Waldenfels, Hans 1931–

PERSONAL: Born October 20, 1931, in Essen/Ruhr, Germany. Education: Berchmanskolleg, lic.phil., 1956; Sophia University, lic.theol., 1964; graduate study at University Kyoto, 1964–65; Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, Italy, D.Th., 1969; graduate study at University of Münster, 1967–68; University of Würzburg, D.Th.Habil., 1976.

ADDRESSES: Home—2 Grenzweg, Düsseldorf 31, D-40489 Germany; fax: 0049–211-404011. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Entered Societas Jesu (Society of Jesus; Jesuits; S.J.), 1951, ordained Roman Catholic priest, 1963; teacher of religion at secondary schools in Düs-seldorf, West Germany (now Germany), 1968–74; lecturer in religious studies and missiology at University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria, and St. Georgen Institute for Philosophy and Theology, Frankfurt, East Germany (now Germany), 1971–75; University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany, professor of fundamental theology, theology of non-Christian religions, and philosophy of religion, 1977–97, dean of faculty of Catholic theology, 1979–80 and 1988–90, speaker in intercultural religious studies post-graduate program, 1991–99; Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, Francis C. Wade, S.J., Chair, 2006–07.

MEMBER: International Association for Mission Studies, International Institute for Scientific Mission Research (chair, 1978–98), German Society of Missiology, Association for the History of Religion, Society of Theology, Institute for Oriental Religions.

WRITINGS:

Absolutes Nichts: Zur Grundlegung des Dialogs zwischen Buddhismus und Christentum, Herder (Freiburg, Germany), 1976, 3rd edition, 1980, translation by J.W. Heisig published as Absolute Nothingness: Foundation for Buddhist-Christian Dialogue, Paulist Press (New York, NY), 1983.

(Editor) Boniface-Peter Amu, Religion and Experience: In Igbo Culture and Christian Faith Experience, N. Borengàsser (Bonn, Germany), 1998.

Buddhist Challenge to Christianity, Dharmaram Publications (Bangalore, India), 2004.

NOT IN ENGLISH

(With Willy Boeld, Hans-W. Gensichen, and Joseph Ratzinger) Kirche in der ausserchristlichen Welt (title means "The Church in the Non-Christian World"), F. Pustet (Regensburg, Germany), 1967.

Offenbarung: Das Zweite Vatikanische Konzil auf dem Hintergrund der neueren Theologie (title means "Revelation: The Second Vatican Council against the Background of Modern Theology"), M. Hueber (Munich, Germany), 1969.

(With Medard Kehl and others) Nuovi metodi di meditazione (title means "New Methods of Meditation"), Paoline (Rome, Italy), 1970.

Glauben hat Zukunft: Orientierungspunkte (title means "Faith Facing Its Future: Points of Orientation"), Herder (Freiburg, Germany), 1970.

Unfähigkeit und Bedürfnis zu glauben: Versuch einer Diagnose unserer Zeit (title means "Incapability and Necessity to Believe: A Diagnosis of Our Times"), Benziger (Zurich, Switzerland), 1972.

Meditation: Ost und West (title means "Meditation: East and West"), Benziger (Zurich, Switzerland), 1975.

(With Julius Angerhausen) Kreuz des Südens und Paradiesvogel (title means "The Cross of the South and the Bird of Paradise"), Wort und Werk (St. Augustin, Germany), 1976.

(With Leo Scheffczyk) Die Offenbarung: Von der Reformation bis zur Gegenwart (title means "Revelation: From the Period of Reformation to the Present Time"), Herder (Freiburg, Germany), 1976.

(Editor) "… denn Ich bin bei Euch": Perspektiven im christlichen Missionsbewuβtsein heute; Festgabe für Josef Glazik und Bernward Willeke zum 65. Ge-burtstag (title means "'For I Am with You': Perspectives of Today's Christian Missiology; In Honor of Josef Glazik and Bernward Willeke"), Benziger (Einsiedeln, Switzerland), 1978.

Religionen als Antwort auf die menschliche Sinnfrage (title means "Religions as Response to the Problem of Human Life"), G. Kaffke (Munich, Germany), 1980.

(Editor) Begegnung mit dem Zen-Buddhismus (title means "Encounter with Zen Buddhism"), Patmos (Düsseldorf, Germany), 1980.

(Editor, with Helmut Pfeiffer and Klaus Rohmann) Theologie: Grund und Grenzen; Festgabe für Heimo Dolch zur Vollendung des 70. Lebensjahres (title means "Theology: Foundation and Limits; In Honor of Heimo Dolch"), Schöningh (Paderborn, Germany), 1982.

Faszination des Buddhismus: Zum christlich-buddhistischen Dialog (title means "The Fascination of Buddhism: About the Christian-Buddhist Dialogue"), Grünewald (Mainz, Germany), 1982.

(Editor) Theologen der Dritten Welt: Elf biographische Skizzen aus Afrika, Asien, und Lateinamerika (title means "Theologians of the Third World: Eleven Biographical Sketches from Africa, Asia, and Latin America"), Beck (Munich, Germany), 1982.

(With Josef Jäger) Kirche in der Grosstadt: Festgabe für Carl Klinkhammer zum 80. Geburtstag (title means "The Church in the Megalopolis: In Honor of Carl Klinkhammer"), Bierbaum (Düsseldorf, Germany), 1983.

Der Gekreuzigte und die Weltreligionen (title means "The Crucified and the World Religions"), Benziger (Zurich, Switzerland), 1983.

(With Martin Honecker) Zu Gast beim Anderen: Evangelisch-katholischer Fremdenführer (title means "In Company with the Other: A Protestant-Catholic Guide"), Styria (Graz, Austria), 1983, 3rd edition, Bonifatius (Paderborn, Germany), 1998.

(Editor, with Walter Strolz) Christliche Grundlagen des Dialogs mit den Weltreligionen (title means "Christian Foundations of the Dialogue with the World Religions"), Herder (Freiburg, Germany), 1983.

Kontextuelle Fundamentaltheologie (title means "Contextual Fundamental Theology"), F. Schöningh (Paderborn, Germany), 1985, 4th edition, 2005.

(Editor, with Thomas Immoos) Fernöstliche Weisheit und christlicher Glaube: Festgabe für Heinrich Dumoulin zur Vollendung des 80. Lebensjahres (title means "Far Eastern Wisdom and Christian Faith: In Honor of Heinrich Dumoulin"), Grünewald (Mainz, Germany), 1985.

(Editor, with Franz König) Die Friedensgebete von Assisi (title means "The Prayers for Peace at the Meeting of Assisi"), Herder (Freiburg, Germany), 1987.

(Editor) Lexikon der Religionen: Phœnomene-Geschichte-Ideen (title means "Encyclopedia of Religions: Phenomena, History, Ideas"), Herder (Freiburg, Germany), 1987, 4th edition, 1999.

An der Grenze des Denkbaren: Meditation; Ost und West (title means "At the Boundary of the Thinkable: Meditation; East and West"), Kösel (Munich, Germany), 1988.

(Editor) Ein Leben nach dem Leben? Die Antwort der Religionen (title means "A Life after the Life? The Response of the Religions"), Patmos (Düsseldorf, Germany), 1989.

(Editor) Günter Riβe, "Gott ist Christus, der Sohn der Maria": Eine Studie zum Christusbild im Koran (title means "'God Is Christ, the Son of Mary': A Study about the Quranic Understanding of Christ"), N. Borengässer (Bonn, Germany), 1989.

(Editor) Begegnung der Religionen: Theologische Versuche I (title means "Encounter of Religions: Theological Essays I"), N. Borengässer (Bonn, Germany), 1990.

(Editor) 500 Jahre Lateinamerika: Kolonisierung-Wirtschaft-Politik-Religion, N. Borengässer (Bonn, Germany), 1993.

Phœnomen Christentum: Eine Weltreligion in der Welt der Religionen, Herder (Freiburg, Germany), 1994, new edition, N. Borengässer (Bonn, Germany), 2002.

(Editor) Volney J. Berkenbrock, Die Erfahrung der Orixás. Eine Studie ü die religiöse Erfahrung im Candomblé, N. Borengässer (Bonn, Germany), 1995.

Einführung in die Theologie der Offenbarung, Wiβen-schaftliche Buchgesellschaft (Darmstadt, Germany), 1996.

(Editor) Horst von der Bey, Vom kolonialen Gottesex-port zur befreienden Mission. Eine franziskanisch orientierte Theologie einer inkulturierten Evangelisation, N. Borengässer (Bonn, Germany), 1996.

Gott: Auf der Suche nach dem Lebensgrund, 2nd edition, Benno (Leipzig, Germany), 1997.

(Editor) Gottes Wort in der Fremde: Theologische Versuche II, N. Borengässer (Bonn, Germany), 1997.

(Editor, with Klaus Borchard) Zukunft nach dem Ende des Fortschrittsglaubens: brauchen wir neue Perspektiven?, Verlag K. Alber (Freiburg, Germany), 1998.

(Editor) Heinz Robert Schlette, Religionskritik in interkultureller und interreligiöser Sicht. Dokumentation des Symposiums des Graduiertenkollegs "Interkulturelle religiöse bzw. religionsgeschichtliche Studien," N. Borengässer (Bonn, Germany), 1998.

(Editor, with W. Gephart) Religion und Identität: Im Horizont des Pluralismus, Suhrkamp (Frankfurt, Germany), 1999.

(Editor, with Hans Michael Baumgartner) Die philoso-phische Gottesfrage am Ende des 20. Jahrhunderts, K. Alber (Frieburg, Germany), 1999.

"Mit zwei Flügeln": Kommentar und Anmerkungen zur Enzyklika "Fides et ratio" Papst Johannes Pauls II, Bonifatius (Paderborn, Germany), 2000.

(Editor) Juvénal llunga Muya, L'expérience de la pluralité. Un lieu théologique, N. Borengässer (Bonn, Germany), 2000.

Christus und die Religionen, F. Pustet (Regensburg, Germany), 2002.

(Editor) Phänomen Christentum. Eine Weltreligion in der Welt der Religionen, N. Borengässer (Bonn, Germany), 2002.

(Editor) Religion. Entstehung-Funktion-Wesen, K. Alber (Freiburg, Germany), 2002.

(Editor) Johannes Yong-Min Song, "Glaubenssinn" und "Inkulturation". Eine Studie zum "Glaubenssinn der Glaubenden" (sensus fidelium) unter beson-derer Berücksichtigung der Volksfrömmigkeit in Korea, N. Borengässer (Bonn, Germany), 2003.

(Editor, with H. Jorissen) Petr Fiala and Jir̆i Hanuš, Die Verborgene Kirche. Felix M. Davídek und die Gemeinschaft Koinótés, Schöningh (Paderborn, Germany), 2003.

(Editor, with H. Oberreuter), Der Islam-Religion und Politik, F. Schöningh (Paderborn, Germany), 2004.

(Editor) Xu Longfei, Die nestorianische Säule in Xi'an. Begegnung von Christentum und chinesischer Kultur, Borengässer (Bonn, Germany), 2004.

Auf den Spuren von Gottes Wort. Theologische Versuche III, Borengässer (Bonn, Germany), 2004.

Editor and Contributor to the series Begegnug. Kontextuell-dialogische Studien zur Theologie der Kulturen (English title: Encounter. Contextural-Dialogical Studies Concerning the Theology of Cultures), Borengaesser.

Waldenfels's writings have been translated into Italian, French, Polish, Japanese, Czech, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, and Croatian.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Research on theology of religions and the theology of the twentieth century.

SIDELIGHTS: Hans Waldenfels once told CA: "Besides working in my special field of fundamental theology, I am engaged in research on the common points of understanding between Christians and Buddhists, especially Mahayana Buddhists of the Far East. More than nine years of living in Japan, many travels to the East, to India and China, some time in the United States, and the knowledge of the Japanese language enable me to continue the discussion about the various concepts of man and human society, about God and the Absolute, and about the role of religions in modern life. I am convinced that, more than philosophical and theological reflections, the immediate sharing of religious experiences leads to a more profound understanding of other ways. During my stay in Japan my introduction into the practice of Zen meditation, combined with my experiences in Ignatian spirituality, has shaped my own approach to other religions. Religions, however, are not so much of interest with regard to their past history; they are to be asked for the contributions man can expect today in his search for justice, peace, and personal fulfillment."