Die Kierkegaard-Rezeption Emanuel Hirschs

The work of the German theologian Emanuel Hirsch (1888-1972) is complex and ambiguous. Hirsch was a systematic theologian, and his research focused on the era of idealism and on Luther, on Kierkegaard and the translation of his work. He was also a dedicated follower of the »Deutsche Christen«. His work on Kierkegaard continued throughout his entire life. Matthias Wilke shows how Hirsch's thinking originated in his study of the works of J.G. Fichte, K. Holl, S. Kierkegaard and the Scandinavian research on Kierkegaard from 1908 until late in his life. Hirsch studied how the truth of the Christian faith could be communicated appropriately in the context of the specific social circumstances. The author shows which of the prerequisites for the communication of the Christian truth were common to both Kierkegaard and Hirsch, and the ways in which they differed. He outlines the development of Hirsch's systematic theology and analyzes Kierkegaard's hermeneutics.