Antonio Russo

In 1964, the young Walter Kasper (born in 1933) was granted by the Faculty of Catholic Theology at Tübingen the licence to teach dogmatic theology on the basis of a thesis on Philosophie und Theologie der Geschichte in der Spätphilosophie Schellings (Philosophy and Theology of History in Schelling’s Late Philosophy). Kasper’s interest in Schelling, himself a student at the Evangelisches Stift at Tübingen, thus originated in the context of his university studies in the school of J.R. Geiselmann and developed in parallel with his theological education. For this reason, it is impossible to form a correct idea of Kasper and his whole theology unless one is willing to take into account this background, not least because he himself has always consciously and forcefully recognised this fact and seen in it his own centre of gravity. Kasper’s work and thought were shaped in a lasting manner during his university years. In fact, his entire academic oeuvre has been nurtured from this fecund origin so much so that he became one of the most well known names associated with the Catholic school at Tübingen to which he gave a new, creative impulse having himself been profoundly inspired by it. ‘He always emphasised his own roots not only as a teacher of theology and a member of the teaching faculty of this institution, but also as bishop’ and cardinal. The principal intention of the present article is precisely this: to return to this beginning and elucidate these decisive years for Kasper in broad outline by way of a relecture and interpretation of his book on The Absolute in History and the particular manner in which he interpreted the so-called second Schelling, an author whom he approached in the wake of Walter Schulz and at practically the same time as Xavier Tilliette. The analysis will subsequently move on into the more properly theological field.

The main purpose in this article is to give an overwiev and to clarify the thought of Stelio Zeppi, one of the most outstanding scholars at the Trieste State University. Zeppi published extensively on ancient greek political thought, on french modern literature and italian contemporary philosophy and political thought. He started (1960) his career in discussing the main topics of Guido Calogero's Philosophy of Praxis and than his main fields of interests were on the ancient greek philosophy. He became more and more interested in ethics, philosophy and Political Theory For the first time, in this article, Antonio Russo shows that Stelio Zeppi, in just the last decade of his life developed a new point of view, i. d. admitting that the Christian is the best and most complete or perfect ethical point of view and brings the ancient ethics to its highest point.