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Systematic Theology

1953 to 1954
University of Aberdeen

For Tillich, theology is required to serve the needs of the Christian Church. This involves both stating the truth of the Christian message and providing a satisfactory interpretation of this truth for each generation. These lectures establish a close correlation with philosophy through the organisation of subject matter in each section. The main theological problems discussed illustrate the systematic consequences of this correlation. Tillich does not deal with all the traditional problems of a theological system and the work does not make extensive reference to the Bible or to classical theologians. Systematic Theology aims, rather, ‘to set out the method and structure of a theological system from an apologetic point of view in continuous correlation with philosophy’.

Jon Cameron
University of Aberdeen

Books

Systematic Theology, vol. 1

University Of Chicago Press
1973

Reviewing Tillich in terms of content and execution is an exercise in repetition. As one of the foremost theologians of his generation, his work has been analyzed and applied in a variety of contexts and to a variety of ends. Here, I will address the major functions of the first volume of his Systematic Theology as an enduring text by way of four commonly referenced themes: 1) the form and function of apologetics, 2) the idea of God as the Ground of Being, 3) the concept of Faith as “Ultimate Concern” and 4) the face and means of theology. 

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