| Summary: | This thesis considers Juengel's criticism of a traditional Lutheran distinction of hiddenness inside and outside God's own Word. The criticism arises because of the distinction between two fundamental perspectives, analogy and proclamation, which shape all knowledge of God. Analogy stresses the continuity of God's being and becoming so that revelation is the event of God's self-correspondence. Proclamation distinguishes even God's being according to whether or not it is within the arena of God's Word. Therein all knowledge of God and God's own being turns on whether God is "preached" or not. Part one considers the respective doctrines of God for Juengel and Luther. Juengel's use of analogy shapes the doctrine of God into a procession, return and remaining. Within this circular movement of God, the Trinity and attributes of God (like love) are understood as a metaphysical unity based on God's movement of self-revelation. God is only hidden in a circumscribed fashion sub contrario in the cross. Luther's perspective orients God's being and attributes (like love) so they are understood relationally in the particular address of proclamation. God's hiddenness must be seen in at least three ways all oriented to proclamation: as God hidden outside the Word, hidden in the cross of Christ sub contrario, and finally in the masks of creation. Part two asks how these distinct perspectives of analogy and proclamation developed historically, shaping the doctrine of God. The four principles of analogy (plentitude, continuity, hierarchy and theophany) are demonstrated in Greek philosophy, Neoplatonism, Aquinas, Barth and Juengel's "analogy of advent." The development of the perspective of proclamation is considered in Paul, is falsely developed in Marcionite dualism, and finally appears again in Luther. The thesis concludes that the perspective of analogy yields a doctrine of God which is its own end in describing God's infinite movement of self-correspondence; proclamation's perspective is dualistic and incomplete without actual proclamation in which it finds its proper goal.
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