Abstract / DOI
De-Hellenization of Christianity? Discussing Adolf von Harnack’s Thesis. In the lectures «The Essence of Christianity», Adolf von Harnack emphasises that the centre of Jesus’ proclamation is the relationship of the soul to God, which needs no mediation. He evaluates the dogmatic development of Christology and Ecclesiology as Hellenisation, which falsifies the original relationship with God. If the rabbi Leo Baeck criticised Harnack’s historical method, Joseph Ratzinger responds to the lectures in terms of content. Not the individual relationship to God, but Jesus as the Son of God is the content of the Gospel. In his christological writings, Joseph Ratzinger shows that Christology is not to be evaluated as a hellenistic alienation, but corresponds to the biblical faith and testimony of Jesus as the Son of God.