Contents

PART I: THE HOLY SPIRIT AS THE POWER OF PRESENTATION -- pg. 1

Introduction: Link with Previous Discussions of Pneumatology -- pg. 4

A. The Holy Spirit as the Basis of Faith, Love, and Hope -- pg. 8

I. The Holy Spirit as the Basis of Faith -- pg. 8

II. The Holy Spirit as the Basis of Love -- pg. 54

III. The Holy Spirit as the Basis of Hope -- pg. 66

B. The Work of the Power of the Spirit -- pg. 73

IV. The Gifts of the Spirit (Charismata) -- pg. 73

V. Empowering for Prayer by the Pneuma -- pg. 83

PART II: THE MEANS OF PRESENTATION
The Word-Form of Presentation -- pg. 91

VI. Word and Spirit: Their Basic Relationship -- pg. 94

A. Controversies about the Understanding of the Bible:
A Critical Stance -- pg. 103

VII. The Establishment of Scriptural Authority by the Formation
of the Canon -- pg. 105

VIII. The Establishment of the Canon by the Uniting of Scripture and Tradition -- pg. 127

IX. The Establishment of the Bible as the 'Vessel of God’s Word by Immanent Scriptural Criteria -- pg. 140

X. Promise and Fulfilment -- pg. 151

XI. Law and Gospel -- pg. 177

XII. The Establishment of the Authority of Scripture by the Doctrine of Verbal Inspiration -- pg. 191

XIII. The Establishment of the Authority of Scripture by Historico-Critical Research -- pg. 195

PART III: THE FORM OF PRESENTATION: THE CHURCH -- pg. 199

XIV. The Concept of the Church
Excursus: On the Change in Meaning 0f the Term ‘ ‘Church’ -- pg. 203

XV. The Essence of the Church -- pg. 208

XVI. Where Is the Church? -- pg. 215

XVII. The Dualism of Roman Catholic and Evangelical in Ecclesiology. Theological Issues of Separation -- pg. 223

XVIII. Ministries and Offices -- pg. 230

A. Worship, Word, and Sacraments -- pg. 240

XIX. Worship, Preaching, and Liturgy -- pg. 240

XX. Worship and the Sacraments -- pg. 248

XXI. On the Understanding of Baptism -- pg. 266

XXII. On the Understanding of the Lord’s Supper -- pg. 282

PART IV: THE EXCLUSIVENESS OF PRESENTATION The Gospel and the World of Religions -- pg. 301

XXIII. Debates about the Concept of Religion -- pg. 305

XXIV. Paradigms of the Controversy about the Question of the Gospel and Religion -- pg. 310

XXV. An Attempt at a Theological Synthesis (Tillich and Pannenberg) -- pg. 337

A. Evaluation of the Interpretation of the History of Religion and Attempt at a Legitimate Understanding of Exclusiveness -- pg. 345

XXVI. On Understanding Religion and the Religions -- pg. 345

XXVII. The Special Feature in the Truth of Revelation -- pg. 355

XXVIII. The Question of Anonymous Christianity -- pg. 365

XXIX. The Principle of Exclusiveness and the Question of Toleration -- pg. 370

PART V: THE TRANSCENDING OF PRESENTATION: ESCHATOLOGY -- pg. 377

XXX. The State of the Discussion -- pg. 379

A. Individual Eschatology -- pg. 385

XXXI. On the Understanding of Death -- pg. 385

XXXII. Life after Death -- pg. 398

B. Universal Eschatology -- pg. 415

XXXIII. The Basis of Hope -- pg. 416

XXXIV. The Crisis of Hope (Delay of the Parousia) -- pg. 428

XXXV. The Content of Hope -- pg. 434

Indexes -- pg. 467

1. Names -- pg. 467

2. Subjects -- pg. 472

3. Scripture References -- pg. 478

Upon their publication in 1974 and 1977, the first two volumes of Helmut Thielicke’s Evangelical Faith received wide acclaim. With this third volume, Thielicke concludes his ambitious effort to const ruct a system of Christian theology that is responsive to the needs and questions of the modern age.
Thielicke’s primary focus in the 35 sections of this volume is pneumatology, which, according to Thielicke, forms the basis for his examination of other topics such as ecdesiology, eschatology, and the theology of religions:
the statement of faith in the Holy Spirit is the dominant feature even in the confession of the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting. The Holy Spirit makes present the 'past' event of salvation and also the 'future' one. To this extent, pneumatology /01 ms the background of all statements of this article, and constitutes them a unity. It also provides a hey to a theological understanding a/ the religions which it is one of our special exertions In achieve in this volume.
This volume is informed by the same breadth of insight and clarity of analysis that characterized the first two volumes of Evangelical Faith and secured Thielicke’s reputation as one of the leading Christian thinkers of this century.