Karl Rahner

卡尔•拉纳

Karl Rahner was a German Catholic theologian. He was born in Germany in 1904 and entered the Jesuit novitiate at age 18. He studied under the philosopher Martin Heidegger, who would become Rahner’s greatest philosophical influence. Rahner was a leader in a new school of Catholic thought known as Nouvelle Théologie, advocating a shift of focus from Scholasticism to Scripture, an openness to dialogue with the modern world, and a less adversarial approach toward non-Catholics. Though his ideas were criticized by Pope Pius XII, they became extremely influential at the Second Vatican Council, where he served as an advisor. He spent the rest of his life teaching at Munich, Münster, and Innsbruck, and wrote his magnum opus, Foundations of Christian Faith, finished shortly before he passed away in 1984.