ABSTRACT
In his efforts to establish the principal interpretations of human existence and human destiny, Pannenberg expresses his dissatisfaction with the classical concepts of humans as created in the image of God and the primordial fall of Adam. He finds such ideas inadequate, insofar as they fail to elucidate the distinctively Christian understanding of humanity. In particular, they do not do full justice to the Christian conviction of the definitive importance of the salvation that appears in Jesus Christ. For these reasons, in this chapter we shall first discuss when and how the image of God is realised in humanity for Pannenberg, before examining what this divine image actually refers to. In so doing, the various theological and philosophical traditions on which he relies will be studied, and any divergence from them will be discussed. In particular, we shall be engaging Pannenberg in a dialogue not only with Herder, whose thought plays a pivotal role in forming and shaping Pannenberg’s concept of human destiny, but also indirectly with a number of historians and philosophers who are well renowned for researching Herder’s work. As a result, we should be better equipped to ascertain whether Pannenberg has used Herder as he should, and in the process we shall also be filling in the gaps that have been left by Pannenberg. We shall then move forward to present Pannenberg’s case that it is a communal destiny rather than an individual, isolated one. Finally, we are to argue that Pannenberg’s doctrine of human destiny is grounded on what we call proleptic Christology. Various specific aspects of his Christology relevant to our discussion will be highlighted and examined. However, it is by no means intended as a comprehensive discussion or critique of Pannenberg’s doctrine of Christology.
