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Ernst Troeltsch Research Centre

The Ernst Troeltsch Research Center is housed in the Institute of Systematic Theology. The primary task of the research group is the publication of a critical edition of the complete works of Ernst Troeltsch (1865–1923), a sequence of volumes of which have been published since 1998. Thanks to this edition, the work of a modern Protestant scholar whose ideas had a broad impact on the discourse of a variety of academic disciplines will become accessible. Texts published will include writings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which can still serve as a guiding force in early 21st-century debates on intellectual self-understanding. Ernst Troeltsch ploughed his furrow in a variety of academic disciplines. A Protestant theologian, philosopher and historian, Troeltsch played a vital role in shaping religious studies and sociology and is regarded as a political theologian who pursued political activities in addition to his studies. The significance of his wide-ranging work derives from the broad scope and variety of his themes and, in particular, from their context.

The critical edition of Ernst Troeltsch's collected works is a joint effort by theologians and historians, ordered by the Commission for Research into History of Theology of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

The critical edition is planned to contain all texts published by Troeltsch, including manuscript corrections, and will also make some unpublished writings by Troeltsch publicly available: lecture notes, parliamentary speeches and votes on debates, letters written by Troeltsch, appraisals, and calls from the field of academic politics.

Each volume features a detailed introduction by the editor with information on the writings contained, their references to historical themes and their contemporary background. Troeltsch's individual texts are prefaced by edition reports giving information on the genesis, development and status of the source texts and on editorial decisions. Troeltsch's writings are edited from a historical and critical perspective, the stages of development of the texts documented, including manuscript addenda, and all editorial changes indicated individually.

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Troeltsch-Forschungsstelle