In the Preface to Sanctorum Communio, his doctoral dissertation and first published work, Bonhoeffer states: The more this investigation has considered the significance of the sociological category for theology, the more clearly has emerged the social intention of all the basic Christian concepts. “Person,” “primal state,” “sin,” and “revelation” can be fully comprehended only in reference to sociality.1 This study, which concentrates on Bonhoeffer’s early
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