / New Testament Studies / unrestricted

Thesis (Ph. D. in Religion)--Vanderbilt University, Dec. 2008. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis seeks to explicate, and develop an appropriate method for the elucidation of, the antecedents to the theology of William Blake in the writings of the seventeenth-century divine, Peter Sterry (1613-1672). While the radical religious scene of the English Revolution has long been recognised as offering important antecedents to Blake's thought, Sterry is a figure who has largely been overlooked. The exception to this is an essay, published in 1929, in which Vivian de Sola Pinto asserted the existence of 'startling affinities' between their ideas. Pinto's study was, however, limited by its failure to consider, firstly, the implications of its findings for our general understanding of the antecedents to Blake's thought in the seventeenth century and, secondly, the insight Sterry's writings may be able to offer into Blake's theological vision. These are the very questions at the heart of this dissertation. By addressing them, it seeks to shed new light on the nature of Blake's theology and its anticipations in earlier English thought. Given the lack of evidence that Blake read Sterry, and the limited effectiveness of the 'genealogical' method when it comes to Blake, it pioneers a bespoke 'analogical' method for the exploration of these issues. It proposes that Sterry is actually closer to the intellectual milieu of Commonwealth radicalism than one might expect and that his writings function effectively as a lens through which it is possible to discern how Blake consistently uses 'dualistic' language and imagery in an ethical and epistemological sense. The first finding suggests that the established view of the radical religious environment in Blake studies needs to be extended; the second challenges the widespread perception that Blake's thought is ultimately dualistic in an ontological sense, thus contributing to the elucidation of a perennial problem for Blake scholarship. Together, they underline Sterry's importance as a neglected theological precursor to the thought of William Blake.

This dissertation deals with Dostoevsky's influence on Death of God theology. This is a comparative study that clarifies this influence against the background of how Dostoevsky's work was read and interpreted by some representatives of Dialectical theology. This study follows those themes of Dostoevsky's work which both theologies focus on and analyzes how they are interpreted within each theology. Both receptions of Dostoevsky are then compared not only against one another, but also against the original context of Dostoevsky's work. KEY WORDS: Dostoevsky, death of God, Death of God theology, Radical theology, Dialectical theology, Neo-orthodoxy, Altizer, Barth, Thurneysen, Hromádka

German text / This dissertation is a selective literary investigation (25 items) by a qualitative social research. It aims on the pastoral training and pastoral care of the Swiss theologian Eduard Thurneysen (1888-1974). His conception of pastoral care was directive within the 20th century in the German speaking Protestant church. In front of this background the pneumatological and spiritual elements are investigated that shape the pastoral approach of Thurneysen, both in theory and in practice. The research design for doing this is an adapted document analysis. For data collection, processing and analysis four different protocols are developed and for each item collected (attachement). In pneumatological and spiritual regard the main results are that Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt shaped and influenced Thurneysen fundamentally. He has been his lifelong example. Thurneysens pastoral approach is analogically characterized by continous prayer and longing for Holy Spirit. In the conclusions of the research results there are fourteen reflections on e. g. sustainability, finality or the ongoing discussion with the social sciences concerning a biblically oriented pastoral care. / Practical Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology)

German text / This dissertation is a selective literary investigation (25 items) by a qualitative social research. It aims on the pastoral training and pastoral care of the Swiss theologian Eduard Thurneysen (1888-1974). His conception of pastoral care was directive within the 20th century in the German speaking Protestant church. In front of this background the pneumatological and spiritual elements are investigated that shape the pastoral approach of Thurneysen, both in theory and in practice. The research design for doing this is an adapted document analysis. For data collection, processing and analysis four different protocols are developed and for each item collected (attachement). In pneumatological and spiritual regard the main results are that Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt shaped and influenced Thurneysen fundamentally. He has been his lifelong example. Thurneysens pastoral approach is analogically characterized by continous prayer and longing for Holy Spirit. In the conclusions of the research results there are fourteen reflections on e. g. sustainability, finality or the ongoing discussion with the social sciences concerning a biblically oriented pastoral care. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology)

Nel presente lavoro vengono indagati gli aspetti politici della teologia di Friedrich Gogarten durante l’arco temporale della Repubblica di Weimar. La ricerca si propone due obiettivi fondamentali. In primo luogo, in essa si vuole dimostrare la presenza di una discontinuità all’interno della teologia politica di Gogarten, i cui noti esiti conservatori e vicini al nazismo durante gli ultimi anni della repubblica vengono generalmente considerati dalla critica come impliciti nel suo pensiero precedente. Un’analisi dettagliata della produzione di Gogarten, condotta con un’attenzione particolare al contesto storico-culturale, mostrerà che il suo pensiero politico fino al biennio ‘27/’28 presenta, al contrario, elementi critici nei confronti di un pensiero politico autoritario e dell’ideologia delle nuove destre, ai quali si avvicinerà solo successivamente. Il secondo obiettivo è quello di rinvenire le cause di questa evoluzione del suo pensiero. L’ipotesi di questa ricerca è che essa sia maturata sul terreno dei rapporti di Gogarten con la Chiesa Luterana della Turingia, e che le idee conservatrici inizialmente abbracciate dal teologo in questo ambito lo abbiano spinto a sviluppare una visione sempre più reazionaria della politica e della società durante gli ultimi problematici anni della Repubblica di Weimar. / This work examines the political aspects of Friedrich Gogarten’s theology during the time span of the Weimar Republic. The research seeks two fundamental goals. In the first place, it aims at demonstrating the discontinuity within Gogarten’s political theology, whose well-known conservative outcomes, close to Nazism, in the last years of the republic are generally considered by scholarship as implicit in his earlier thought. An in-depth analysis of Gogarten’s production, with particular attention to the socio-cultural context, will rather show that until the two-year period ‘27/’28 his political thought presents critical elements against authoritarian political power and new right-wing ideologies, that he will embrace only later. The second aim is to find the causes of this evolution of his thought. The research hypothesis is that it matured on the ground of Gogarten’s relationship with the Lutheran church of Thuringia. The conservative ideas first embraced by the theologian brought him to develop an increasingly reactionary vision of politics and society during the last problematic years of the Weimar Republic.