Paul Tillich
Paul Tillich
Paul Johannes Tillichwas a German American Christian existentialist philosopher and Lutheran theologian who is widely regarded as one of the most influential theologians of the twentieth century...
NationalityGerman
ProfessionTheologian
Date of Birth20 August 1886
CountryGermany
dozen tests ethics
Morality [or ethics] is not a subject; it is a life put to the test in dozens of moments.
character courageous shows
In the courageous standing of uncertainty, faith shows most visibly its dynamic character.
wisdom children men
Wisdom loves the children of men, but she prefers those who come through foolishness to wisdom.
religion answers states
Religion is the state of being grasped by an ultimate concern, a concern which qualifies all other concerns as preliminary and which itself contains the answer to the question of a meaning of our life.
virtue courage-to-love greater
Courage is a greater virtue than love. At best, it takes courage to love.
love-is infinite given
Love is the infinite which is given to the finite.
attitude existentialism infinite
Knowledge of that which concerns us infinitely is possible only in an attitude of infinite concern.
anxiety doubt castles
Existential anxiety of doubt drives the person toward the creation of certitude of systems of meaning, which are supported by tradition and authority. Neurotic anxiety builds a narrow castle of certitude which can be defended with the utmost certainty.
men moral abstract
In Calvinism and sectarianism man became more and more transformed into an abstract moral subject, as in Descartes he was considered an epistemological subject.
men together tragedy
Man and nature belong together in their created glory – in their tragedy and in their salvation.
destiny strange given
Destiny is not a strange power which determines what shall happen to me. It is myself as given, formed by nature, history, and myself. My destiny is the basis of my freedom; my freedom participates in shaping my destiny.
faith states concerned
Faith is the state of being ultimately concerned.
destiny men decision
But freedom is the possibility of a total and centered act of the personality, an act in which all the drives and influences which constitute the destiny of man are brought into the centered unity of a decision.
way neurosis avoiding
Neurosis is the way of avoiding non-being by avoiding being.