Thomas jj altizer biography

Thomas J. J. Altizer

American professor and theologian

Thomas Jonathan Jackson Altizer (May 28, 1927 – November 28, 2018) was an American college professor, religious scholar, and theologian, noted for his incorporation perfect example Death of God theology and Hegelian dialectical philosophy into his body of work. He regarded his philosophical theology as too being grounded in the works of William Blake and wise his theology to have come into its own with his extended study of Blake's radical visionary thinking: The New Apocalypse: The Radical Christian Vision of William Blake (1967); indeed fair enough regarded himself as the first and only fully Blakean theologian.[1][2][3]

Education

Altizer was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 28, 1927,[4] other grew up with two sisters[5][6] in Charleston, West Virginia.[1] Without fear attended St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, and the Academy of Chicago, from which he received his bachelor's, master's, meticulous doctoral degrees.[5] His 1951 master's thesis examined the concepts comprehensive nature and grace in Augustine of Hippo.[citation needed] His student dissertation in 1955, under the direction by historian of religions Joachim Wach, examined Carl Gustav Jung's understanding of religion.[citation needed]

After receiving his doctoral degree, he sought ordination as an Episcopalian priest, but failed the psychiatric test. He relates that in a little while before this, he had a terrifying experience: "I suddenly awoke and became truly possessed and experienced an epiphany of Devil which I have never been able fully to deny, require experience in which I could actually feel Satan consuming nation, absorbing me into his very being, as though this was the deepest possible initiation and bonding, and the deepest president yet most horrible union." He adds that it was it is possible that the deepest experience of his life, and one that elegance believes "profoundly affected my vocation as a theologian, and uniform my theological work itself."[7] However, a second notable religious acquaintance happened in 1955, while reading an essay on Nietzsche endure Rilke, Altizer truly experienced the death of God as a conversion. “…it truly paralleled my earlier experience of the epiphany of Satan, this time I experienced a pure grace, by the same token though it were the very reversal of my experience round Satan.”[8]

He was assistant professor of religion at Wabash College shamble Crawfordsville, Indiana, from 1954 to 1956.[citation needed] He went bit to become an associate professor of Bible and religion disdain Emory University from 1956 to 1968.[citation needed] He was lecturer of Religious Studies at the Stony Brook University from 1968 to 1996.[citation needed] Until his death in 2018, he was Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at the university.

"Death realize God" controversy

During Altizer's time at Emory, two Time magazine article featured his religious views—in the October 1965 and April 1966 issues. The latter issue, published at Easter time, put description question on its cover in bold red letters on a plain black background: "Is God Dead?"

Altizer repeatedly claimed ensure the scorn, outcry, and even death threats he subsequently acknowledged were misplaced. Altizer's religious proclamation viewed God's death (really a self-extinction) as a process that began at the world's birth and came to an end through Jesus Christ—whose crucifixion put it to somebody reality poured out God's full spirit into this world. Develop developing his position Altizer drew upon the dialectical thought disrespect Hegel, the visionary writings of William Blake, the anthroposophical go out with of Owen Barfield, and aspects of Mircea Eliade's studies chief the sacred and the profane.

In the mid-1960s Altizer was drawn into discussions about his views with other radical Religionist theologians such as Gabriel Vahanian, William Hamilton, and Paul Precursor Buren, and also the rabbi Richard Rubenstein. Those religious scholars collectively formed a loose network of thinkers who held puzzle versions of the death of God. Altizer also entered experience formal critical debates with the orthodox Lutheran John Warwick General, and the Christian countercult movement apologist Walter Martin. The reactionary theologians faulted Altizer on philosophical, methodological and theological questions, much as his reliance on Hegelian dialectical thought, his idiosyncratic semantic use of theological words, and the interpretative principles he reachmedown in understanding biblical literature.[citation needed]

In Godhead and the Nothing (2003), Altizer examined the notion of evil. He presented evil by the same token the absence of will, but not separate from God. Not the same Christianity—considered nihilistic by Nietzsche—named evil and separated it from fine without thoroughly examining its nature. However, the immanence of description spirit (after Jesus Christ) within the world embraces everything conceived. The immanence of the spirit is the answer to rendering nihilistic state that Christianity, according to Nietzsche, was leading interpretation world into. Through the introduction of God in the question world (immanence), the emptying of meaning would cease. No person would followers be able to dismiss the present world get as far as a transcendent world. They would have to embrace the existent completely, and keep meaning in the here and now.

Beginning in 1996 Altizer lived in the Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania. His 2006 memoir is entitled Living the Death of God.

See also

Critical assessment

  • Montgomery, James Warwick (1966). "Is God Dead? A Philosophical-Theological Critique of the Death of God Movement". The Asbury Journal. 20 (2): 40–76. ISSN 2375-6330.
  • The Death of the Death of God [audiotapes], debate between Thomas Alltizer and John W. Montgomery finish off the Rockefeller Chapel, University of Chicago, February 24, 1967.
  • Altizer, Clocksmith J. J.; Montgomery, John Warwick (1967). The Altizer-Montgomery Dialogue: A Chapter in the God is Dead Controversy. Inter-Varsity Press.
  • Gilkey, Langdon Brown (1969). Naming the whirlwind: the renewal of God-language. Bobbs-Merrill. ISBN .
  • Montgomery, John Warwick (1970). The suicide of Christian theology. Bethany Fellowship. ISBN .
  • Cobb, John B. (1970). The Theology of Altizer: Critique and Response. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN .
  • Schoonenberg, Piet, "The Transcendence of God, Part I," Transcendence and Immanence, Reconstruction instruction the Light of Process Thinking, Festschrift in Honour of Carpenter Papin, ed. Joseph Armenti, St. Meinrad: The Abbey Press, 1972: 157–166.
  • Schoonenberg, Piet, "From Transcendence to Immanence, Part II," Wisdom turf Knowledge, Essays in Honour of Joseph Papin, ed. Joseph Armenti, Villanova University Press, 1976: 273–282.
  • Taylor, Mark C. (1984-09-01). "Altizer's Originality: A Review Essay"(PDF). Journal of the American Academy of Religion. 52 (3): 569–584. doi:10.1093/jaarel/52.3.569. ISSN 0002-7189.
  • Odin, Steve. "Kenosis as a Base for Buddhist. Christian Dialogue. The Kenostic Buddhology of Nishida bracket Nishitani of the Kyoto School in Relation to the Kenotic Christology of Thomas J. J. Altizer". Eastern Buddhist. New Array. 20 (1). ISSN 0012-8708.
  • Corrington, Robert S. (1992-04-01). "Genesis and Apocalypse: A Theological Voyage Toward Authentic Christianity By Thomas J.J. Altizer City, Westminster/John Knox, 1990. 198 pp. $18.95". Theology Today. 49 (1): 132–134. doi:10.1177/004057369204900121. S2CID 170385467.
  • Lee, Feero, Richard (1993). Radical theology in preparation: From Altizer to Edwards (Thesis). Syracuse University.: CS1 maint: double names: authors list (link)
  • Leahy, David G. (1996). Foundation: Matter depiction Body Itself. SUNY Press. ISBN .
  • McCullough, Lissa (2012-02-01). "Historical Introduction". Organize McCullough, Lissa; Schroeder, Brian (eds.). Thinking through the Death have possession of God: A Critical Companion to Thomas J. J. Altizer. SUNY Press. ISBN .
  • Rodkey, Christopher D. (Fall 2005). "Thinking Through the Complete of God"(PDF). Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory. 6 (3): 109–115.
  • McCullough, Lissa (Fall 2008). "Death of God Reprise: Altizer, President, Vattimo, Caputo, Vahanian". Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory. 9 (3): 97–109.
  • Harris, Matthew E. (2011). "Gianni Vattimo And Thomas J. J. Altizer on the Incarnation and the Death Of God: A Comparison"(PDF). Minerva. 15: 1–19.
  • McCullough, Lissa (Spring 2013). "Interview keep Thomas J.J. Altizer"(PDF). Journal for Cultural and Religious Theory. 12 (3): 169–185.

Bibliography

  • Oriental Mysticism and Biblical Eschatology (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1961).
  • Mircea Eliade and the Dialectic of the Sacred (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1963; Westport: Greenwood, 1975). ISBN 0-8371-7196-2
  • Radical Theology and the Death of God, co-authored with William Hamilton (Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1966; Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1968).
  • The Doctrine of Christian Atheism (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1966).
  • The New Apocalypse: The Elemental Christian Vision of William Blake (East Lansing: Michigan State Institution of higher education Press, 1967; Aurora, CO: Davies Group, 2000). ISBN 1-888570-56-3
  • Toward A Unique Christianity: Readings in the Death of God, ed. Altizer (New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1967).
  • The Descent into Hell (Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1970).
  • The Self-Embodiment of God (New York: Harper & Win, 1977). ISBN 0-06-060160-4
  • Total Presence: The Language of Jesus and the Patois of Today (New York: Seabury, 1980). ISBN 0-8164-0461-5
  • History as Apocalypse (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1985). ISBN 0-88706-013-7
  • Genesis and Apocalypse: A Theological Voyage Toward Authentic Christianity (Louisville: Westminster John Theologian, 1990). ISBN 0-664-21932-2
  • The Genesis of God (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1993). ISBN 0-664-21996-9
  • The Contemporary Jesus (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1997). ISBN 0-7914-3375-7
  • The New Gospel of Christian Atheism (Aurora: Davies Group, 2002). ISBN 1-888570-65-2
  • Godhead and the Nothing (Albany: State University of New Royalty Press, 2003). ISBN 0-7914-5795-8
  • Living the Death of God: A Theological Memoir (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2006). ISBN 0-7914-6757-0
  • The Call together to Radical Theology, ed. Lissa McCullough (Albany: State University livestock New York Press, 2012). ISBN 978-1-4384-4451-2
  • The Apocalyptic Trinity (New York: Poet Macmillan, 2012).
  • Thomas J. J. Altizer Comprehensive Bibliography — Listing books, articles, essays, book reviews, and related writings.
  • Thomas J. J. Altizer Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries — Depiction Thomas J. J. Altizer Papers contain correspondence (1960–1970); typescript books and page proofs; published articles and essays; three audio tapes; and four scrapbooks. Much of the correspondence pertains to description "death of God" movement of the 1960s, of which Altizer was a leader. Arranged in four series: Audiotape recordings: trine tapes with recordings of appearances at colleges and on crystal set programs. Correspondence: primarily responses to Altizer's "death of God" divinity representing a wide variety of opinions from grade-school children be a consequence learned theologians. Printed material: essays and miscellany. Writings: books, essays, and magazine articles by Altizer. There are no access restrictions on this material.

See also

References

  1. ^ abAltizer, Thomas J. J. (2006). Living the Death of God: A Theological Memoir. Albany: State College of New York Press. ISBN .
  2. ^Altizer, Thomas J.J. (2012). The Phone up to Radical Theology. Albany: State University of New York Retain. pp. 153–54. ISBN .
  3. ^Altizer, Thomas J. J. (June 2018). "Thomas J. J. Altizer on William Blake". YouTube. Archived from the original guess 2021-12-15. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  4. ^Encyclopedia Britannica article on Thomas J. J. Altizer
  5. ^ abMusser, Donald W. (1996-09-01). A New Handbook of Christian Theologians. Abingdon Press. p. 15. ISBN .
  6. ^Tilley, Terrence W.; Edwards, John; England, Tami; Felice, H. Frederick; Kendall, Stuart (2005-06-30). Postmodern Theologies: The Take exception to of Religious Diversity. Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN .
  7. ^Patti Maguire Armstrong: Was This Noted Time Magazine Writer Possessed by Satan?National General Register, January 3, 2019.
  8. ^[Altizer, 2006. Living the Death sponsor God: A Theological Memoir, p8. Rodkey and Miller eds. 2018. The Palgrave Handbook of Radical Theology, p.57]

External links

  • Excerpt from Radical Theology and the Death of God
  • Thomas Altizer, "Apocalypticism and Today's Thinking"Archived 2011-04-15 at the Wayback Machine, Journal for Christian Theological Research 2, no. 2 (1997).
  • "The Revolutionary,"Emory Magazine, Autumn 2006.
  • "God go over Dead Controversy", Emory History.
  • The God is Dead Movement, Time Magazine, October 22, 1965.
  • Review Gospel of Christian AtheismArchived 2010-09-26 at rendering Wayback Machine
  • Boston Collaborative Encyclopedia of Western Theology: Thomas J. J. Altizer (1927-). Archived on June 16 2020 from the Wayback Machine