Anthropology in Theological Perspective

by Pannenberg, Wolfhart; O'Connell, Matthew J.

• ISBN13: 9780664213992
• ISBN10: 0664213995
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1985-04-01
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Pr

Summary

In this comprehensive study, a renowned theologian examines the anthropological disciplines-human biology, psychology, cultural anthropology, sociology and history-for their religious implications. The result is a theological anthropology that does not derive from dogma or prejudice, but critically evaluates the findings of the disciplines.Pannenberg begins with a consideration of human beings as part of nature; moves on to focus on the human person; and then considers the social world: its culture, history and institutions. All the elements of this multi-faceted study unite in the final chapter on the relation of human beings to their history.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations	p. 9
Introduction: Theology and Anthropology	p. 11
The Person in Nature
The Uniqueness of Humanity	p. 27
The Behaviorist Approach and Its Critics	p. 28
Is the Structure of Behavior Peculiar to the Species?	p. 31
Philosophical Anthropology	p. 34
Openness to the World and Image of God	p. 43
Herder as the Point of Departure for Modern Philosophical Anthropology	p. 43
Herder's Relation to the Traditional Conception of the Image of God in Humanity	p. 47
The Significance of Herder's Thought for Contemporary Philosophical Anthropology	p. 60
Relation to the World as Expression of the Image of God	p. 74
Centrality and Sin	p. 80
Brokenness and Distortion of Human Identity	p. 80
Egoism and the Failure of Selfhood	p. 87
Human Nature, Sin, and Freedom	p. 104
The Universality of Sin: The First Sin, Original (Inherited) Sin, Death	p. 119
Sin and Wickedness	p. 142
The Human Person as a Social Being
Subjectivity and Society	p. 157
Self-Consciousness and Sociality	p. 157
The Independence of the Individual in Society	p. 165
The Constitution of the Ego by Its Relation to the Thou	p. 179
G. H. Mead's Theory of the Self	p. 185
The Problem of Identity	p. 191
The Ego and the Process of Identity Formation According to Psychoanalysis	p. 191
The Ego and the Self	p. 200
Personality and Its Religious Dimension	p. 224
Identity and Nonidentity as a Theme of the Affective Life	p. 243
Feeling, Its Moods and Passions	p. 244
Alienation and Sin	p. 265
Guilt and Consciousness of Guilt	p. 285
Conscience, Self-Consciousness, Consciousness of Meaning	p. 293
The Shared World
Foundations of Culture	p. 315
Aporias in the Concept of Culture	p. 315
Freedom in Play	p. 322
Language as Medium of the Spirit	p. 339
The Cultural Meaning of Social Institutions	p. 397
The Concept of Social Institution	p. 398
Property, Work, and Economy	p. 416
Sexuality, Marriage, and Family	p. 427
Political Order, Justice, and Religion	p. 444
Religion in the Cultural System	p. 473
Human Beings and History	p. 485
Historicity and Human Nature	p. 487
History as a Process of Subject Formation	p. 502
History and Spirit	p. 515
Index of Scriptural References	p. 533
Index of Names	p. 536
Index of Subjects	p. 546
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