Jürgen Moltmann (; 8 April 1926 – 3 June 2024) was a German
Reformed theologian
Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...
who was a professor of
systematic theology
Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topics ...
at the
University of Tübingen
The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (; ), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
The University of Tübingen is one of eleven German Excellenc ...
and was known for his books such as the ''Theology of Hope'', ''The Crucified God'', ''God in Creation'' and other contributions to systematic theology. His works were translated into many languages.
Moltmann described his theology as an extension of
Karl Barth
Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss Reformed theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary '' The Epistle to the Romans'', his involvement in the Confessing Church, including his authorship (except for a single phrase) of the Barmen Decl ...
's theological works, especially the ''
Church Dogmatics'', and he described his work as ''Post-Barthian''. He developed a form of
liberation theology predicated on the view that God suffers with humanity, while also promising humanity a better future through the hope of the
Resurrection
Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...
, which he labelled a 'theology of hope'. Much of Moltmann's work was to develop the implications of these ideas for various areas of theology. Moltmann became known for developing a form of
social trinitarianism. He was awarded several international honorary doctorates.
Life and career
Youth
Moltmann was born in
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
on 8 April 1926.
His father was a teacher; the family was not religious.
His grandfather was a grand master of the
Freemason
Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
s. As a teenager, Moltmann idolized
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...
, and anticipated studying mathematics at university.
World War II
Moltmann took his entrance exam to proceed with his education but instead was drafted into military service in 1943 at the age of 16, during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, serving as an Air Force auxiliary in the
German Army
The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
. "The reading matter which he took with him into the miseries of war were
Goethe
Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...
's poems and the works of
Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche became the youngest pro ...
." He worked in an anti-aircraft battery during the
bombing of his hometown of Hamburg by the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
, an attack that killed 40,000 people, including a friend standing next to him.
Ordered to the
Klever Reichswald, a German forest at the front lines, he surrendered in 1945 in the dark to the first British soldier he met. From 1945 to 1948, he was confined as a
prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
(POW) and moved from camp to camp.
He was first confined as a POW in Belgium, then Scotland, then England. In the camp at Belgium, the prisoners were given little to do. Moltmann and his fellow prisoners were tormented by "memories and gnawing thoughts". They had escaped death but had lost all hope and confidence. After Belgium, Moltmann was transferred to a camp in
Kilmarnock,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, where he worked with other Germans to rebuild areas damaged by bombing. The hospitality of the Scottish residents toward the prisoners left a great impression upon him. In Scotland, they also saw photographs, nailed up confrontationally in their huts, of
Buchenwald
Buchenwald (; 'beech forest') was a German Nazi concentration camp established on Ettersberg hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within the Altreich (Old Reich) territori ...
and
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
Bergen-Belsen (), or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in Northern Germany, northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen, Lower Saxony, Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, ...
s. The initial reaction of the prisoners was that these photos were propaganda, but gradually they began to see themselves through the eyes of the Nazis' victims. Moltmann was given a small copy of the
New Testament
The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...
and
Psalms
The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament.
The book is an anthology of B ...
by an American chaplain and reading these gave him a new hope.
In July 1946, he was transferred for the last time to Norton Camp, a British prison located in the village of
Cuckney near
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
, UK. The camp was operated by the
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...
and here Moltmann met many students of theology. At Norton Camp, he discovered
Reinhold Niebuhr
Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr (June 21, 1892 – June 1, 1971) was an American Reformed theologian, ethicist, commentator on politics and public affairs, and professor at Union Theological Seminary for more than 30 years. Niebuhr was one of Ameri ...
's ''
The Nature and Destiny of Man''. It was the first book of theology he had ever read, and Moltmann claimed it had a huge impact on his life. His experience as a POW gave him a great understanding of how suffering and hope reinforce each other, leaving a lasting impression on his theology. Moltmann later claimed, "I never decided for Christ, as is often demanded of us, but I am sure that, then and there, in the dark pit of my soul, he found me."
After the war
Moltmann returned home at 22 years of age to find his hometown of Hamburg (in fact, much of his country) in ruins from Allied bombing in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
In 1947, he and four others were invited to attend the first postwar
Student Christian Movement in Swanwick, a conference center near
Derby
Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
, England. The conference affected him deeply. Moltmann returned to Germany to study at the
University of Göttingen
The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen (, commonly referred to as Georgia Augusta), is a Public university, public research university in the city of Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1734 ...
, an institution whose professors were followers of
Karl Barth
Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss Reformed theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary '' The Epistle to the Romans'', his involvement in the Confessing Church, including his authorship (except for a single phrase) of the Barmen Decl ...
and theologians who were engaged with the Confessing Church in Germany.
He received his doctorate, supervised by
Otto Weber, in 1952. From 1952 to 1957, Moltmann was the pastor in Bremen-Wasserhorst,
and also pastor for students.
In 1958 Moltmann became a theology teacher at the
that was operated by the Confessing Church and in 1963 he joined the theological faculty at the
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn, officially the Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (), is a public research university in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the () on 18 October 1818 by Frederick Willi ...
.
He was appointed Professor of Systematic Theology at the
University of Tübingen
The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (; ), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
The University of Tübingen is one of eleven German Excellenc ...
in 1967 and remained there until his retirement in 1994.
From 1963 to 1983, Moltmann was a member of the Faith and Order Committee of the
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, most jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodo ...
. From 1983 to 1993, Moltmann was the Robert W. Woodruff Distinguished Visiting Professor of Systematic Theology at Candler School of Theology at Emory University in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, Georgia. He delivered the
Gifford Lectures at the University of Edinburgh in 1984–1985.
Personal life
Moltmann was married to
Elisabeth Moltmann-Wendel, who studied with him
and became a notable feminist theologian.
They married in 1952 and had four daughters.
His wife died in 2016.
Moltmann died in Tübingen on 3 June 2024, at the age of 98.
Theological views
The early Moltmann can be seen in his trilogy, ''Theology of Hope'' (1964), ''The Crucified God'' (1972), and ''The Church in the Power of the Spirit'' (1975):
*''Theology of Hope'' was strongly influenced by the
eschatological orientation of the
Marxist
Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...
philosopher
Ernst Bloch's ''
The Principle of Hope''.
*''The Crucified God'' posited that God died on the Cross, raising the question of the
impassibility of God.
*''The Church in the Power of the Spirit'' explores the implications of these explorations for the church in its own life and in the world.
The later Moltmann took a less systematic approach to theology, leading to what he called his "systematic contributions to theology" that sought to provoke and engage more than develop some kind of set Moltmannian theology.
Moltmann corroborated his ideas with those of Roman Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Jews in an attempt to reach a greater understanding of Christian theology, which he believed should be developed ecumenically.
Moltmann had a passion for the Kingdom of God as it exists both in the future, and in the God of the present. His theology is often referred to as "Kingdom of God" Theology. His theology is built on eschatology, and the hope found in the resurrected Christ. This theology is most clearly explained in his book ''Theology of Hope''.
Moltmann's theology is also seen as a theology of liberation, though not in the sense that the term is most understood. Moltmann not only viewed salvation as Christ's "preferential option for the poor," but also as offering the hope of reconciliation to the oppressors of the poor. If it were not as such, divine reconciliation would be insufficient.
Systematic contributions
Jürgen Moltmann's most significant works consist of two sets of theological work: the first is his ''Contributions to Systematic Theology'' and the second is his ''Original Trinity''.
Jürgen Moltmann's original trinity
* Theology of Hope (1967); ''Theologie der Hoffnung'' (1964);
* The Crucified God (1974); ''Der gekreuzigte Gott'' (1972)
* The Church in the Power of the Spirit (1975); ''Kirche in der Kraft des Geistes'' (1975)
Jürgen Moltmann's systematic contributions
* The Trinity and the Kingdom: The Doctrine of God (1981); ''Trinität und Reich Gottes. Zur Gotteslehre'' (1980)
* God in Creation: An Ecological Doctrine of Creation (1985); ''Gott in der Schöpfung. Ökologische Schöpfungslehre'' (1985)
* The Way of Jesus Christ: Christology in Messianic Dimensions (1990); ''Der Weg Jesu Christi. Christologie in messianischen Dimensionen'' (1989)
* The Spirit of Life: A Universal Affirmation (1992); ''Der Geist des Lebens. Eine ganzheitliche Pneumatologie'' (1991)
* The Coming of God: Christian Eschatology (1996) ''Das Kommen Gottes. Christliche Eschatologie'' (1995)
* Experiences in Theology: Ways and Forms of Christian Theology (2000); ''Erfahrungen theologischen Denkens'' (2000)
* Ethics of Hope (2012); ''Ethik der Hoffnung'' (2010)
Eschatology: theology of hope
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 was 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 addressed 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"
[Moltmann, Theology of Hope, pg. 35] "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 ''
creatio ex nihilo
(Latin, 'creation out of nothing') is the doctrine that matter is not eternal but had to be created by some divine creative act. It is a theistic answer to the question of how the universe came to exist. It is in contrast to ''creatio ex mate ...
'' and the consummation of creation. The consummation of creation will consist of the eschatological transformation of this creation into the new creation. For Moltmann, the eschatological is not merely one element of Christianity, it is the key element. Founded on the resurrection, Christian theology is "at its hard core
theology of the cross... Conversely, the theology of the cross is the 'reverse side' of the theology of hope." Christ in this world takes the form of the cross of Christ and the sufferings of Christians, and that cross is an eschatologically open event in which the love of God for the godless is revealed. While Moltmann saw Christian hope, contained in the promise of an eschatological future, as built upon contradiction: (the crucified and risen Jesus, the cross and the resurrection, god-forsakenness and the nearness of God), it is contradiction that contains Jesus' identity within it, not above or beyond it. "The goal of history is an eschatological 'panentheism' in which God will be in everything and everything will be in God."
Liberation theology
Moltmann's
liberation theology includes an understanding of both the oppressed and the oppressor as needing reconciliation. "Oppression has two sides: on one side there is the master, on the other side the slave... Oppression destroys humanity on both sides." The goal is one of mutual liberation. God's 'preferential option for the poor' should not be exclusive, but rather include the rich; insofar as God holds judgment over them also. The sufferings of the poor should not be seen as equal to or a representation of the sufferings of Jesus. Our suffering is not an offering to God, it is not required of us to suffer. The point of the crucified Christ was to present an alternative to human suffering. Human suffering is not a quality of salvation, and should not be viewed as such. This is not to say that the sufferings of humans is of no importance to God.
This "mutual liberation" necessarily involves a "liberation of oppressors from the evil they commit; otherwise there can be no liberation for a new community in justice and freedom."
However, the liberation of the oppressed takes priority and must involve their own agency in order for true justice and reconciliation to be enacted: "In order to achieve this goal, the oppressed will have to free themselves from the constraints of oppression and cut themselves off from their oppressors, so as to find themselves and their own humanity. It is only after that that they can try to find a truly humane community with their previous oppressors."
This seeks to avoid either the dependency of the oppressed or the co-optation of the struggles of the oppressed by the oppressor. It is with this sensibility that Moltmann explores, in his ''Experiences in Theology'', what various liberation theologies might mean for the oppressor: Black theology for whites, Latin American liberation theology for the First World, feminist theology for men, etc. He also moves beyond oppression as a mere personal sin and instead calls for oppressors to withdraw from the "structures of violence" that destroy the lives of the oppressed.
Trinitarian theology
Moltmann stressed the
perichoresis
In Christian theology, perichoresis (from ''perikhōrēsis'', "rotation") is the relationship of the three persons of the Trinity, triune God (God the Father, Father, God the Son, Son, and Holy Spirit in Christianity, Holy Spirit) to one another ...
of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is to say that he believes the three dwell in one another. The three persons are differentiated in their characteristics, but related in their original exchange. Moltmann sought to defeat a monotheistic Christianity that is being used as a tool for political and clerical absolute monarchism. He believed the doctrine of the Trinity should be developed as the "true theological doctrine of freedom." He suggested that we "cease to understand God monotheistically as the one, absolute subject, but instead see him in a trinitarian sense as the unity of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit."
[Trinitat]
Moltmann related his views on the trinity to three modes of human freedom. The first mode is the political meaning of freedom as supremacy. This mode was rejected by Moltmann, who saw it as corresponding to a God who rules over his creation, which exists merely to serve Him. It is a relation of a subject with an object, where the goal is to enhance the supremacy of the subject. The second mode of human freedom is the socio-historical and Hegelian meaning of freedom as communion, which implies the relation between two subjects. This relationship aims at love and solidarity, and corresponds to the perichoresis of the Father and Son, and through the Son the children of God, or humanity. This relationship is both liberating and loving, and is one Moltmann favored. The third mode of human freedom is the implicitly religious concept of freedom as the passion of the creature for his or her potential. This deals with the relationship between subjects and their common future project. This is the mode favored most by Moltmann, who correlates this relationship with the one humans share with God in the realm of the Holy Spirit. Here, an indwelling of the Spirit allows humans to be friends with God. As you can see, the first mode of freedom is political, and focuses on The Father; the second is communal, focusing on the Son; and the third is religious, focusing on the Spirit.
Influences
Upon his return to Germany in 1948, Moltmann began his course of study at Göttingen University, where he was strongly influenced by Karl Barth's
dialectical theology.
Moltmann grew critical of Barth's neglect of the historical nature of reality, and began to study
Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (; 4 February 1906 – 9 April 1945) was a German Lutheranism, Lutheran pastor, Neo-orthodoxy, neo-orthodox theologian and anti-Nazism, Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writin ...
.
He developed a greater concern for social ethics, and the relationship between church and society. Moltmann also developed an interest in
Luther and
Hegel
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a 19th-century German idealism, German idealist. His influence extends across a wide range of topics from metaphysical issues in epistemology and ontology, to political phi ...
, the former of whose doctrine of justification and theology of the cross interested him greatly.
Otto Weber was doctoral adviser to Moltmann's future wife, and at the beginning of the winter semester of 1949, Moltmann asked Weber for an idea for a doctoral thesis of his own. Weber suggested a seventeenth century
Calvinist
Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...
who advocated a universalism within predestination which later formed the foundation of much of Moltmann's theology. Weber remained important to Moltmann throughout his life.
Moltmann cites the English pacifist and anti-capitalist theologian
Geoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy as being highly regarded. However the inspiration for his first major work, ''Theology of Hope'', was the Marxist philosopher
Ernst Bloch's ''
The Principle of Hope''. Bloch is concerned to establish hope as the guiding principle of his Marxism and stresses the implied humanism inherent in mystical tradition. Bloch claims to identify an atheism at the core of Christianity, embodied in the notion of the death of God and the continued imperative of seeking the Kingdom. The whole theme of the ''Theology of Hope'' was worked out in counterpoint to the theology of
Wolfhart Pannenberg, who had worked alongside Moltmann at Wuppertal, and had also undergone a conversion experience during Germany's defeat in World War II. With its slogan of "History as Revelation", Pannenberg's theology has many parallels, but Moltmann was concerned to reject any notion of history as a closed system and to shift the stress from revelation to action; hope is openness to the future.
The background influence in all these thinkers is Hegel, who is referenced more times than any other writer in the ''Theology of Hope''. Like the
Left Hegelians who immediately succeeded the master, both Moltmann and Pannenberg are determined to retain the sense of history as meaningful and central to Christian discourse, while avoiding the essentially conformist and conservative aspects of his thought. In so doing, they are wrestling with the history of Germany itself. They are also implicitly offering a critique of the Neo-Orthodox theology of
Karl Barth
Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss Reformed theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary '' The Epistle to the Romans'', his involvement in the Confessing Church, including his authorship (except for a single phrase) of the Barmen Decl ...
and
Emil Brunner, which they see as ahistorical in its core. Moltmann writes that Barth's eschatology was at first "not unfriendly towards dynamic and cosmic perspectives" but that he then came under the influence of
Plato
Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...
and
Kant
Immanuel Kant (born Emanuel Kant; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, et ...
and so "set to work in terms of the dialectic of time and eternity and came under the bane of the transcendental eschatology of Kant". The liberalism of
Rudolf Bultmann
Rudolf Karl Bultmann (; ; 20 August 1884 – 30 July 1976) was a German Lutheran theologian and professor of the New Testament at the University of Marburg. He was one of the major figures of early 20th-century biblical studies. A prominent c ...
is not sharply distinguished from the other dialectical theologies, since it is still focussed on an event of revelation – albeit as "an event which transposes me into a new state of my self".
While ''Theology of Hope'' was strongly influenced by the eschatological orientation of the Marxist philosopher Ernst Bloch's ''The Principle of Hope'', in Moltmann's second major work ''The Crucified God'', the philosophical inspiration comes from a different vein of philosophy. In "Explanation of the Theme", his introduction to the book, Moltmann acknowledges that the direction of his questioning has shifted to that of
existentialist philosophy and the Marxism of the
Frankfurt School
The Frankfurt School is a school of thought in sociology and critical theory. It is associated with the University of Frankfurt Institute for Social Research, Institute for Social Research founded in 1923 at the University of Frankfurt am Main ...
. Moltmann cites
Joachim Iwand, Ernst Wolf and Otto Weber as major influences on his theology as it was developing at Göttingen.
The title of Moltmann's crucial work is derived from
Martin Luther
Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...
, and its use marked a renewed engagement with a specifically
Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
strain in
Protestant theology, as opposed to the more Calvinist tenor of his earlier work. Moltmann's widening interest in theological perspectives from a broad cultural arena is evident in his use of the 1946 book by
Kazoh Kitamori, ''Theology of the Pain of God'', which he relates to Bonhoeffer's prison reflections. However, he footnotes Kitamori's very conservative, individualist conclusions, which he does not share. Moltmann continued to see Christ as dying in solidarity with movements of liberation, God choosing to die with the oppressed. This work and its footnotes are full of references, direct and implied, to the
New Left
The New Left was a broad political movement that emerged from the counterculture of the 1960s and continued through the 1970s. It consisted of activists in the Western world who, in reaction to the era's liberal establishment, campaigned for freer ...
and the uprisings of 1968, the
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring (; ) was a period of liberalization, political liberalization and mass protest in
the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected Secretary (title), First Secre ...
the
French May and, closest to home, the German
APO, and their aftermath. Moltmann cited
Johann
Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name '' Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Graciou ...
and
Christoph Blumhardt as a major contributors to his thought.
Honours
Moltmann received honorary doctorates from a number of institutions, such as
Duke University
Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...
(1973), the
University of Louvain in Belgium (1995), the
Alexandru Ioan Cuza University
The Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (; acronym: UAIC) is a public university located in , Romania. Founded by an 1860 decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, under whom the former was converted to a university, the University of , as it was named ...
in Romania (1996), the
Chung Yuan Christian University in Taiwan (2002), the Nicaraguan Evangelical University (2002), and the
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria (, ) is a multi-campus public university, public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and ''de facto'' capital of South Africa. The university was established in 1908 as the Pretoria campus of the Johan ...
in South Africa (2017).
Moltmann received the 2000
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...
and
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Grawemeyer Award in Religion for his book ''The Coming of God: Christian Eschatology''.
Bibliography of works in English
Major works
*''Theology of Hope: On the Ground and the Implications of a Christian Eschatology'', SCM, London, 1967
*''The Crucified God: The Cross of Christ As the Foundation and Criticism of Christian Theology'', SCM, London, 1974
*''The Church in the Power of the Spirit: A Contribution to Messianic Ecclesiology'', SCM, London, 1975
*''The Trinity and the Kingdom: The Doctrine of God'', Harper and Row, New York, 1981
*''God in Creation: An Ecological Doctrine of Creation'', SCM, London, 1985
*''The Way of Jesus Christ: Christology in Messianic Dimensions'', SCM, London, 1990
*''The Spirit of Life: A Universal Affirmation'', SCM, London, 1993
*''The Coming of God: Christian Eschatology'', Fortress, Minneapolis, 1996
*''Experiences in Theology: Ways and Forms of Christian Theology'', SCM, London, 2000
Other works
Other works by Moltmann include:
*''Religion, Revolution and the Future'', Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1969
*''Hope and Planning'', Harper & Row, New York, 1971
*''The Gospel of Liberation'', Word, Waco, Texas, 1973
*''Human Identity in Christian Faith'', Stanford University Press, Stanford, 1974
*''Man: Christian Anthropology in the Conflicts of the Present'', SPCK, London, 1974 (Reprinted as ''On Human Being: Christian Anthropology in the Conflicts of the Present'', Fortress, Minneapolis, 2009)
*''The Experiment Hope'', SCM, London, 1975
*''The Open Church'', SCM, London, 1978 (American edition: ''The Passion for Life: A Messianic Lifestyle'', Fortress, Philadelphia, 1978)
*''Meditations on the Passion: Two Meditations on Mark 8:31–38'', Paulist, New York, 1979
*''The Future of Creation'', SCM, London, 1979
*''Experiences of God'', SCM, 1980
*''God–His and Hers'', Crossroad, New York, 1981
*''Jewish Monotheism and Christian Trinitarian Doctrine: A Dialogue by Pinchas Lapide and Jürgen Moltmann'', Fortress, Philadelphia, 1981
*''Following Jesus Christ in the World Today: Responsibility for the World and Christian Discipleship'', Institute of Mennonite Studies, Elkhart, IN, 1983
*''Humanity in God'', Pilgrim, New York, 1983
*''The Power of the Powerless'', SCM, London, 1983
*''On Human Dignity: Political Theology and Ethics'', Fortress, Philadelphia, 1984
*''Communities of Faith and Radical Discipleship'', Mercer University Press, Macon, 1986
*''Theology Today: Two Contributions Towards Making Theology Present'', Trinity International, Philadelphia, 1988
*''Creating a Just Future: The Politics of Peace and the Ethics of Creation in a Threatened World'', Trinity International, Philadelphia, 1989
*''History and the Triune God: Contributions to Trinitarian Theology'', SCM, London, 1991
*''Jesus Christ for Today's World'', SCM, London, 1994
*''Theology and the Future of the Modern World'', Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, Pittsburgh, PA, 1995
*''The Source of Life'', Fortress Press, London, 1997,
*''A Passion for God's Reign'', Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI, 1998
*''Is There Life After Death?'', Marquette University Press, Milwaukee, 1998
*''Passion for God: Theology in Two Voices'', Westminster John Knox, Louisville, KY, 2003
*''Science and Wisdom'', SCM, London, 2003
*''In the End the Beginning'', SCM, London, 2004
*''A Broad Place: An Autobiography'', Minneapolis, Fortress, 2009
*''Sun of Righteousness, Arise! God's Future for Humanity and the World'', Fortress, Minneapolis, 2010
*''Ethics of Hope'', Fortress, Minneapolis, 2012
*''Jürgen Moltmann: Collected Readings'', Fortress, Minneapolis, 2014
*''The Living God and the Fullness of Life'', Westminster John Knox, Louisville, KY, 2015
*''The Spirit of Hope: Theology for a World in Peril,'' Westminster John Knox, Louisville, KY, 2019
*''Resurrected to Eternal Life: On Dying and Rising,'' Fortress, Minneapolis, 2021
Articles and chapters
*"Is 'Pluralistic Theology' Useful for the Dialogue of World Religions?" in
Gavin D'Costa''Christian Uniqueness Reconsidered''''(Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1990; pp.149–156)''
*"The Passibility or Impassibility of God: Answers to J. K. Mozley's "Six Necessary Questions" in Anthony Clarke and Andrew Moore, ''Within the Love of God: Essays on the Doctrine of God in Honour of
Paul S. Fiddes
Paul Stuart Fiddes (born 30 April 1947) is an English Baptist theologian and novelist.
Fiddes is Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology in the University of Oxford, Principal Emeritus and Senior Research Fellow of Regent's Park College, ...
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014; pp.108–119)'', ,
*"Is the world unfinished? On interactions between science and theology in the concepts of nature, time and the future", ''Theology'', vol. 114, no. 6 (Nov 2011).
Boyle Lecture, with response by
A. J. Torrance,
Footnotes
References
Works cited
* Jürgen Moltmann, "Why Am I a Christian?" in ''Experiences of God'' (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1980).
* Jürgen Moltmann, "An Autobiographical Note" in A. J. Conyers, ''God, Hope and History: Jürgen Moltmann and the Christian Concept of History'' (Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1988).
* Jürgen Moltmann, Foreword to M. Douglas Meeks, ''Origins of the Theology of Hope'' (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974).
* Jürgen Moltmann, address given at
Nazarene Theological Seminary, 10 December 2001.
* Jürgen Moltmann, "Stubborn Hope", interviewer Christopher A. Hall, ''Christianity Today'', vol. 37, no. 1 (11 January 1993).
* Jurgen Moltmann: ''The Theology of Hope''. Public Theology, 1993.
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Further reading
*''Moltmann: Messianic Theology in the Making'', by Richard Bauckham, Basingstoke, Marshall Pickering, 1987
*''God, Hope, and History: Jürgen Moltmann and the Christian Concept of History'', by A. J. Conyers, Mercer, GA, Mercer University, 1988
*''The Creative Suffering of God'', by
Paul S. Fiddes
Paul Stuart Fiddes (born 30 April 1947) is an English Baptist theologian and novelist.
Fiddes is Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology in the University of Oxford, Principal Emeritus and Senior Research Fellow of Regent's Park College, ...
, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1988
*''The Theology of Jürgen Moltmann'', by Richard Bauckham, Edinburgh, T & T Clark, 1995
*''The Future of Theology: Essays in Honour of Jürgen Moltmann'', ed. M. Volf, Grand Rapids, MI, Eerdmans, 1996
*''God Will Be All in All: The Eschatology of Jürgen Moltmann'', ed. Richard Bauckham, Edinburgh, T & T Clark, 1999
*''Disavowing Constantine: Mission, Church and the Social Order in the Theologies of John H. Yoder and Jürgen Moltmann'', by Nigel Wright, Carlisle, Paternoster, 2000
*''The Kingdom and the Power: The Theology of Jürgen Moltmann'', by Geiko Muller-Fahrenholz, Minneapolis, Fortress, 2001
*''Spirit of the Last Days: Pentecostal Eschatology in Conversation with Jürgen Moltmann'', by Peter Althouse, London, T & T Clark, 2003. (Foreword by Moltmann)
*''Jürgen Moltmann's Ethics of Hope: Eschatological Possibilities For Moral Action'', by Timothy Harvie, Burlington, VT, Ashgate 2009. (Foreword by Moltmann)
*'' Theology as Hope: On the Ground and Implications of Jürgen Moltmann's Doctrine of Hope'', Princeton Theological Monograph Series, No. 99, by Ryan A. Neal, Eugene, OR, Pickwick Publications, 2009.
* Vilela, D. M. ''Utopias esquecidas. Origens da Teologia da Libertação''. São Paulo: Fonte Editorial, 2013.
* Aguzzi, Steven D. ''Israel, the Church, and Millenarianism: A Way Beyond Replacement Theology, with a Foreword by Jürgen Moltmann''. New York: Routledge, 2017.
External links
Jürgen Moltmann Reading Room Extensive primary and secondary sources on-line (Tyndale Seminary)
Jürgen Moltmann Bibliography Various bibliographies of primary and secondary works
Jürgen Moltmann at Theopedia(conservative
Calvinist
Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...
perspective)
Jürgen Moltmann: The Life-Power of Hope*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moltmann, Jurgen
1926 births
2024 deaths
Writers from Hamburg
German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United Kingdom
German Calvinist and Reformed theologians
Systematic theologians
Christian Peace Conference members
Holocaust theology
20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians
21st-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians
University of Göttingen alumni
20th-century German Protestant theologians
German male non-fiction writers
Political theologians
Recipients of the Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg
Luftwaffenhelfer
German Army personnel of World War II
20th-century German male writers
21st-century German male writers
21st-century German Protestant theologians