The Human Being: A Theological Anthropology is the latest monograph by senior Lutheran systematic theologian Hans Schwarz, professor emeritus of Regensburg University, Germany. It is not a translation but an original contribution of his in English. The book, which consists of eight chapters, is divided into three parts indicating the main topics Schwarz focuses on, namely (I) a special place [sc. humans occupy] in the world (pp. 3–121), (II) human freedom (pp. 123–266), and (III) humanity as community of men and women (pp. 267–382). These parts are followed by a brief conclusion (pp. 383–85) and three indices: names, subjects, and biblical as well as other ancient texts references; a bibliography is missing.

This solidly worked, accessibly written, and well‐documented study was undertaken with the following three concerns in mind: (1) to state “the biblical testimony” about the human being and human beings, respectively, (2) to present the “major voices through the centuries” which interpreted such testimony, and (3) to affirm “this tradition in view of rival options and of the factual evidence the various sciences have unearthed” so far (p. xii). Since Schwarz is interested in making the biblical account and its interpretation by theologians old and new—mainly but not exclusively Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Barth, and Tillich—intelligible to contemporary readers, he shows genuine pastoral concern in his presentation by avoiding polemics, by explaining almost every technical term, theological or scientific, to uninitiated readers, by inserting behind their names the years the individuals he mentions lived, and by frequently quoting biblical references in full. The book contains elaborate exegetical reflections, extensive accounts of historical discourses and, especially in its latter part (pp. 330–57 f.i.), straightforward counsel, while the dialogue with the sciences is comparatively limited and very selective (i.e. mainly in pp. 31–81, 125–57).

Unlike Wolfhardt Pannenberg (Anthropology in Theological Perspective, 1985) and Philip Hefner (The Human Factor: Evolution, Culture, and Religion 1993), who embedded their reflections on the topic in constant dialogue with the sciences, Schwarz sets out with the “Biblical perspective” on the human being (chap.1, pp. 5–29) before considering what the life sciences (chap. 2, pp. 31–81) and philosophy (chap. 3, pp. 83–121) have to contribute, since “in our secular age we dare not omit some reflections from the secular side and its projection of the human future” (p. 2). Next he tackles the issue of human freedom but reverses the approach by now first expounding “the perspective of the sciences” (chap. 4, pp. 125–57) before giving “the biblical view of human evil” (chap. 5, pp. 159–75) and recording at length “the understanding of sin in the tradition of the church” (chap. 6, pp. 177–266) to challenge the Enlightenment optimism regarding human freedom and the ability of humans to choose their future destiny, an attitude still dominant in scientific pursuits today. “It seems that humans, though strong in their approach to the outside world, actually have feet of clay” (p. 2; see also pp. 264–66); that is, feet which break under the burdens of self‐destiny and self‐aggrandizement, of which the ecological crisis, to which Schwarz frequently refers (p. 3, 26, 28, 83, 377, and so on), is but only one example. In chapter 7 (pp. 267–42), the author turns his attention to the theme of “distinction and unity of man and woman” with an elaborated section on “marriage” (pp. 309–42), touching upon issues of homosexuality and transgender only in passing (pp. 307–09). The final chapter, which he has somewhat artificially conjoined to the previous one to form part III of his book, deals with “human destiny” (pp. 343–82), expressly with eschatology and resurrection. It culminates in the pastoral call that since “the God whom we know is indeed a gracious God … we should proclaim with Christ the joyful victory over all negativity, and rest assured that human beings are not lonesome wanderers at the fringe of the universe staring into eternal nothingness, but children of the heavenly Father who has provided for them an eternal destiny of joy and fulfillment” (p. 382).

No doubt, the author has a serious concern for publishing this study. With an attitude conveying urgency, he calls his readers and students to live up to the truly enormous, overwhelming challenges contemporary society faces by reaffirming the biblical testimony as it has been handed down in the tradition of the Christian Church, the Protestant in particular. While the book, thus, is also a moving document of personal commitment to and a reflection of Lutheran theology, one would have wished its discourse to be more ecumenical and, despite the brief mention of reincarnation on pages 369–70, far more interreligious. Theological anthropology in the global, multicultural, and multireligious age cannot ignore competing religious worldviews any longer; it has to address these and get involved in respective dialogues or else it soon turns stale and only adds one more point of view to the plethora of voices already speaking.