Paul F. Knitter
Paul Tillich Professor of Theology, World Religions and Culture
Contact
3041 Broadway, AD 420
New York, NY 10027
212-280-1363
pknitter@uts.columbia.edu
Education
Doctor of Theology
1972: University of Marburg, West Germany, Dept. of Protestant Theology.
Doctoral Studies
1969-72: University of Marburg, under Prof. Carl-Heinz Ratschow. Advisory assistance from Prof. Rudolf Bultmann.
1969: University of Münster, Germany. Doctoral research under Prof. Karl Rahner.
1968: Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome. Doctoral courses and research under Prof. Juan Alfaro.
Graduate Studies
1964-66: Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome. Licentiate in Theology.
Undergraduate Studies
1962-64: Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome. Baccalaureate in Theology.
1960-62: Divine Word Seminary, Techny, Ill. Baccalaureate in Philosophy.
Biography
Paul F. Knitter, who joined the Union faculty in January 2007, is a leading theologian of religious pluralism. He holds a licentiate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome (1966) and a doctorate from the University of Marburg, Germany (1972). Knitter’s journey into interfaith dialogue began in 1964 when he was a seminarian in Rome and experienced the Second Vatican Council firsthand, at a time when the Roman Catholic Church declared its new attitude towards other religions.
Dr. Knitter is Professor Emeritus of Theology at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, where he taught for 28 years before coming to Union. He serves on the Board of the International, Interreligious Peace Council, formed after the 1993 World Parliament of Religions to promote interreligious peace-making projects.
Most of Dr. Knitter’s research and publications have dealt with religious pluralism and interreligious dialogue. Since his ground-breaking 1985 book, No Other Name?, he has been exploring how the religious communities of the world can cooperate in promoting human and ecological well-being. This is the topic of One Earth Many Religions: Multifaith Dialogue and Global Responsibility (1995) and Jesus and the Other Names: Christian Mission and Global Responsibility (1996), and his critical survey of Christian approaches to other religions: Introducing Theologies of Religions (Orbis Books, 2002). In 2005, Knitter edited a multifaith exploration titled The Myth of Religious Superiority (Orbis Books). His latest publication is Without Buddha I Could Not Be A Christian: A Personal Journey of Passing Over and Passing Back (Oneworld Publications, 2009).
Blog
Union in Dialogue
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