The practice of the imitation of Christ with special reference to the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Abstract

This thesis is a theological investigation of the Imitation of Christ. It is a study of the Imitation of Christ as a theological theme as it occurs in Christian theology. The theme of the Imitation of Christ is investigated in two areas, that of Christian theology in general in the first and larger section of the thesis, and that of the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in the second section. In the first section, the Imitation of Christ is studied in the following ways. The various strands of the Imitation tradition are analysed, the Imitation of Christ is studied as an instance of the human practice of Imitation, the Christological issues are investigated, as also is the relationship between Imitation and Christian theology. In the second section Bonhoeffer's notion of the Imitation of Christ is studied in the light of the issues raised in the first section. Thus Bonhoeffer's place in the Imitation tradition is assessed, and more light shed on the nature of the Imitation of Christ.