TROELTSCH, ERNST

Troeltsch, Ernst: translation

(1865-1923)

philosopher, historian, and theologian; one of the foremost proponents of historicism (Historismus). The eldest son of a physician, he was born near Augsburg. He began his studies at Erlangen in 1884, took his doctorate under Gottingen's Albrecht Ritschl, and was appointedPrivatdozentin 1890 at the same university. Much inspired by Paul de Lagarde, he came to believe that he might revolutionize theology through the application of history. He was namedausserordentlicher Professorat Bonn in 1892 and became Professor of Systematic Theology in 1894 at Heidelberg. His eloquence was renowned. Georg Wünsch, a Heidelberg student, claimed that he "lectured in such a colorful, captivating way that one's breath stood still" (Pauck).World War I inspired his interest in politics, but triggered a conflict with his friend Max Weber* that led him to transfer in 1915 to Berlin.*

Troeltsch was soon linked with such colleagues as Adolf von Harnack,* Friedrich Meinecke,* and Hans Delbrück,* all advocating extensive social and political reforms, warning against excessive nationalism, and eventually pressing for Prinz Max* von Baden's appointment as Chancellor. Upon Germany's col-lapse, Troeltsch wrote that the catastrophe was "only the delayed consequence of our inner weakening since the death of Hegel"—a reference to his belief in the power of Spirit to shape history. A founder of the DDP, he was elected to the Prussian assembly in January 1919 and served as undersecretary in the Prus-sian Cultural Ministry. His ideas on schools and churches were incorporated into the Prussian constitution.

Theologically liberal, Troeltsch viewed Christianity not as divine revelation but as a manifestation of religion. His theology blended Weber's sociology with a historicist belief that value judgments, like history itself, are never fixed. Under Weber's influence he became interested in religious sociology, arguing that Christianity was but one religion among several—a perspective that alienated the ecclesiastical authorities. His final book wasDer Historismus und seine Probleme(Historicism and its problems, 1922), a primary text on the philosophy of history.