Erik Peterson

Erik Peterson lived much of his life in that liminal space between established academic and ecclesiastical institutions and scholarly and faith-based ingenuity. Born a Protestant, he converted to Catholicism in the turbulent years between the two World Wars. A German native, his prose belied a tacit resistance to the convergence of church and state that came into full force under Nazi Germany and subtle support for the Jewish people. Married in the midst of an ecclesiastical structure that venerated celibacy, after his conversion he struggled to find a suitable appointment for his training and expertise. A contemporary and confidant of Karl Barth, and widely read by Pope Benedict XVI, his influence within both Protestant and Catholic circles has been noteworthy. Yet, as one of Germany's most talented theologians of the 20th century, he has only recently been re-discovered in primarily English-speaking academic and theological circles today. ~Deborah Forger