Der erniedrigte Christus. Die lutherische und anglikanische Kenotik im Vergleich

This article compares the kenotic Christologies developed in Lutheranism and Anglicanism in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A description is provided of the historical, philosophical and theological factors which promoted the development of the notion of kenosis in Germany and Britain and consideration is given to why kenoticism became an important theological movement in England at precisely the time when it began to decline in Germany. Particular attention is given to the Christologies of Gottfried Thomasius and Frank Weston, who arguably provide the most convincing versions of kenotic Christology. The essay concludes with a reflection on whether Anglican kenotic Christology is merely a pale reflection of the German Lutheran debate or whether it makes a distinctive and valuable contribution to the development of kenotic Christology.