ABSTRACT
The lack of Ludwig Wittgenstein's impact on the great theologians of the century is hardly surprising given the fact that they were all contemporaries of Wittgenstein and 'formed intellectually long before the rise of analytic philosophy as Fergus Kerr rightly points out. Most continental theological traditions at the time were engaged in critical dialogue with Kantian, Hegelian and Marxist philosophies on the one hand, and phenomenological, existentialist and hermeneutical approaches on the other. Theological reception is always secondary to philosophical reception. Since this varies with the traditions of philosophy dominant in a given area, the theological reception also reflects the particular modes and emphases of the philosophical discussion. The literature on Wittgenstein's own religion and the debate about the proper interpretation of his often rather obscure and tortured remarks about religious belief is sometimes quite speculative, especially since much of the material is second-hand from students' notes or reports by friends.
