Der rechte Gebrauch im Spiegel des falschen

Abstract

Paul Hacker (Professor of Indology in Muenster, † 1979) realized that the way the church pervaded and gradually transformed Graeco- Roman culture is a process guided by firm principles, a consciously practiced method. The fathers of the church characterize this method in many images and terms, among which the term of the (proper) use, the Chresis, deserves particular recognition. The method is also captured, however, by a negative concept that discriminates between the wrong and the proper use. The Chresis is at the same time a diacritic, purifying and creative process, deeply separated from any form of syncretism and inclusivism. It is a factum of world-historic significance (‘ein Faktum von welthistorischer Bedeutung’), since Christianity could never have spread without it (‘ohne sie hatte das Christentum niemals sich ausbreiten konnen’ [Hacker]). Thus, it is of high ongoing value for the church, which today wrestles with the problem of how the Gospel’s ‘Inkarnation’ into the cultures can succeed.