Theodicy and Soteriology: a cross-centred solution to the problem of theodicy and its Trinitarian implications, with reference to Bonhoeffer, Moltmann and Metz

• Applicant: Dr. Matthias Grebe, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Protestant Theology
• Term: from 2015 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 269132558

This research project -Theodicy and Soteriology- examines the apparent contradiction posed by the omnipotence and love of God, and the reality of evil and suffering in the world, and seeks to explain it through the lens of redemption. In doing so, the project considers the trilemma of theodicy, which proceeds from the discrepancies perceived between the experience of the world, the conception of God, and the question of the justification of God in a world of suffering. The study uses the texts of three significant Protestant and Roman Catholic theologians: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jürgen Moltmann and Johann Baptist Metz, interpreting, comparing and evaluating their theological accounts in view of their understanding of the problem of theodicy and the ways in which this understanding is based on their theologia crucis and the role of the Spirit. The project then explores the ways in which their notions of suffering and evil are related to their understandings of the redemptive cross-event of the triune God. However, a theology after Auschwitz must also integrate the Jewish voices on the subject of theodicy into the dialogue. It also incorporates current discussions on theodicy from the field of Philosophy of Religion, with special focus on the problem of evil, unde malum?, as well as the most recent Trinitarian motifs. This approach enables the study to build bridges with other subjects. In interrogating these authors, the project asks what Trinitarian motifs are required for a cross-centred theology that depicts the suffering of a united triune God. One aim is to show that hope in the face of suffering is only possible if the question of Psalm 22 is asked from the perspective of the redemption of the suffering God. Ultimately, the relevance of the project transcends the field of Theology and even the wider disciplines of the humanities; it asks not only what it means to do theology after Auschwitz but, more significantly, what it means to live ethically after Auschwitz. In the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, what might Life Together look like, after Auschwitz?This research project -Theodicy and Soteriology- examines the apparent contradiction posed by the omnipotence and love of God, and the reality of evil and suffering in the world, and seeks to explain it through the lens of redemption. In doing so, the project considers the trilemma of theodicy, which proceeds from the discrepancies perceived between the experience of the world, the conception of God, and the question of the justification of God in a world of suffering. The study uses the texts of three significant Protestant and Roman Catholic theologians: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jürgen Moltmann and Johann Baptist Metz, interpreting, comparing and evaluating their theological accounts in view of their understanding of the problem of theodicy and the ways in which this understanding is based on their theologia crucis and the role of the Spirit. The project then explores the ways in which their notions of suffering and evil are related to their understandings of the redemptive cross-event of the triune God. However, a theology after Auschwitz must also integrate the Jewish voices on the subject of theodicy into the dialogue. It also incorporates current discussions on theodicy from the field of Philosophy of Religion, with special focus on the problem of evil, unde malum?, as well as the most recent Trinitarian motifs. This approach enables the study to build bridges with other subjects. In interrogating these authors, the project asks what Trinitarian motifs are required for a cross-centred theology that depicts the suffering of a united triune God. One aim is to show that hope in the face of suffering is only possible if the question of Psalm 22 is asked from the perspective of the redemption of the suffering God. Ultimately, the relevance of the project transcends the field of Theology and even the wider disciplines of the humanities; it asks not only what it means to do theology after Auschwitz but, more significantly, what it means to live ethically after Auschwitz. In the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, what might Life Together look like, after Auschwitz?

• DFG Programme: Research Grants