Journal for the History of Modern Theology / Zeitschrift für Neuere Theologiegeschichte

Editor-in-Chief: Christian Danz
Edited by: Mark D. Chapman , Alf Christophersen and Julia A. Lamm
In cooperation with: Friedrich Wilhelm Graf

Languages: English, German

First published: January 1, 1994

Publication Frequency: 2 issues per year

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About this journal

The Journal for the History of Modern Theology (JHMTH) is an academic journal. It is intended for theologians, historians, philosophers, scholars of religion and representatives of other academic disciplines.
The journal contains contributions on the history of theology since the Enlightenment. History of theology is understood in the broad sense of the term. To begin with, it is about the critical reflexion of traditional dogmatic and ethical teachings of the individual confessions as they are institutionalized in universities and other institutes of higher learning associated with the various denominations. In addition, the different forms of awareness of faith are examined, for example the (implicit and explicit) theological concepts of religious movements, ecclesiastical groups, associations, etc. In addition to the various directions of Protestant theology and philosophy of religion, theological and religious-philosophical, tendencies in Roman Catholicism and Judaism are considered that reach beyond the history of theology within German-speaking areas. It also includes historical contributions on the development of theology in other European countries as well as in North America.
The contributions are either in English or German. An abstract in the other language respectively provides the reader with a brief summary of the article.

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Cold War Crusaders:

January 1, 2000

Paul Fine

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During the 1950s, the Eisenhower Administration used American religion in the global ideological war against Communism as a propaganda tool. Where genuine spirituality flourished, they contended, communist ideology would naturally be rejected. Thus, a host of efforts–both overt and covert–were undertaken to strengthen religious faith both in the United States and abroad. Recent studies of this government-sponsored religion have tended to focus on the most visible elected politicians and cabinet members who lauded American faith and encouraged inclusive religiosity. This article takes a different approach, focusing primarily on several lesser-known promoters of religious anti-communism who worked closely with the Eisenhower Administration to translate public rhetoric into practice. It demonstrates that all were theologically astute intellectuals whose concepts of religion and American exceptionalism were shaped, in part, by Paul Tillich in different but significant ways. Their critical use of Tillich’s theological formulations presents a more nuanced picture of America’s religious cold warriors than is normally portrayed. I contend that, by examining these under-evaluated individuals, we gain a clearer understanding of the essence of American civil religion as it developed during the early Cold War.
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Theology and the Genesis of Iconology

January 1, 2000

Hans C. Hönes

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The genesis of “iconology” as a method for art historical interpretation is commonly associated with the name of Aby Warburg, a historian of art and culture who first used this term in a 1912 lecture on Renaissance fresco painting. This essay argues, however, that key characteristics of this approach were prefigured and commonly practiced in nineteenth century scholarship. Academic theologians in particular pursued a hermeneutic approach to art that bears important similarities to what became known as “iconology”. This methodology was crucially motivated by the disciplinary frameworks of theology. Theologians had a particular interest in connecting artworks with scripture (bringing together ‘word and image’, as Warburg phrased it), and in interpreting them as historic expressions of belief. Since the early nineteenth-century, Christian symbolism also had become the subject of an increasing number of iconographical dictionaries and handbooks, enabling an increasingly complex approach to interpreting Christian art. These methodological developments are discussed with regard to the writings of three academic theologians working in nineteenth-century Germany: Gottfried Kinkel (1815–1882), Franz Xaver Kraus (1840–1901), and Heinrich Schrörs (1852–1928). In a second step, this essay situates their work within broader debates about disciplinarity in nineteenth century academia, considering in particular the attempts to define “Christian archaeology” as a subject separate from art history.

Journal Impact Factor	0.2	2024, Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate, 2025)
5-year Journal Impact Factor	0.1	2024, Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate, 2025)
Journal Citation Indicator	0.21	2024, Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate, 2025)
CiteScore	0.1	2024, Scopus (Elsevier B.V., 2025)
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Journal for the History of Modern Theology / Zeitschrift für Neuere Theologiegeschichte

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