Theology
Anna-Maria Herta Klassen
Die theologische Deutung des Todes bei Emanuel Hirsch
Eine systematisch-theologische Analyse mit einem Ausblick auf gegenwärtige glaubenspraktische Fragen
[Emanuel Hirsch's Theological Interpretation of Death. A Systematic-Theological Analysis Relevant to Current Faith Based Issues.]
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Published in German.
Emanuel Hirsch's approach to theology is set apart by a striving to be both in keeping with the gospel and able to deal with the demands of the present age. In unraveling Hirsch's transformation of eschatology, which follows this approach and focuses on how individuals relate to their own death, Anna-Maria Klassen finds his interpretation of death convincing because it unites death's negativity with the Christian image of God. Even the believer cannot be certain of life after death and is caught between the unsolvable conflict of certainty of completion and death anxiety, where God is perceived as both the giver of mercy and judge. In delivering a phenomenology of the modern experience of judgment through the various forms of death anxiety, Hirsch, as the author shows in three exemplary sketches, remains relevant for reflection on today's practical faith issues.