Abstract:
Quenching my thirst for God: On Johann Wilhelm Herrmann's
understanding of the experience of God:This article, which is divided into two parts, focusses on the concept of the "experience of God" as understood by the German systematic theologian Wilhelm Herrmann (1846 - 1922) of Marburg in his "Der Verkehr des
Christen mit Gott" (1886). The first part of the article explains the
historical and theological context of Herrmann's "Der Verkehr ... " as well
as the theological frontiers over against which he responded in his
understanding of the experience of God. For Herrmann, this experience
can not be justified by means of historical investigation. Neither is this
experience a "holding for true" of doctrines nor has it its origin in humans
themselves, but is rather a "search-find-experience" of the overwhelming
"image of Jesus" in God's revelatory engagement with humanity. If, and
only if, we search for the gracious God wholeheartedly, can he himself be
found and not one or other doctrine or gift of God. The second part of the
article elaborates on this "search-find-experience" by humans of God as
understood by Herrmann, and indicates the influence it had on Herrmann's
two greatest pupils, namely Karl Barth and Rudolf Bultmann. It is argued
that Herrmann's understanding of the experience of God makes up the
kernel of their theological vantage points, and in this respect, is critically
evaluated.
