Der eine Gott und die anderen Götter
Eine historische und systematische Einführung in Religionstheologien der Ökumene.
(The one God and the other deities – An historical and systematic introduction to theologies of religions of the ecumene)
Dr. Martin Repp
The main thesis of this book is that theologies of religion dominating the contemporary discussion, such as exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism, fail to maintain the tension between cosmology (creation theology) and soteriology (e.g. Christology) which constitute the two fundamental pillars of the Christian faith. Historical investigations show that in encounters with other religions theologians mostly kept the balance between the two poles, even though their terminologies and methods differed according to the respective contexts. This applies to apologetic theologians (Justin the Martyr, Clemens of Alexandria, Augustine of Hippo), medieval theologians (Thomas Aquinas, Raimundus Lullus, Nicolaus Cusanus), Catholic and Protestant missionaries (Matteo Ricci S.J., the Pietist Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg) as well as to contemporary theologians and philosophers of religion (Carl Heinz Ratschow, Muto Kazuo). However, the cases of Martin Luther in Germany (though later corrected by the Lutheran Orthodoxy), Francisco Xavier S.J. in Japan and the Jesuit "Figurists" in China show the fatal practical consequences of one-sided models, such as the persecutions of Christianity in Japan and China. The final section draws some conclusions, e.g. the correlation between practical dialogue and theology of religions, the intercultural communication as presupposition of interreligious communication and the dialogue's ultimate goal of achieving social peace.
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