Von Balthasar and Moltmann: Two responses to Hegel on the subject of the incarnation and 'the death of God'

This dissertation is an attempt to demonstrate the importance for Christian theology of Hegel's understanding of the relationship of the incarnation to history and the inner life of God. It does this by examining, in particular, his notion of the 'death of God' and by tracing this notion in the contemporary theologies of Jurgen Moltmann and Hans Urs von Balthasar. The argument is that this is the systematic core of Hegel's philosophy of religion, and indeed, his philosophy as a whole. Therefore, it follows that his major contributions to theology should focus on this notion. My further point is that it is theologians who have seized upon this notion and developed it according to their own purposes who most rightly can be called Hegelian.;The argument advances by, first, setting out Hegel's own argument concerning the incarnation and death of God in the Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion. We demonstrate what the philosophical context is here for Hegel's understanding of Christ and raise the question of whether he has a theological understanding of the person of Christ. This involves a detailed argument concerning Hegel's understanding of "representation" and "reconciliation" and their relationship to his philosophical notion of subjectivity. The issue which emerges is whether a theological understanding and use of Hegel will not ultimately require a different kind of reflection on the person of Christ. That is precisely the issue that is taken up in the chapters on Moltmann and von Balthasar. The effort there is to show how these theologians have used Hegel's insight into the relationship of the incarnation to history and God's inner life. It is also to show that they have not done this uncritically but through more profound reflection on the person of Jesus as he is revealed primarily through the scriptures and secondarily through the theological tradition.;In order to accomplish this, I have attempted to put forward enough of the context of the presentation of this idea (of the relationship of the incarnation to history and the divine inner life) in both Moltmann and von Balthasar so as to reveal their own particular theological interests and, of course, their differences from Hegel and each other on this specific question. The dissertation argues that these differences focus on their respective understandings of freedom and obedience. But in each case, nonetheless, the Hegelian element that we have been tracing emerges in the form of systematization, idealization and inner logical necessity. The dissertation suggests that in each case, this Hegelian element brings strengths and weaknesses. As importantly, however, and as Moltmann and von Balthasar demonstrate, it has important theological value for our understanding of God's intimacy with humanity in Christ. This is the key concept of the dissertation. Its concern is to show how the fullness of what Hegel has to offer here can only be found through a deeper personalization of his understanding of Christ and God, a personalization that is in line with the scriptures and the theological tradition. This is precisely what is offered in the theology of both Moltmann and von Balthasar. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).