New Being

I: The threefold basic towards understanding conditioned being’s quest for the unconditioned.- 1. Identification and evaluation of the theme.- 2. The problematic of Tillich’s “quest”.- 3. The axial concepts in this problematic of the “quest”.- a. The axis: essence — existence — essentialization.- b. The axis: dialectic — paradox.- c. The axis: immanence — self — transcendence.- II: Three fundamental approaches to resolve the problematic of Tillich’s “quest”.- 1. The first approach: Tillich’s so-called “answering theology”.- a. General notion: the unity of theology and culture.- b. Tillich’s disagreement with the dialectical theology of Karl Barth.- c. Tillich in relation to contemporary radical theology in England and America.- d. Tillich’s methodology of correlation.- 2. The second approach: Tillich’s two formal criteria and his material norm for all systematic theology.- a. The first formal criterion: the question of ultimate concern.- b. The second formal criterion: the question of being and non-being.- c. The material norm: New Bing in Jesus as the Christ.- 3. The third approach: Tillich’s existentialism.- a. Tillich’s understanding of existentialism.- b. Tillich’s limited acceptance of existentialism.- III: Idealistic components in Tillich’s interpretation of the God-man relationship.- 1. German idealism in general.- 2. Tillich’s interpretation of the God-man relationship and Kant’s analysis of finitude.- 3. Tillich’s interpretation of the God-man relationship and Fichte’s dynamic view of the subject-object structure.- 4. Tillich’s prius of ultimate concern and Schleiermacher’s prius of “Das schlecht- hinnige Abhängigkeitsgefühl.- 5. Tillich’s interpretation of the God-man relationship and Schelling’s explanation of the transition from essence to existence.- 6. Tillich’s interpretation of the God-man relationship and Hegel’s explanation of dialectic.- IV: Tillich’s interpretation of old being.- 1. Old being as reason and the quest for revelation.- a. The aspect of Continuity.- b. The aspect of gratuity.- 2. Old being as finite essence and the question of God.- a. The aspect of continuity.- b. The aspect of gratuity.- 3. Old being as existence and the quest for the Christ.- 4. Old being as ambiguous life and the quest for unambiguous life.- a. Identification of concepts.- b. The aspects of continuity and gratuity.- 5. Old being as history and the quest for the kingdom of God.- a. The essential-existential pattern.- b. The meaning of history.- c. The aspect of continuity.- d. The aspect of gratuity.- 6. Conclusion concerning old being and the God-man relationship.- V: New Being in Jesus as the Christ.- 1. What does Tillich find in adequate or false in the chalcedonian formula?.- a. Tillich’s Presentation of Chalcedon.- b. Tillich’s disagreement over the word “nature”.- 2. What does Tillich mean by the incarnation?.- a. Tillich’s differentation between dialectic and paradox.- b. Tillich’s explanation of Essential Godmanhood.- 3. What does Tillich mean by redemption?.- 4. What does Tillich mean by redemption applied to men?.- VI: General conclusions and evaluations regarding Tillich’s interpretation of the God-man relationship.- 1. General criticisms.- a. The content of these definitions.- b. The predominance of essence.- c. Essence is normative.- 2. Positive and valid aspects of Tillich’s interpretation of the God-man relationship.- a. Continuity.- b. Gratuity.- Excursus: Tillich’s explanation of the two streams of philosophical thought since the renaissance.