Paul Tillich’s Schizophrenia
R. Dole
Journal of literature and art studies August 30, 2016 DOI: 10.17265/2159-5836/2016.09.003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Paul Tillich's biography and theology show symptoms of schizophrenia, that his "kairos" theology concealed a messiah complex, and that his precise accounts of mystical schizophrenic hallucination suggest personal experience, raising questions about revelation, mystical ecstasy, and schizophrenia. |
Abstract
once confided to his secretary at Harvard that he was a schizophrenic. In this article, the author, who is also a schizophrenic, discusses symptoms of schizophrenia in Tillich's biography and theology. Tillich had always insisted that his theology was one of the kairos. By hiding his theological thought behind an arcane Greek word, Tillich dissimulated his own messiah complex. On several occasions, Tillich describes a mystical schizophrenic hallucination with such accuracy that it is obvious to those who have had similar visions that he was speaking from personal experience. This article raises unanswerable questions about the relationships between religious revelation, mystical ecstasy and schizophrenia.