Widely regarded as the foremost theologian in the world today, Wolfhart Pannenberg here unfolds his long-awaited systematic theology, for which his many previous (primarily methodological) writings have laid the groundwork.Volume 2 of Pannenberg's magnum opus moves beyond the highly touted discussion of systematic prolegomena and theology proper in Volume 1 to commanding, comprehensive statements concerning creation, the nature of man, Christology, and salvation. Throughout, Pannenberg brings to bear the vast command of historical and exegetical knowledge and philosophical argumentation for which he is well known.

Widely regarded as the foremost theologian in the world today, Wolfhart Pannenberg here unfolds his long-awaited systematic theology, for which his many previous (primarily methodological) writings have laid the groundwork.Marked by a creative blend of philosophical, historical, anthropological, and exegetical analysis, Volume 1 focuses on the Christian doctrine of God, offering original material on the concept of truth, the nature of revelation, language about God, the nature of the Trinity, and the public aspect of theology.

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.

Wolfhart Pannenberg is widely regarded as one of the foremost Christian thinkers of this century. The publication of this book, the third and final volume of his masterful Systematic Theology, brings to completion the English translation of his magnum opus. In Volume 3 Pannenberg completes his theological project with the exposition of the Christian doctrines of the Holy Spirit, salvation, the church, and the eschatological hope. At the heart of this volume lies the theme of the church; it not only comprises the largest chapter but is intimately related to each of the other doctrines-to the Spirit as an eschatological gift and to individual salvation as a sign of its future consummation. Throughout this work Pannenberg brings to bear the vast historical and exegetical knowledge and keen philosophical argumentation for which he is well known.

Many scholars of religion sit by timidly waiting to hear what physicists and biologists say about the world of nature, then adjust their religious visions accordingly; but not systematic theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg. Based on a dialogue between theologians and scientists from more than three decades, Pannenberg poses theological questions to natural scientist that illuminate his personal position on issues dealing with theology and the natural sciences, especially physics. He says the scientific view of nature is incomplete and challenges scientist to incorporate the idea of God into their picture of nature. He reviews the relationship between natural law and contingency, the importance of the spirit in the phenomenon of life, field theory language, and the theological account for the nature of God and of God's creative activity. Pannenberg believes the world we live in is a creature of a creating God, and unless we understand this, we cannot fully understand the world.

One of the most influential twentieth-century studies on the doctrine of Christ, this highly acclaimed work demonstrates Pannenberg's belief that at the heart of every Christian theology lies its teaching about Jesus Christ. The second edition, available for the first time in paperback, contains an Afterword in which the author reviews other theologians' responses to his thesis and methodology and shows the progression of his own interpretation.

The essays included in this volume focus on specific standpoints inherent to our understandings of God. From a survey of Western philosophies, Pannenberg concludes that the Christian view of truth is distinctive because of its emphasis on the future. On the subject of faith, he asserts that rational knowledge does not oppose faith, but rather gives support to it. Also, the ideas of Feuerbach and Nietzsche as well as those of the dialectical theologians are critiqued by the author. All in all, Pannenberg's uniting of classic theological insights with contemporary life will speak to the contemporary appropriation of traditional Christian themes. In this classic, two-volume set of collected essays, Wolfhart Pannenberg gives special focus to the ways in which history, hermeneutics, reason, and truth all guide and inform our various attempts at understanding God. This focus, then, offers the reader a unique insight into the revelation of God. Pannenberg writes, "To say that the revelation of God is not a supernatural event which breaks into history perpendicularly from above but rather that it is the theme of history itself, the power that moves it in its deepest dimension, is to say something about God and his relation to the world."

In this classic, two-volume set of collected essays, Wolfhart Pannenberg gives special focus to the ways in which history, hermeneutics, reason and truth all guide and inform our various attempts at understanding God. This focus, then, offers the reader a unique insight into the revelation of God. Pannenberg writes, "To say that the revelation of God is not a supernatural event which breaks into history perpendicularly from above but rather that it is the theme of history itself, the power that moves it in its deepest dimension, is to say something about God and his relation to the world." Wolfhart Pannenberg is Professor Emeritus of Theology at the University of Munich and author of several influential books, including Jesus-God and Man, Revelation as History, Theology and the Philosophy of Science, and Anthropology in Theological Perspective.

Recently, voices were raised in the worldwide Christian ecumenical movement that it was high time the Protestant-Catholic fundamental topic "Holy Scripture and Tradition" was approached and ecumenically reviewed. In Germany, this has already been achieved by the "OEkumenischer Arbeitskreis evangelischer und katholischer Theologen" (Ecumenical Study Group of Protestant and Catholic Theologians; founded in 1946). The results of this study group were published in the 1990s under the title "Verbindliches Zeugnis" by Theodor Schneider and Wolfhart Pannenberg. This edition provides the essence of the three volume work for the first time in English. The treatment of this age-long dispute in Protestant and Catholic theology, but first of all its fundamental settlement can thus be recognised and discussed in the international ecumenical dialogue.

Im ersten Band dieser systematischen Darstellung der christlichen Lehre wird die Frage nach der Wahrheit des Redens von Gott bis in das Feld der Religionen verfolgt: Diese konkurrieren nicht nur in den Auseinandersetzungen der Geschichte, sondern auch im religioesen Pluralismus der Gegenwart durch ihre unterschiedlichen, in viele Hinsicht gegensatzlichen Wahrheitsanspr|che miteinander. Pannenbergs Systematik der christlichen Lehre liegt ein bestimmtes Verstandnis des Verhaltnisses der Theologie zur Philosophie zugrunde, das die Darstellung der christlichen Lehre durchzieht. Im Mittelpunkt des dritten Bandes steht das Thema Kirche im Rahmen der Lehre vom Geist als eschatologischer Gabe, die auf die eschatologische Heilsvollendung zielt. Die Themen des individuellen Heilsempfangs durch Glaube, Gnade und Rechtfertigung werden in die Behandlung des Kirchenbegriffs einbezogen, vermittelt durch die Eroerterung der Sakramente. Der Schwerpunkt der Darstellung liegt bei der Heilsteilhabe des einzelnen Christen, denn Kirche und Sakramente sind nur Zeichen der k|nftigen Heilsvollendung.