What do you think?
Rate this book
The Unity of Theology: The Contribution of Wolfhart Pannenberg
Wolfhart Pannenberg is one of the most important theologians of the second half of the twentieth century. This volume offers the first full historical and thematic survey of Pannenberg's corpus, from his early work on the theology of revelation and Christology, to his writings on anthropology, theology and the university, and the pivotal achievement of his systematic theology. In the process of this survey, it identifies the broad, consistent development in his work across his career, as well as several significant revisions to his positions. As such, the project makes a significant contribution to the theological assessment of his career and will be a useful text for students and scholars in modern and contemporary theology.
232 pages, Hardcover
Published November 1, 2017
3 people are currently reading
2 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 7, 2018
Entering seminary, I was mostly ignorant of the theological scholarship of the last century or so. Sure, as any theology dork growing up in the internet-era would, I had a passing knowledge of the heavy-hitters: Calvin, Luther, and Augustine. I could name Bonhoeffer, mispronounce Barth, and (on a good day) acknowledge Bultmann for you. Simply, my "knowledge" of theology was as wide as it was deep--great in neither regard, but perhaps better than some.
That changed with access to the seminary's library. Suddenly, a plastic card in my wallet granted a repository of theological riches, of which I had previously been ignorant. One of the first authors I stumbled upon over the course of my studies was this German named Wolfhart Pannenberg. I picked up his famous Jesus--God and Man, rifled through thirty pages, and put it down because it was far too dense. I chanced to find Pannenberg's Systematic Theology, in which his sections on faith, hope, and love spoke to me in a way that few other theologies had. I decided then that Pannenberg would be one of those figures in whose works over time you soak, and I've mangaged some progress to that effect.
Some may have a similar experience to my own. They may find Pannenberg initially overwhelming but may perhaps discover a seed in his work that's just intriguing enough to warrant the slow, methodical reading necessary for Pannenberg. Whapham's 2017 work The Unity of Theology is an accessible, wide-reaching appraisal of Pannenberg's corpus that can assist a student of the German theologian.
Whapham traces Pannenberg's development as a theologian across five categories: revelation, christology, methodology, anthropology, and systemization. Generally, Whapham orders his interpretation within each category according to Pannenberg's major work of that category. And so, for christology, Whapham pays careful attention to Jesus--God and Man; for revelation, Revelation as History; and so on. The order of categories broadly orders Pannenberg's development chronologically, as well. As a result, the reader can follow Pannenberg's trajectory throughout his career, from where he enters the academic scene with his coauthored Revelation as History to his magnum opus, the three-volume Systematic Theology.
Unity of Theology also devotes attention throughout to four prominent themes of Pannenberg's work--namely, his motif of anticipation, the public nature of theology, interdisciplinarity, and his unique treatment of diversity and unity. Each of these themes run as a thread from one end of Pannenberg's corpus to the other, and together they shed light on how he understands the place of theology in the academy in particular and the world in general.
Altogether, Unity of Theology serves as a valuable contribution to studies in Pannenberg. Whapham succinctly and admirably sketches the major contours of Pannenberg's work, paying careful attention to his major publications. For a grasp on Pannenberg's relevance to his own moment in the academy as well as to his influence in today's theological landscape, Unity of Theology is an adequate work for the task.
That changed with access to the seminary's library. Suddenly, a plastic card in my wallet granted a repository of theological riches, of which I had previously been ignorant. One of the first authors I stumbled upon over the course of my studies was this German named Wolfhart Pannenberg. I picked up his famous Jesus--God and Man, rifled through thirty pages, and put it down because it was far too dense. I chanced to find Pannenberg's Systematic Theology, in which his sections on faith, hope, and love spoke to me in a way that few other theologies had. I decided then that Pannenberg would be one of those figures in whose works over time you soak, and I've mangaged some progress to that effect.
Some may have a similar experience to my own. They may find Pannenberg initially overwhelming but may perhaps discover a seed in his work that's just intriguing enough to warrant the slow, methodical reading necessary for Pannenberg. Whapham's 2017 work The Unity of Theology is an accessible, wide-reaching appraisal of Pannenberg's corpus that can assist a student of the German theologian.
Whapham traces Pannenberg's development as a theologian across five categories: revelation, christology, methodology, anthropology, and systemization. Generally, Whapham orders his interpretation within each category according to Pannenberg's major work of that category. And so, for christology, Whapham pays careful attention to Jesus--God and Man; for revelation, Revelation as History; and so on. The order of categories broadly orders Pannenberg's development chronologically, as well. As a result, the reader can follow Pannenberg's trajectory throughout his career, from where he enters the academic scene with his coauthored Revelation as History to his magnum opus, the three-volume Systematic Theology.
Unity of Theology also devotes attention throughout to four prominent themes of Pannenberg's work--namely, his motif of anticipation, the public nature of theology, interdisciplinarity, and his unique treatment of diversity and unity. Each of these themes run as a thread from one end of Pannenberg's corpus to the other, and together they shed light on how he understands the place of theology in the academy in particular and the world in general.
Altogether, Unity of Theology serves as a valuable contribution to studies in Pannenberg. Whapham succinctly and admirably sketches the major contours of Pannenberg's work, paying careful attention to his major publications. For a grasp on Pannenberg's relevance to his own moment in the academy as well as to his influence in today's theological landscape, Unity of Theology is an adequate work for the task.
November 26, 2018
An Historical Overview of Pannenberg’s Theology
Whapham has written an excellent, brief overview of Wolfhart Pannenberg's theology.I still think the best basic primer to Pannenberg's theology is Stanley Grenz's book Reason for Hope https://www.amazon.com/Reason-Hope-Sy... but, Whapham's book is also very good. Whereas Grenz summarizes Pannenberg's three volume Systematic Theology, Whapham takes a historical view — tracing out the developments and changes in his theological views through the course of his lifetime. This is especially appropriate for Pannenberg, since he was a theologian who insited on the importance of history for theology. Whapham writes: "In fact, when other theologians were retreating from the historical claims of Christianity because of the challenges of enlightenment thinking, Pannenberg — like Paul of Tarsus, Luke the Evangelist, Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther, and numerous others before him — asserted that the essence of Christianity revealed a God who was active in the events of history. It may even be the case that Pannenberg provided the most important theology of history produced in the modern period."
Thus, Whapham's approach is historical, discussing Pannenberg's various writings in the order in which they were written. He also discusses critical responses to Pannenberg's views, and the replys, changes, or accommodations that arose from these interactions. I especially appreciated Whapham's discussion of Theology and the Philosophy of Science (1976) — since it's been a long time since I read that — and, Anthropology in Theological Perspective (1985) — since I have never read that one.
As Whapham points out, Pannenberg is not easy reading. He says: "Pannenberg’s work, however, is not easily accessible. His broad perspective, his interaction with scholarship across the spectrum of academic disciplines, his depth of analysis, and the complexity of his creative, contemporary reinterpretation of Christianity make his work slow and challenging reading." This makes a guide to Pannenberg very helpful for interested readers. The author seeks to make Pannenberg's theology accessable.
Along with Grenz's book, this is a very good — and recommended — introduction to the difficult and demanding — but very rewarding — theology of Wolfhart Pannenberg.
Whapham has written an excellent, brief overview of Wolfhart Pannenberg's theology.I still think the best basic primer to Pannenberg's theology is Stanley Grenz's book Reason for Hope https://www.amazon.com/Reason-Hope-Sy... but, Whapham's book is also very good. Whereas Grenz summarizes Pannenberg's three volume Systematic Theology, Whapham takes a historical view — tracing out the developments and changes in his theological views through the course of his lifetime. This is especially appropriate for Pannenberg, since he was a theologian who insited on the importance of history for theology. Whapham writes: "In fact, when other theologians were retreating from the historical claims of Christianity because of the challenges of enlightenment thinking, Pannenberg — like Paul of Tarsus, Luke the Evangelist, Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther, and numerous others before him — asserted that the essence of Christianity revealed a God who was active in the events of history. It may even be the case that Pannenberg provided the most important theology of history produced in the modern period."
Thus, Whapham's approach is historical, discussing Pannenberg's various writings in the order in which they were written. He also discusses critical responses to Pannenberg's views, and the replys, changes, or accommodations that arose from these interactions. I especially appreciated Whapham's discussion of Theology and the Philosophy of Science (1976) — since it's been a long time since I read that — and, Anthropology in Theological Perspective (1985) — since I have never read that one.
As Whapham points out, Pannenberg is not easy reading. He says: "Pannenberg’s work, however, is not easily accessible. His broad perspective, his interaction with scholarship across the spectrum of academic disciplines, his depth of analysis, and the complexity of his creative, contemporary reinterpretation of Christianity make his work slow and challenging reading." This makes a guide to Pannenberg very helpful for interested readers. The author seeks to make Pannenberg's theology accessable.
Along with Grenz's book, this is a very good — and recommended — introduction to the difficult and demanding — but very rewarding — theology of Wolfhart Pannenberg.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews