Abstract

The theme of hermeneutics was considered one of the most important subjects of 20th century Protestant Th eology. Hermeneutics as an independent discipline in Protestant Th eology began to develop in the 17th century, thanks to Johann Conrad Dannhauer (1603-1666) who published his concepts at that time. Protestant ethics as a separate section of theology was presented by Georg Calixt (1586-1656) in his book Epitome Theologiae moralis. It is, however, in fact Friedrich Schleiermacher, who can be acknowledged as the father of philosophical hermeneutics. In his theological ethics we can find a particular function of the discipline as a way to understanding the state, society and culture. Th e system of ethics played a central role in Protestant Th eology in the late 80s and 90s of the 20th century. Among the most important theologians who emphasized the hermeneutical function of Protestant ethics Trutz Rendtorff and Wolfh art Pannenberg must be mentioned, and among the most recent papers on the subject, the work of Swiss theologian Johannes Fischer.