My research into intellectual history spans various areas in philosophy, theology, history, and science. My focus is always on traditional, mostly Scholastic thought, its transformation in new environments, as well as its potential to transform new environments.
For my doctoral thesis, I investigated the critique of Greek and Scholastic metaphysics in German Neoprotestant theology of the 19th and 20th centuries. My research focused on Albrecht Ritschl, Wilhelm Herrmann, Rudolf Bultmann, and Gerhard Ebeling. It traced their reception of philosophical traditions, such as Kant, Neo-Kantianism, and Heidegger, to discover the reasons for their determined rejection of metaphysics as such (e.g., Herrmann) or of its use in theology (Ritschl). It also explored the uniform insistence that Martin Luther's critique of metaphysics was the main source of their own approach. However, my thesis showed that the core arguments for their rejection of metaphysics were rooted in contemporary issues and theological approaches (particularly Schleiermacher).
A Marie Curie fellowship at the Faculty of Theology and Religion (University of Oxford) provided the opportunity to study the Cognitive Science of Religion (CSR) and its theories about natural religious beliefs in humans. Intriguingly, this modern scientific approach can be matched with the philosophical and theological traditions in which the thought of a naturally occurring religion was present for millenia and an essential building block of Natural Theology. CSR and these traditional thoughts can be connected, yet especially the theological approaches do not link in a straightforward way. The convergences and divergences create a productive tension that leads to fascinating and fresh insights. See 'Implanted in us by Nature?'.
My current research traces traditional philosophical and theological apporaches to natural belief and explores how modern scientific perspectives shed new light on them.
A particularly intruiging chapter of the history of ideas can be found in late medieval Armenian thought. The arrival of the mendicant orders in the South Caucasus and Cilicia triggered a strong reaction in the Armenian Apostolic Church. The emergence of a Roman Catholic-Armenian brotherhood, the Unitors, in the 14th century and the incorporation of numerous Armenian parishes into communion with Rome lead to a prolific translation activity through which many Latin works were translated into Classical Armenian. Moreover, the curriculum of higher education at the main monastery of the Unitors in K‛ṙnay bore a significant effect on eduation and thought in the Armenian Apostoilic Church. One of its main protagonists is Gregory of Tatev whose monumental Book of Questions (Գիրք հարցմանց) displays an impressive synthesis of Western and Eastern thought. My research explores his Latin sources, the history of Latin ideas in his writing, and the effect on the traditionally Eastern character of Armenian theology.
For my research into Gregory of Tatev's theology see 'On Knowing and Unknowing God' and 'Sober Theology'.
One of the most stunning and, at the same time, most neglected chapters of the Early Modern Christianity is the preservation of religious houses during the Reformation, which happened not by accident or blunt traditionalism but on well justified theological grounds. Particularly in North Germany, a significant number of male and female abbeys not only survived but also played a central part in the introduction of the Reformation. The princes of the Protestant territories issued monastic orders which engaged lengthily with patricstic and medieval monastic theology. The preservation of the religious houses and particularly their theological justifications are a telling example in the history of ideas which shows how ancient traditions, religious practices, and theological thought were being transformed in a new era and under different conditions. For works on this area of my research see the publication list.