Konkreter Monotheismus

Trinitarian theology reshapes the traditional concept of God's oneness into a concrete form of monotheism (as Tillich and others argued). According to Wolfhart Pannenberg, this attempt calls for a revision of basic Trinitarian concepts because inner-Trinitarian 'relations of origin' necessarily lead to subordinationism. The article argues that replacing these relations with a notion of divine self-differentiation is not enough and a more general approach is instead needed: a 'nuanced theology' that focuses on strategies of transforming the concept of unity itself. Erik Peterson's criticism of Carl Schmitt's Political Theology is still interesting in this context, even if Peterson over-interprets his historical sources. Nonetheless, Hans Blumenberg and Eberhard Jüngel's reactions to the debate hint at a deconstruction of unity that paves the way for a new systematic approach to Trinitarian theology.