Der Umgang mit der Macht. Ein Stolperstein des Menschen auf dem öffentlichen Plateau

Abstract

In her article, the author, Prof. Dr. Birgit Zweigle, it is clear that when we talk about people as zóon politikón, we also have to talk about the topic of power. The exercise of power is therefore a subliminal human desire. It is a temptation for individuals as well as for groups or states because it ultimately gives actors a sense of importance. The author approaches the topic in three steps, first showing how power has been argumentatively founded and realized in history. In doing so, she focuses on the models of the relationship between state and church and their intellectual and historical justification. By raising the question of the biblical understanding of power, the author is able to confront the concepts realized in history with the gospel. She leaves no doubt that, in her view, the exercise of power by the state and the church is far removed from the biblical understanding of power. Ultimately, according to the author, her approach makes it possible to identify stumbling blocks in dealing with power. According to the author, the first danger is identification with divine authority - church and state would have claimed to speak and act in the name of God, whereby she regards the Pope's dogma of infallibility as an aggravation. The author sees a second danger in theology putting itself at the service of politics. According to the author, a third danger is the misuse of divine power for one's own purposes, as becomes clear, for example, in the Investiture Controversy.