Corporeality and the Relation to God. An Analysis based on Fichte and Levinas.

• Applicant: Stephan Trescher
• Subject Area: Roman Catholic Theology
• Term: from 2016 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 324112126

The first objective of the submitted dissertation is to elaborate in a philosophical way and with the intent of fundamental theology a differentiated network of categories and concepts, which enable to determine accurately the role of the body in the relationship with god, and therefore to interpret Christian practice in an intellectually justifiable way. By including the work of Johann Gottlieb Fichte and Emmanuel Levinas, the philosophies of religion and body theories of two complementary authors significant to the investigated question are consulted. This is done in order to open the perspective to a larger spectrum of categories and to increase the argumentative strength. The second objective of the study is to form ¿ with the aid of Fichte and Levinas ¿ a collaboration of two philosophical traditions in reference to the mentioned research question, transcendental philosophy and phenomenology. Thereby it contributes to a communication between two schools of systematic theology, which base themselves on one of the two authors and their traditions, respectively.For this purpose, the study shows how both approaches ¿ with a few modifications ¿ can be reconstructed as philosophically well-founded and coherent as well as in a line with the essential contents of Christian revelation. Therefore they constitute a suitable basis of theological reflection. By exactly reconstructing and discussing the reasoning of the two complex authors the study develops some new perspectives of interpretation. It succeeds in clearing up misunderstandings in the previous debate, and it points out the legitimate reasons for choosing one or the other approach. It reveals the way for a translation and mediation between the two worlds of thought and even for the possibility to reconstruct a long common way of thinking. On this common ground the potential integration of complementary constituents and argumentation strategies as well as the opportunities for a mutual constructive criticism can be achieved, thereby illustrating the fruitfulness of such a collaboration.Regarding the religious significance of corporeality, the interpretation of the partly modified contributions of both authors, their cooperative enrichment and the analysis of individual aspects provide the basic structure for a religio-philosophical theory of meaning of corporeality that seeks comparable attempts in breadth and differentiation, and that at the same time through its dialogical openness is capable of being adopted by a variety of approaches of contemporary writers. In a short exemplary application of the developed categories on two fields of Christian practice of faith, Eucharist and contemplation, their explanatory force can be illustrated.

• DFG Programme: Publication Grants