tillich

Paul Johannes Tillich (1886–1965) was a German-American theologian and philosopher whose work bridged existentialism and Christian theology. Born in Starogard in Prussia, Tillich studied theology and philosophy in Germany and taught there before fleeing the Nazi regime in 1933. He emigrated to the United States, where he held academic posts at Union Theological Seminary in New York and later taught at Harvard Divinity School and the University of Chicago. His influence extended across philosophy of religion and Protestant theology.

Tillich’s thought centers on God as the ground of being, not as a being among beings. He maintained that religious language uses symbols that point to ultimate concerns rather than offering literal propositions. His commonly cited formulation that God is the “ground of being” underlines a non-anthropomorphic understanding of the divine. He developed the method of correlation, aiming to relate existential questions—meaning, anxiety, and despair—to Christian symbols and doctrines within their historical and cultural contexts.

Major works include The Meaning of God in Modern Thought (1934), The Courage to Be (1952), and the multi-volume Systematic Theology (1951–63). In these works Tillich develops concepts such as ultimate concern, revelation, grace, and faith, while stressing the symbolic character of religious language and the role of faith as a response to existential questions.

Tillich’s work continues to influence theology, philosophy of religion, and religious studies, particularly for readers seeking a rigorous, systematic account of faith that engages modern philosophy and culture.