The Karl-Rahner-Preis for Jonas Maria Hoff

The award recognises his habilitation thesis ‘Eucharistie und Paradoxie. Studien zur paradoxalen Grammatik des christlichen Glaubens' (The Eucharist and Paradox: Studies on the Paradoxical Grammar of the Christian Faith), with which Dr Jonas Maria Hoff completed his habilitation in Dogmatic Theology at the Faculty of Catholic Theology, University of Erfurt, in June 2026.

In his habilitation thesis, Hoff examines paradox as a fundamental concept of Christian faith and relates it to the Eucharist, the central sacrament of Christian life. The focus is on the question of how seemingly contradictory aspects of faith can be reconciled: the finite and the infinite, the visible and the invisible, and the material and the immaterial. Hoff does not, however, understand paradox merely as absurdity. Rather, seemingly contradictory aspects can be understood as interconnected when viewed from a common point of reference. ‘The Eucharist and Paradox’ combines a systematic-theological perspective with a historical examination of the development of sacramental theology. In doing so, Hoff focuses in particular on the theological controversies and differing interpretative approaches. The habilitation thesis thus explores the question of what contribution the concept of paradox can make to a deeper understanding of the Christian faith.

Since October 2025, Jonas Maria Hoff has held the professorship for Systematic Theology at the Institute for Catholic Theology at the University of Duisburg-Essen. The Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Erfurt warmly congratulates Dr Jonas Maria Hoff on this prestigious award. The official award ceremony is scheduled to take place in spring 2027.