The Relationship Between Theology and Philosophy of Religion: The Case of Hegel and Tillich

Abstract

The relationship of philosophy with religion or theology has maintained its vitality in every period of the history of thought, and as a result of different thinking activities of human beings, serious dissidences have arisen about how these fields are related to each other. Theology, which has an history that goes back to the Ancient Age, has always had a relationship with philosophy. In the Middle Ages, this relationship shifted to a different ground. In the Enlightenment period, rational understanding of religion and God paved the way for the emergence of a systematic discipline such as the philosophy of religion. Hegel's studies on philosophy of religion has led philosophy of religion to start gaining its independence from rational theology which is the field that resembles it most. The main framework of this article is the relationship between theology and the philosophy of religion. This relationship has been tried to be dealt with through Hegel and Tillich. The main purpose of this article is to analyze the relationship between theology and the philosophy of religion on the basis of two important names in the history of the philosophy of religion and try to reveal that these fields cannot be completely separated from each other as an intellectual effort. In addition, showing that these areas have a close and dialectical relationship with each other implicitly includes the other purpose of the study.