Passion and Passivity

The interplay between activity and passivity in religious practices in general and religious beliefs and emotions in particular is a central and controversial issue in philosophical, theological and psychological thought past and present. This conference volume is organized around Schleiermacher's central idea of the 'feeling of ultimate dependence' and Kierkegaard's existential analysis of the fundamental passivity of passion. Three studies elucidate important strands in the theological and philosophical background of these insights in Paul the Apostle, Luther, Melanchthon, Hobbes and Spinoza. Three further studies look at concrete examples of affects, emotions, or passions in religious life such as anxiety, fear of God, wonder, and pathos of faith that move the debate in distinct ways beyond Schleiermacher and Kierkegaard. All contributions do not restrict what they say to historical analyses but aim at making a contribution to contemporary debates. Contributors: Ingolf U. Dalferth, C.J. Dickson, M. Jamie Ferreira, Arne Grøn, Teri Merrick, Michael Moxter, Cornelia Richter, Robert C. Roberts, Michael Rodgers, Amy M. Schmitter, Philipp Stoellger, Thandeka