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BOOK REVIEWS The Theology of Paul Tillich. Library of Living Theology, Vol. I. Edited by C. W. Kegley and R. W. Bertell. New York: Macmillan, 195~. Pp. 384 with index. $5.50. Systematic Theology: I. By Paul Tillich. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1951. Pp. 300 with index. $5.00. What Present-Day Theologians are Thinking. By D. D. Williams. New York: Harper, 1952. Pp. 158 with index. $2.00. The Theology of Paul Tillich has been chosen to inaugurate a series of volumes on outstanding contemporary theologians, similar in purpose and outline to the series on contemporary philosophers: The Library of Living Philosophers. The present editors give credit to Professor P. A. Schlipp, who inaugurated the philosophical series. They have the same ideas in mind: " To devote each volume in the series to the thinking of a single living philosopher and to include in each: (l) an intellectual autobiography; (2) essays on different aspects of the man's work, written by various scholars: (3) a "Reply to his critics" by the philosopher himself; and (4) a complete bibliography of his writings to date.... Our aim is to do for present-day theology what he has done and is continuing to do so well for present day philosophy " (pp. vii-viii). Certainly no one will deny that the choice of Paul Tillich was a happy one with which to inaugurate this series on present-day theologians. While Tillich is, perhaps, not as well known as some other contemporary Protestant theologians, his extraordinary exposition of a systematic theology is a vital influence on the contemporary scene. Reviewing the work of Paul Tillich will always be a pleasure, especially to a Thomist, for he explicitly intends to present theology systematically and utilizes in its service the insights of a philosophy and the vast information contained in other human disciplines. Several of the authors in the first volume make mention of the relationship between Thomistic and Tillichian theology: Paul Tillich himself makes occasional reference to St. Thomas. However, as we shall see, the Thomist must also be on his gu;trd against such superficial links. In his autobiographical reflections Paul Tillich reveals certain influences on his development which should be kept in mind by a reader of his works. He was born in a village in the province of Brandenburg, at the Silesian border. His father was a minister of the Prussian Territorial Church. His early years were dominated by the stringent discipline of such an environment . Nevertheless, he confesses to a "romantic" trend in his feeling and thinking. This romanticism manifests itself in his relationship to nature 571 579l BOOK REVIEWS and to history. As far as nature is concerned, he points out that: "It is theologically formulated in my doctrine of the participation of nature in the doctrine of fall and salvation." This is one of the most important and valuable aspects of Tillich's thought. His interest in history and his acquaintance with it is, as he admits, the inspiration for his notion of "theonomy ": "Without this influence I certainly would not have conceived of the idea of theonomous periods in the past and of a new theonomy in the future." Tillich admits that he had a difficult time breaking through the restrictive pressure of his environment and especially of his father's authority; nevertheless, he found one point at which resistance was possible. He says: "In the tradition of classical orthodoxy my father loved and used philosophy, convinced that there can be no conflict between a true philosophy and revealed truth. The long philosophical developments which ensued belonged to the most happy instances of a positive relation to my father. Nevertheless, in these discussions the breakthrough occurred. From an independent philosophical position a state of independence spread out in all directions, theoretically first, practically, later." (p. 8) One other point made by Tillich should be of interest to his readers. He points out that in Europe there was a special tension between the humanist and the religious traditions; he himself became keenly conscious of this tension but solved it for himself in a way that becomes a basic outlook in all his writings. "The problem of the humanistic education...

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