German Idealism’s Trinitarian Legacy

Dale M. Schlitt presents a study of trinitarian thought as it was understood and debated by the German Idealists broadly—engaging Schelling's philosophical interpretations of Trinity as well as Hegel's—and analyzing how these Idealist interpretations influenced later philosophers and theologians. Divided into different sections, one considers nineteenth-century central Europeans Philipp Marheineke, Isaak August Dorner, and Vladimir Sergeyevich Solovyov under the rubric "testimonials." Another section studies twentieth-century Germans Karl Barth, Karl Rahner, and Wolfhart Pannenberg, who share "family resemblances" with the Idealists, and a third addresses the work of twentieth- and twenty-first century Americans, Robert W. Jenson, Catherine Mowry LaCugna, Joseph A. Bracken, and Schlitt himself, whose work reverberates with what Schlitt terms "transatlantic Idealist echoes." The book concludes with reflection on the overall German Idealist trinitarian legacy, noting several challenges it offers to those who will pursue creative trinitarian reflection in the future.

Acknowledgments
Introduction: Identifying Idealist Influences

Part 1. The Idealist Trinitarian Adventure

Introduction to Part I
Johan Gottlieb Fichte: Setting the Stage

1.Georg W. F. Hegel: A Daring Claim
The Shape and End Result of Hegel’s Efforts
How Hegel Argued His Trinitarian Position
Systematic Concerns Motivating Hegel’s Reconceptualization

2.Friedrich W. J. von Schelling: A Radically Free and Personal God
The Radically Free and Personal Trinitarian God
What Schelling Has Done

Part II. Early European Testimonials to Idealist Influence

Introduction to Part II

3.Philipp Marheineke: A Trinitarian Dialectic of Being and Thought
Marheineke on Trinity
An Early Testimonial to Idealist Influence

4.Isaak August Dorner: An Ethical Trinity
Dorner on Trinity
A Later Testimonial to Idealist Influence

5.Vladimir Sergeyevich Solovyov: A Trinitarian Metaphysics
Solovyov’sLectures on Divine Humanity
An Eastern Testimonial to Idealist Influence

Part III. German Idealist Family Resemblances

Introduction to Part III

6.Karl Barth: A Self-Revealing Trinity
Barth on Trinity
Idealist Family Resemblances

7.Karl Rahner: A Self-Communicating Trinity
Rahner on Trinity
Idealist Family Resemblances

8.Wolfhart Pannenberg: Reciprocally Self-Distinguishing
Divine Persons
Pannenberg on Trinity
Idealist Family Resemblances

Part IV. American Idealist Echoes

Introduction to Part IV

9.Robert W. Jenson: A Narrative Trinity
Jenson on Trinity
Transatlantic Idealist Echoes

10.Catherine Mowry LaCugna: One Trinity of Communion among Persons
LaCugna on Trinity
Transatlantic Idealist Echoes

11.Joseph A. Bracken: A Panentheistic Process Trinitarian Society
Bracken on Trinity and the God-World Relationship
Transatlantic Idealist Echoes

12.Dale M. Schlitt: An Experiential Trinity
Schlitt on Trinity
Transatlantic Idealist Echoes

Conclusion: Idealism’s Enduring Trinitarian Legacy
Recalling the Idealist Trinitarian Adventure
Testimonials, Family Resemblances, Transatlantic Echoes
A Challenging Legacy

Notes
Bibliography
Index of Names