Catholic Theologians in Nazi Germany

Catholic and Protestant bishops during the period of the Third Reich are often accused of being either sympathetic to the Nazi regime or at least generally tolerant of its anti-Jewish stance so long as the latter did not infringe on the functions of the church. With some notable exceptions that accusation is extended to many lesser figures, including seminary professors and pastors. Most notably the exceptions include such martyred heros as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Max Metzger, religious activists and writers still of great influence.Among Catholic theologians the record is no less cloudy. Theology and Politics, while discussing a range of religious scholars, focuses on five major theologians who were born during the Kulturkampf, came to maturity and international recognition during the Hitler era, and had an influence on Catholicism in the English-speaking world. Three were in varying degrees and for varying lengths of time sympathetic to the professed goals of the Third Reich: Karl Adam, Karl Eschweiler, and Joseph Lortz. The other two, Romano Guardini and Engelbert Krebs, were publicly critical of the new regime.Interestingly, the two theologians who have had the greatest influence in the English-speaking world, Guardini and Adam, were initially on opposite sides of the Nazi divide.

ISBN 0826415768   Pages 246 ISBN13 9780826415769 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.   Weight (grammes) 523 Imprint The Athlone Press   Published in London Format Hardback   Height (mm) 156 Publication date 06 May 2004   Width (mm) 234 Library of Congress 2004000549   Spine width (mm) 15 DEWEY 230.2092243   Academic level General, Professional / Scholarly, Tertiary education DEWEY edition DC22

		Preface
1		The Bishops' Accommodation with Hitler in 1933		1
2		Karl Eschweiler: Claiming the Church's Authority		31
3		Joseph Lortz: Renewing Western Civilization		56
4		Karl Adam: Searching for a National Community		83
5		Romano Guardini: Respecting the Human Person		107
6		Engelbert Krebs: Witnessing to God's Kingdom		131
7		Catholic Theology in Nazi Germany		152
		Chronology, 1917-1949		176
		Notes		181
		Selected Bibliography: German Faculties of Catholic Theology, 1933-1945		221
		Index		225

This is a carefully researched and lucidly written explication of the difficulties that faced German bishops and leading theologians in their confrontation with National Socialism. Professor Krieg makes a seminal contribution to our understanding of how and why such influential Catholics could find theological justification for making accommodation with Hitler's regime. Yet he gives special place to those who resisted the Third Reich on religious grounds (Guardini and Krebs), and in doing so shows how they broke new ground in revealing the moral linkages between Catholic theology and the challenges of modernization. Krieg's book is required reading for those who seek not just a deeper understanding of German theologians and Nazism but how that experience contributed to the new theology that informed the Second Vatican Council. -- Jay P. Corrin, Professor and Chairman, Division of Social Science, College of General Studies, Boston University

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