News Archive
Theorie und Praxis der Gefängnisseelsorge
Diakon Meins G.S. Coetsier nun zum Doktor der Theologie promoviert
Er bringt Theorie und Praxis in der Gefängnisseelsorge unter einen Hut und darf sich nun auch Doktor der Theologie nennen: Gefängnisseelsorger Diakon Dr. Meins G.S. Coetsier ist an der Theologischen Fakultät vom Trinity College Dublin zum Doktor der Theologie promoviert worden. Eingeflossen in die Doktorarbeit sind auch die Erfahrungen seiner Arbeit als Seelsorger in den Justizvollzugsanstalten in Fulda und Hünfeld.
Die Gedanken seiner Dissertation „Towards a Theology of Prison Ministry“ (Ansatz einer Theologie der Gefängnisseelsorge) prägen und reflektieren sein Engagement und seine Arbeit im Gefängnis, erläutert Coetsier. Die Doktorarbeit sei damit das theologische Denkwerk hinter den kreativen, pastoralen und diakonischen Aktivitäten in den Justizvollzugsanstalten und draußen.
Für dieses Engagement hat die Deutsche Bischofskonferenz den Gefängnisseelsorger und seine Mitstreiter für das Musikprojekt „Divine Concern“ an den Justizvollzugsanstalten Hünfeld und Fulda im Juni mit dem Katholischen Preis gegen Fremdenfeindlichkeit und Rassismus ausgezeichnet. In diesem Rahmen gratulierte ihm der Vorsitzende der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz, Bischof Dr. Georg Bätzing, zur Promotion. Auch Fuldas Bischof Dr. Michael Gerber und Generalvikar Prälat Christof Steinert gratulierten dem Diakon persönlich zum erfolgreichen Abschluss.
Promotionsurkunde per Post
Seine von Prof. Dr. Fáinche Ryan betreute Doktorarbeit in Theologie („Ph.D. in Theology“) hat Dr. Coetsier bereits im Mai 2021 am Loyola Institute an der Theologischen Fakultät verteidigt. Die offizielle Zeremonie zur Verleihung konnte pandemiebedingt aber nur online stattfinden. Die Promotionsurkunde erhielt Coetsier nun per Post. Gefeiert hat er dies in einem Fuldaer Brauhaus.
Der Ph.D. (Englisch: Doctor of Philosophy) sei in englischsprachigen Ländern der wissenschaftliche Doktorgrad in fast allen Fächern (so auch in Theologie) und der höchste Abschluss des Postgraduiertenstudiums, erläutert Coetsier. In diesen Ländern sei der Ph.D.-Abschluss in aller Regel auch mit der Berechtigung verbunden, an einer Universität selbstständig und alleinverantwortlich zu lehren.
Das vierjährige internationale Promotionsprojekt bewältigte Coetsier parallel zu seinen Aufgaben in Beruf und Familie. Im Lichte des deutschen katholischen Theologen Karl Rahner mache das Projekt deutlich, dass erfolgreiches soziales Engagement in Gesellschaft und in der Kirche eine klare Form der wissenschaftlichen Reflexion und Forschung braucht, so Coetsier: "Das Trinity College Dublin und das Bistum Fulda haben diese Möglichkeit geschaffen: die Weiterentwicklung von Seelsorge, Theologie, Spiritualität und Diakonat in der Spannung des Gefängnisalltags konstruktiv mit wissenschaftlicher Forschung zusammenzubringen".
Pressestelle Bistum Fulda
Etty Hillesum and the Contours of her Time (EHS, 10)
'Aesthetic Mirrors': Etty Hillesum and Rainer Maria Rilke
Contribution to the 2018 Book: "Reading Etty Hillesum in Context: Writings, Life, and Influences of a Visionary Author."
Viktor Frankl and Etty Hillesum
Etty Hillesum Studies, Volume 9
In Volume 9 of the Dutch Etty Hillesum Studies (Garant, 2017), places Meins G.S. Coetsier the letters and diaries of Etty Hillesum in the light of the Works of the Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a Holocaust survivor, Viktor E. Frankl (1905-1997).
Coetsier focuses on the tension between freedom and imprisonment of the human person, which plays a central role in the writings of both Frankl and Hillesum: the deprivation of human freedom as
an existential challenge to search for a deeper meaning, knowing that only love can save us from the alienation, isolation and desperation that we time and again experience.
Conference to Honour John Main
Loyola Institute Conference to Honour John Main
More than 200 delegates attended this conference to listen to world renowned experts on mysticism in the Western Christian tradition. Speakers included Prof. Bernard McGinn, Dr. Anne Marie Karlsson, Laurence Freeman OSB and Dr. Mary O'Driscoll.
2017 Conference at the University of Leuven, Belgium: Faith in the Academy - Theology Among the Discipline
Postgraduate Conference of the Society for the Study of Theology: Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, KU Leuven, Belgium – 28-30 August 2017
According to Thomas Aquinas, theology deals with everything sub ratione Dei, everything in view of God. Through the centuries, theologians have developed a specific and sophisticated language that signifies the particularity of Christian practices and reflections... With his paper “Philosophy, theology and rock ‘n roll: A cry for pardon, grace and strength in imprisoned existence,” Dr Meins G.S. Coetsier aims to demonstrate how theology, philosophy and pastoral ministry, can be lived by incorporating the power of music. Coetsier refers to Karl Rahner, who speaks of “God” (Gott), as the mystery in human experience. "Speaking or singing of the human, then, is to sing of the divine and vice versa." According to Dr Coetsier, "It’s the acknowledgement and respect of the Presence that allows for that human touch where heart speaks to heart (cf. Cardinal Newman’s Motto “cor ad cor loquitur“). United by the event character of music, it becomes an expression of living faith."
PARELLEL PAPER SESSION IV: TUESDAY 29 AUGUST 2017 – 16:00-17:00
Theology and Pastoral Ministry (MTC 00.59)
Philosophy, Theology, and Rock 'n' Roll:
A Cry for Pardon, Grace, and Strength in Imprisoned Existence
MEINS G.S. COETSIER
2017 Book launch in Middelburg, the Netherlands
2017 Brill Publication
The Ethics and Religious Philosophy of Etty Hillesum
Edited by Klaas A.D. Smelik, Meins G.S. Coetsier, and Jurjen Wiersma
The Ethics and Religious Philosophy of Etty Hillesum contains the proceedings of the second international Etty Hillesum Congress at Ghent University in January 2014 and is a joint effort by fifteen Hillesum experts to shed new light on the life, works and vision of the Dutch Jewish writer Etty Hillesum (1914-1943), one of the victims of the Nazi-regime. Hillesum’s diaries and letters illustrate her heroic struggle to come to terms with her personal life in the context of the Holocaust. This volume revives Hillesum research with a comprehensive rereading of her texts. With the current rise of interest in peace studies, Judaism, the Holocaust, inter-religious dialogue, gender studies and mysticism, it is evident that this book will be invaluable to students and scholars in various disciplines.
Etty Hillesum at Zurich University
DBCL Newsletter
Click on the icon to read the first DBCL Newsletter, featuring a transcript of a paper from the last Bonhoeffer Day, some Bonhoeffer book reviews and details of the next Bonhoeffer Day in
2015.
Etty Hillesum 1914-2014 (EHS, vol. 6)
The series "Etty Hillesum Studies" is a yearly publication of the Etty Hillesum Research Centre (EHOC) of Ghent University and is edited by Klaas A.D. Smelik, Gerrit Van Oord, Meins G.S. Coetsier, Denise de Costa, Janny van der Molen and Jurjen Wiersma.
»Das denkende Herz der Baracke« – Interdisziplinäres Kolloquium zum 100. Geburtstag von Etty Hillesum (1914-1943)
Organisation
Prof. Dr. Pierre Bühler, Institut für Hermeneutik und Religionsphilosophie,
Universität Zürich
Dr. Marja Clement, Abteilung für Niederlandistik, Universität Zürich
Dr. Dr. Meins Coetsier, Etty Hillesum Forschungszentrum, Gent
Information
pierre.buehler@access.uzh.ch
Anmeldung
bis 15. November 2014 – hermes@theol.uzh.ch
Den angemeldeten Personen werden die Textausschnitte als
pdf-Dokument im Voraus zugeschickt.
Veranstaltungsort
Theologisches Seminar, Kirchgasse 9, 8001 Zürich,
Raum 200, 2. Stock (Tram 4, 15 bis Helmhaus)
Etty Hillesum Congress at Ghent University
On the 15th of January 2014, it was hundred years ago that Etty Hillesum was born in Middelburg, the Netherlands. The Etty Hillesum Research Centre (EHOC)
of Ghent University commemorated this anniversary with an international congress. A unique historical moment. The
conference started on Monday morning 13 January 2014 and ended on Wednesday 15 January at noon. We gathered in Het Pand, Onderbergen 1, Ghent. Coetsier presented a paper with the title
“Etty Hillesum’s Ethical Consciousness and the History of Jewish Philosophy.” He also presented the first copy of his recent book The Existential Philosophy of Etty Hillesum: An Analysis of
her Diaries and Letters, and handed it over to the director and founder of the Etty Hillesum Research Centre, Professor Klaas A.D. Smelik.
Bilingual Edition of Etty Hillesum's writings to the publisher
The final text of the Bilingual Edition of Etty Hillesum's writings, is now in Press.
Etty Hillesum: The Complete Works 1941-1943
Bilingual, Annotated and Unabridged
Volume 1 & Volume 2
Edited by:
Klaas A.D. Smelik & Meins G.S. Coetsier
Publisher:
Shaker Verlag
Summary:
For the first time, the complete works of Etty Hillesum (1914-1943) are available in a two-volume, bilingual edition. This definitive collection of Etty Hillesum’s diaries and letters, including extensive footnotes and annotations to the text, chronicles Hillesum’s social, intellectual, and spiritual growth and her profound personal reflections. The original texts of her diaries and letters—in Dutch, with some German—are reproduced on each left page. The right page contains the English version, based on the 1983 and 2002 translations by Arnold J. Pomerans, but revised and supplemented. This new, authoritative edition invites readers to understand and appreciate more fully the unique journey and spirit of this remarkable woman.
The Existential Philosophy of Etty Hillesum: an Analysis of her Diaries and Letters
Coetsier, Meins G.S. The Existential Philosophy of Etty Hillesum: an Analysis of her Diaries and Letters (Supplements to the Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy). Boston: Brill, 2014, 623pp.
Coetsier's monograph The Existential Philosophy of Etty Hillesum: an Analysis of her Diaries and Letters is in Press and will come out early January 2014, with the celebration of 100 years Etty Hillesum.
The Political in the Theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer
»Humanity’s Secret Code« Bonhoeffer and Hillesum and the New Science of Political Theology
Some of the crucial questions in recent Dietrich Bonhoeffer research deal with Bonhoeffer’s understanding of the political. Is Bonhoeffer’s theology a »political theology« at all? If so, what are the actual contours of this political theology? How does the Lutheran theologian Bonhoeffer understand key political issues like resistance, state, democracy and political action? How does he relate theological issues, such as church, religion and Christian ethics to the political themes? What perspectives does Bonhoeffer’s theology open up for discussions about political theology in the context of today’s societies?
In an attempt to answer some of these questions, Coetsier wrote the following article:
Coetsier, Meins G.S., "»Humanity’s Secret Code« Bonhoeffer and Hillesum and the New Science of Political Theology." In: Dem Rad in die Speichen fallen. A Spoke in the Wheel: Das Politische in der Theologie Dietrich Bonhoeffers. The Political in the Theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Eds. Kirsten Busch Nielsen, Ralf Karolus Wüstenberg, Jens Zimmermann, 203-219. Gütersloh: Gütersloher Verlagshaus, 2013.
Abstract
Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Etty Hillesum are among Europe’s most influential religious thinkers of the twentieth century. Their life stories are marked by the political disorder of their time, and
by the inner experiential problem that has haunted western civilization for thousands of years: man’s rise to power, the abuse of that power, and its horrific consequences. Coetsier's study
introduces Bonhoeffer and Hillesum as thoughtful writers, whose lives illustrate an idiosyncratic disclosure of human consciousness of »humanity’s secret code«: namely God’s redemptive
powerlessness in the context of an intellectually or morally ruined society. They point toward a restoration of society’s political order for next generations, arguably offering us valuable
experiential, spiritual and reflective tools for a new »science of political theology«. Coetsier's article focuses on the human in their works: faith in a powerless and helpless God amid contrary
political conditions for the rejection of that faith.
The edited volume Dem Rad in die Speichen fallen. A Spoke in the Wheel
is coming out with Gütersloher Verlagshaus.
"Etty Hillesum in Relation"
Coestier co-edited the Etty Hillesum Studies V, Etty Hillesum in relatie ['in relationship'] that is published by Academia Press in Ghent. The book came out on September 19, 2013. On the cover you see Etty Hillesum as a young bridesmaid. If you want to know more about this particular photograph, please read the article on the "Winschotense period in the life of Etty Hillesum" by Els & Boon Han Lettinck.
Coetsier, Meins G.S., Etty Hillesum in relatie (Etty Hillesum Studies, V). Eds. Klaas A.D. Smelik, Gerrit Van Oord, Meins G.S. Coetsier, Denise de Costa, Janny van der Molen and Jurjen Wiersma, Ghent: Academia Press, 2013, 227pp.
Het vijfde deel van de serie Etty Hillesum Studies kent drie zwaartepunten. Allereerst gaat het om de plaats van Hillesums dagboeken in relatie tot andere egodocumenten van Nederlandse Joden
die met de Sjoa werden geconfronteerd, en de eigen manier waarop Etty Hillesum met deze levensbedreigende ontwikkelingen is omgegaan. Drie bijdragen geven elk vanuit een andere invalshoek meer
inzicht in deze materie, die van groot belang is voor het verstaan van Etty Hillesums denken in relatie tot het tijdsgewricht waarvan zij de kroniekschrijfster wilde zijn. In de tweede plaats
twee bijdragen waarin een vergelijking wordt getrokken tussen Etty Hillesum en twee geestverwanten: Dorothee Sölle en Emmanuel Levinas. Alle drie hebben zij een helder antwoord gegeven op de
uitdagingen van hun tijd en zijn zij de confrontatie met structurele ontmenselijking aangegaan. De vergelijkingen met Sölle en Levinas tonen de relevantie van Etty Hillesums visie op het
vraagstuk hoe tot een menselijker samenleving te komen. In de derde plaats is er uitgebreid aandacht voor de Winschoter tijd van de familie Hillesum in de jaren 1918-1924. Vergeleken bij de tijd
in Deventer is deze periode onderbelicht gebleven, hoewel het gaat om een cruciale periode in zowel het leven van Etty als haar vader Louis Hillesum. Hun relatie tot de kleinsteedse atmosfeer die
in het Groningse Winschoten heerste, ook onder de relatief grote Joodse gemeenschap, en hun vriendschappen komen aan het licht. Vier bijdragen handelen over dit onderwerp; onder meer twee essays
van de bekende Joodse historicus Jaap Meijer, die hier – van annotaties voorzien – worden herdrukt. Een laatste bijdrage gaat over de relatie tussen Etty Hillesum en Hes Hijmans, die ook tot de
kring rondom Julius Spier behoorde. Een achttal illustraties sluit dit eerste lustrum deel van de Etty Hillesum Studies af.
Inhoud
Inleiding 1
1. Ad van Liempt, Dagboeken op de drempel van de ondergang 5
2. Klaas A.D. Smelik, De houding van Etty Hillesum tegenover de vervolging
van haar volk 17
3. Hannah Wunderlich, Und damit muss ich nun versuchen, fertig zu
werden... Eine psychologische Studie zu Etty Hillesums Bewältigung
der nationalsozialistischen Verfolgung 43
4. Jurjen Wiersma, Het ijs van de ziel klieven: Over Etty Hillesum en
Dorothee Sölle 85
5. Meins G.S. Coetsier, “Nous sommes tous responsables”: Etty Hillesum
en Emmanuel Levinas 97
6. Gerrit Van Oord, Eerherstel of terugkeer? Jaap Meijers visie op Levie/
Louis Hillesum 121
7. Jaap Meijer, Als Maggied vergeten: Doctor Levie Hillesum 1880-1943,
de vader van Etty 129
8. Jaap Meijer, De Odyssee van een joods docent: Dr. Levie Hillesum
1911-1924 151
9. Els Boon & Han Lettinck, Etty Hillesums Winschoter jaren (1918-
1924) en de mensen die haar omringden 175
10. Alexandra Nagel, Een drieluik van Hes Hijmans 205
Institute Berg Forum: Mensch ohne Gewissen?
On August 24, 2013, the Institute Berg organized an interesting Forum at Zürich University entitled Mensch ohne Gewissen? Verantwortliches Handeln zwischen Moral und Neurowissenschaft. Themes such as Christian Philosophy, Neuro Science and Free Will were discussed.
Monument and Memory 4th Nordic Conference in Philosophy of Religion, 16-18 June 2013, Stockholm School of Theology, Sweden.
From 16-18 June 2013, the 4th Nordic Conference in Philosophy of Religion was held at the Stockholm School of Theology, Sweden. Coetsier presented a paper entitled "Time, Memory, and Restless Hearts: Notes on Augustine in Voegelin and Hillesum".
Pope Benedict XVI cites Etty Hillesum on 13 February 2013
The Dutch Jewish writer Etty Hillesum (1914-1943) has been cited in the more or less last public homily of Pope Benedict XVI on Ash Wednesday February 13, 2013.
I also have in mind the figure of Etty Hillesum, a young Dutch girl of Jewish origin who would die in Auschwitz. Initially far from God, she discovered Him by looking deep within herself and
wrote: "There is a very deep well inside me. And God is in that well. Sometimes I manage to reach Him, more often stones and grit block the well, and God is buried beneath. Then God must be dug
out again" (Diary, 97). In her scattered and restless life, she found God right in the midst of the great tragedy of the twentieth century, the Shoah. This young fragile and dissatisfied girl,
transfigured by faith, became a woman full of love and inner peace, able to say: "I live in constant intimacy with God."--- Pope Benedict XVI
[On Ash Wednesday: "The forty days of Lent recall Israels sojourn in the desert and the temptations of Jesus at the beginning of his public ministry." Vatican City, February 13, 2013]
For more information on Etty Hillesum:
http://www.ehoc.ugent.be/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Etty-Hillesum-Research-Centre-EHOC/188341044877
http://www.ettyhillesumcentrum.nl/
http://www.ettyhillesum.it/
The 2013 Bonhoeffer Day in London
From the Website of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Centre London (DBCL)
For many decades Dietrich Bonhoeffer, theologian and martyr, has been an inspiration to generations of theologians and lay people alike, especially in the United Kingdom. In the 1930s Bonhoeffer lived for 2 years in London, working as a parish priest in German communities in Forest Hill and Whitechapel. Today the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Church in Forest Hill tries to keep his legacy alive at the place of his ministry. As part of that effort the Bonhoeffer Church invited everybody to their first Bonhoeffer Day on February 2, 2013. The event ran from 2 till 10 p.m., and it featured talks, discussions and workshops as well as fellowship, food and music. The theme of the day was: "In Prayer and Righteous Action. Bonhoeffer´s Spirituality and Ethics". The speakers included Rev. Sam Randall from Cambridge and Dr. Dr. Meins G.S. Coetsier from Zürich. The Bonhoeffer Day was held in English and was addressed at everyone interested in Dietrich Bonhoeffer: scholars and non-scholars, theologians and parish members, people from all backgrounds and churches. Music was provided by the Cave King Project. Admission was free.
For more information on Bonhoeffer initiatives in the UK contact
Pastor Dr. Ulrich Lincoln: pastor@german-church.org
Institute Berg Forum: God and State
From 11-12 January 2013, the Institute Berg organized a significant Forum at Zürich University entitled Gott und Staat. Themes such as secularism, theocracy, Europe's multiculturalism, and the Christian conception of Government were discussed.
Article in Peeters Journals
ETTY HILLESUM STUDIES IV - Etty Hillesum in perspective - is Published by Academia Press
Coetsier, Meins G.S., Etty Hillesum in perspectief (Etty Hillesum Studies, IV). Eds. Klaas A.D. Smelik, Ria van den Brandt, and Meins G.S. Coetsier. Ghent: Academia Press, 2012, 167pp.
|
Table of Contents
Inleiding
Jurjen Wiersma
Etty Hillesum en Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Er zijn met en er zijn voor anderen
Marta Perrini
Parallellen tussen Etty Hillesum en Sophie Scholl
Meins G.S. Coetsier
Dialogisch leven in tijden van “Godsverduistering”: Martin Buber en Etty Hillesum
Klaas A.D. Smelik
Romantiek aan de IJssel: De eerste ontmoeting tussen Etty Hillesum en Klaas Smelik senior
Alexandra Nagel
Protocollen en vellen boterhampapier: Inventarisatie van een verzameling handanalysen uit de school van Julius Spier
Gerrit Van Oord
Omnia salva: Brieven van Louis Hillesum en anderen aan Christine van Nooten
Klaas A.D. Smelik
Voorbij het vijanddenken: De visie van Etty Hillesum geplaatst in een Bijbels kader
Gerrit Van Oord
Historie en legende rondom het gezin van Louis en Riva Hillesum: Een beschouwing over Mischa’s spel en de ondergang van de familie Hillesum
Gerrit Van Oord
Rectificatie
Afbeeldingen
The series Etty Hillesum Studies are published by Academia Press in Ghent, Belgium. If you want to order the book, go to http://www.academiapress.be
Abstract in Dutch:
Het vierde deel van de serie Etty Hillesum Studies kent twee zwaartepunten. Aan de ene kant drie bijdragen waarin een vergelijking wordt getrokken tussen Etty Hillesum en drie tijdgenoten: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Buber en Sophie Scholl. Alle vier hebben zij een helder antwoord gegeven op de uitdagingen van hun tijd, een antwoord dat voor de naoorlogse generatie van betekenis is gebleven. De vergelijking met Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Buber en Sophie Scholl plaatst Etty Hillesum in een historisch zowel als cultuurfilosofisch perspectief.
Aan de andere kant zijn in dit deel drie bijdragen opgenomen over nieuwe tekstvondsten in verband met Etty Hillesum, haar familie en haar leermeester Julius Spier. Aan de hand van een dedicatie in een boek dat Etty Hillesum aan de schrijver Klaas Smelik en zijn toenmalige vrouw ten geschenke gaf, krijgen wij meer duidelijkheid over de gang van zaken bij de eerste ontmoeting tussen Etty Hillesum en Klaas Smelik sr. De vondst van de zogenaamde protocollen, die onder meer door Etty Hillesum werden uitgetypt en ook in de dagboeken worden genoemd, geeft een eerste aanzet tot verdergaand onderzoek naar Spiers bijdrage aan de psychochirologie. Dankzij de goede zorgen van Christine van Nooten zijn er naast brieven van Etty Hillesum ook brieven en briefkaarten van haar ouders en haar broer Mischa bewaard gebleven. Deze documenten, in dit deel in hun geheel gepubliceerd, geven een indringend beeld hoe in 1943 het net zich om de familie Hillesum sloot. Ook deze nieuwe tekstvondsten plaatsen de nagelaten geschriften van Etty Hillesum in perspectief.
Drie andere bijdragen in verband met Etty Hillesum en een tiental illustraties sluiten dit vierde deel af.
The Rembrandt Database
The new website ‘The Rembrandt Database’ is online! This inter-institutional research resource on Rembrandt's paintings is now open to the public. Although the website is in development, it currently contains 1,700 digital documents (visual and textual material) relating to 12 paintings in 3 different museums. Rembrandt scholars hope that this number will increase in the nearer future.
Rilke in Bern
The 35th Tagung der Internationalen Rilke-Gesellschaft took place from September 19-23, 2012 in der Schweizerischen Nationalbibliothek. Coetsier had the privilege to visit the Rilke archives and participate in this unique meeting of 'Rilke in Bern.'
Schweizerische Nationalbibliothek NB
From http://www.nb.admin.ch
Die Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge – von Rainer Maria Rilke
Ein wichtiger Teilnachlass Rainer Maria Rilkes (1875-1926) befindet sich im Schweizerischen Literaturarchiv in Bern. Das sogenannte Berner Taschenbuch, ein schwarzes Notizbuch im Format 14 x 8 cm, ist eines der bedeutendsten Stücke aus diesem Bestand. Die Handschrift enthält den zweiten Teil des Entwurfs von Rilkes Roman „Die Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge" (1910). Wie man einem Brief vom 20. Oktober 1909 an seinen Verleger Anton Kippenberg entnehmen kann, muss es mindestens ein weiteres, nicht überliefertes Notizbuch gegeben haben, das den Anfang des Romantextes enthielt.
Das Berner Taschenbuch ermöglicht einmalige Einblicke in Rilkes Arbeitsweise und den Schreibprozess des Romans. Rilke zeigt sich hier nicht als „Originalgenie", sondern als ein Autor, der in seinem Manuskript umfangreiche Änderungen vornahm und Varianten erprobte. So enthüllt diese Entwurfshandschrift eine Offenheit des Textes an verschiedenen Stellen, eine Fülle von Textvarianten, die in den früheren Editionen des Romans nicht enthalten sind.
Diese Edition macht die umfangreichen gestrichenen Stellen nun in zwei Bänden - Faksimile und Transkription mit Kommentar - zugänglich. Die topografische und seitenidentische Transkription wurde vom bekannten Typografen Friedrich Forssman entworfen. Ein kritischer Apparat weist die Veränderungen des Texts in Bezug auf den Erstdruck von 1910 nach. Ein editorischer Bericht und ein Nachwort erschließen die Ausgabe und führen in Rilkes Arbeitsweise und den Schreibprozess des Romans ein.
Die Buchpräsentation findet im Rahmen der 35. Tagung der Internationalen Rilke-Gesellschaft: am 22. September ab 19 Uhr im Burgerratssaal des Casino Bern.
Studies in Spirituality 22 will be published at the end of 2012
Coetsier's article "Etty Hillesum and the Integral Spirituality of Dialogue – Explorations with Martin Buber" in Studies in Spirituality 22 will be published at the end of 2012. There is an overview of summaries of all contributions.
From Peeters online Journals and www.titusbrandsmainstituut.nl
The purpose of Studies in Spirituality, a journal of the Titus Brandsma Institute (Nijmegen), is to publish scholarly and specialized articles on
spirituality and mysticism, and thus promote spirituality as a science. Since spirituality needs a multi-disciplinary approach, Studies in Spirituality covers a wide spectrum:
theoretical questions about spirituality and mysticism; fundamental aspects and phenomena of spiritual transformation; important currents, periods and figures in the different spiritual
traditions. The focus is mainly on Judeo-Christian traditions, although not exclusively. The editorial board has as its aim the elaboration of spirituality as an academic science with a specific
object and methodology - a science in continual dialogue with the other sciences that may assist in clarifying questions and problems in spirituality. It believes that the art of understanding
human transformation is best served by the study of spirituality. For this reason, the journal makes available the findings of the most recent research of contemporary scholarship in
spirituality.
Studies in Spirituality is abstracted and indexed in Elenchus Bibliographicus (Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses); CrossRef.
Edition Studies in Spirituality 22/2012
Articles:
Marc De Kesel
A Drop of Water in the Sea – Reflections on Michel de Certeau’s ‘Christian’ Everyday Life Spirituality
Joke Schakenraad
The End of Paradox – Apophasis and Paradox in the Works of Johannes Scottus Eriugena and Ludwig Wittgenstein
Macario Ofilada Mina
Between Semiotics and Semantics – An Epistemological Exploration of Spanish Mysticism and Literature and its Contribution to Spirituality in the Academy
Jan van der Watt
Aspects of Johannine Spirituality as it is Reflected in 1 John
David T. Bradford
Evagrius Ponticus and the Psychology of ‘Natural Contemplation’
Thomas Quartier
Monastische Thanatologie – Lebens- und Todessymbolik in der Regula und Vita Benedicti und ihre Bedeutung für den modernen Kontext
Krijn Pansters
Franciscan Obedience – Fraternity and Virtue in Thirteenth-Century Literature and Instruction
Patrick Meadows
Sacred and Profane Remotivated – Baudelaire’s Autotelic Centralization of the Self
Domenico Pezzini
The Rhetoric of Silence – Or How to Say God Today in the Poetry of R.S. Thomas
Meins G.S. Coetsier
Etty Hillesum and the Integral Spirituality of Dialogue – Explorations with Martin Buber
Janet K. Ruffing
A Path to God Today Mediated through Visionary Experience
Jojan Jonker
Exploring the ‘Mystical Experiences’ of a New Spirituality – A Case Study of Reiki
William Yang, Ton Staps, & Ellen Hijmans
Going through a Dark Night – Existential Crisis in Cancer Patients: Effective Coping as a Psycho-spiritual Process embedded in the Vulnerability of the Body
Leslie J. Francis, Mandy Robbins, & Sarita Cargas
The Perceiving Process and Mystical Orientation – An Empirical Study in Psychological Type Theory among Participants at the Parliament of the World’s
Religions
Book notices
On the authors
Bonhoeffer Meeting in Germany
From 13-16 September, Coetsier attended the "Jahrestagung der Internationalen Bonhoeffer-Gesellschaft (Sektion Bundesrepublik Deutschland)," in Eisenach, Germany.
"God Fettered in Jail?"
The editor of the conservative quarterly Modern Age and professor of Renaissance Literature and Literary Criticism, R.V. Young, introduces Coetsier's latest article “God Fettered in Jail? Heschel, Rilke, and the 'Vollendung'” with the following words:
Meins G.S. Coetsier offers a meditation in the style of Eric Voegelin on the Polish-born American rabbi and poet Abraham Joshua Heschel, and on the great modern German poet Rainer Maria Rilke. Although his essay centers on devotional theology, Coetsier stresses the need for imagination—the fundamental faculty of poetry—in gaining an awareness of the divine presence.
(p. 3)
Book Launch Gerhard Ebeling's Biography in Zürich
On July 6, 2012, Coetsier attented the book launch of Gerhard Ebeling's Biography at Zürich University. Ebeling (1912-2001) studied theology under Rudolf Bultmann at Marburg, Emil Brunner at Zürich, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer in the "illegal" seminary at Finkenwalde. After pastoring a Confessing Church congregation in Berlin during the war years, he joined the faculty at Tübingen, followed by several decades as Professor of Fundamental Theology and Hermeneutics at the University of Zürich
XI. International Bonhoeffer Congress, Sigtuna, Sweden
From Wednesday June 27 till Sunday July 1, 2012, the international Bonhoeffer Congress was held in Sigtuna Sweden. The theme of the conference was "A Spoke in the Wheel. Reconsidering the Political in the Theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer." Coetsier gave a paper with the title "'Humanity’s Secret Code': Bonhoeffer and Hillesum and the New Science of Political Theology."
Hermeneutik der Transzendenz 14.–16. Juni 2012
From June 14-16, Coetsier attended the conference "Hermeneutik der Transzendenz" at Zürich University.
Speech of Professor Ingolf U. Dalferth at the 50th anniversary of "des Instituts für Hermeneutik und Religionsphilosophie," Zürich University. (Universität Zürich, 2012)
Opposition to Closure of University of Missouri Press
On May 24th, 2012 University of Missouri President Timothy M. Wolfe announced that funding for the 54-year-old university press would be ended almost immediately. Coetsier has joined the global opposition to let Mr. Wolfe know he is making a serious mistake.
You can learn more about the effort to save the University of Missouri Press at this Facebook Page.
President Wolfe's email address is: umpresident@umsystem.edu
Coetsier's Letter to the President of University of Missouri
June 6, 2012
Dear Mr. President Wolfe,
My name is Meins Coetsier and I am a Dutch philosopher and fellow of the Eric Voegelin Society. From my colleagues in the U.S. I have learned that the University of Missouri is contemplating
shutting down the University of Missouri Press as a cost-saving measure.
Certain aspects of this situation seem to call for watchfulness and if necessary, careful discernment on the part of the committee. The integrity, the quality and
high standard of scholarship published by UM Press should not be underestimated or taken lightly. One could think of the valuable 34 volumes of The Collected Works of Eric Voegelin, which in
themselves are unique in the world and a high standard of scholarship. Not to forget the 60 or so volumes related to Voegelin under the title "Eric Voegelin Institute Series in Political
Philosophy," and the many other areas of UM Press, including, American and World History; Intellectual History; American, British, and Latin American Literary Criticism, and so on.
I believe therefore that it is my duty and responsibility as an European scholar and educator to bring to your attention the significance of UM Press to both American and European scholarship,
and to worldwide education. I would like to ask you and the committee to reconsider the future implications of shutting down one of America's finest publishing houses. Moreover, I hope and I am
confident that there will be possibilities created to keep UM Press, and its global scholarship and educative influence alive and in tact for future generations.
Mr. President, please consider yourself thanked in particular, since your advocacy is certainly of great importance in this significant decision.
With best greetings,
Very sincerely yours,
Meins Coetsier
---
Dr. Dr. Meins G.S. Coetsier
Etty Hillesum Research Center
The Center of Eric Voegelin Studies
Ghent University, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
Department of Languages and Cultures
of the Near East and North Africa
Jozef Plateaustraat 22, bureau DTV0.10
B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
Meins.Coetsier@UGent.be
Article published in the American Journal ‘Fides et Libertas’
Coetsier's recent article, “Europe's Secularism and the Politics of the Soul,” is published in the latest issue of “Fides et Libertas” (2011). The article calls attention to the secularism rampant in Europe and its religious-political commotion, while seeking a common understanding about the philosophical and theological resources for the rediscovery of the ‘politics of the soul’ and the defense of human civilization.
Etty Hillesum Symposium
On Sunday, January 15, the Etty Hillesum Research Centre (EHOC) organized the 2012 Etty Hillesum symposium in Ghent, Belgium, to celebrate the doctorate defense (Friday, January 13, 2012) of EHOC staff member Meins G.S. Coetsier. At the same time there was a book launch of Etty Hillesum Studies 3, published by Academia Press. Moreover, it was on this day, 98 years ago, that Etty Hillesum was born in Middelburg, the Netherlands. The first part of the meeting focused on Coetsier's research and the connection between Etty Hillesum and the works of Martin Buber, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Emmanuel Levinas. Other new significant discoveries in connection with Etty Hillesum were presented later in the day.
13.30-14.15 dr. Meins Coetsier, Etty Hillesum en Martin Buber
14.15-15.00 prof. dr. Jurjen Wiersma, Etty Hillesum en Dietrich Bonhoeffer
15.00-15.30 Lezing prof. dr. Klaas Smelik, Was Etty Hillesum een martelaar?
15.30-16.00 Pauze thee + koffie
16.00-16.15 Etty Hillesum Studies deel 3 door dr. Ria van den Brandt
16.15-17.30 Nieuwe vondsten:
16.15-16.30 Een vondst in een vuilniszak uit Amsterdam (Klaas Smelik)
16.30-17.00 Het protocol van Etty Hillesum (Alexandra Nagel)
17.00-17.30 Brieven van Louis Hillesum (Gerrit Van Oord)
17.30-19.00 Receptie
2012 Doctorate Defense at Ghent University, Belgium
- Doctoraatsverdediging
- Promovendus/a: Meins Coetsier
- Faculteit Faculteit Letteren en Wijsbegeerte
- Vakgroep: Vakgroep Talen en Culturen van het Nabije Oosten en Noord-Afrika
- Academische graad: Doctor in de Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap
- Taal proefschrift: Engels
- Promotor(en): Prof. Dr. K. Smelik, Vakgroep Talen en Culturen van het Nabije Oosten en Noord-Afrika - Prof. Dr. H. Pinxten, Vakgroep Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschappen, Prof. Dr. D. Pollefeyt, KUL
- Examencommissie Voorzitter: Prof. Dr. M. Demoor, vakgroep letterkunde
- Wanneer: vrijdag 13 januari 2012, 10:00
- Waar: Het Pand, zaal rector Blancquaert, Onderbergen 1, 9000 Gent
Meins G.S. Coetsier completes the FWO Research Project on Etty Hillesum in the light of Martin Buber, Emmanuel Levinas and Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dr. Meins G.S. Coetsier has completed his four-year FWO research project (2007-2011) at Ghent University under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Klaas A.D. Smelik (Ghent University), and the co-promoters Prof. Dr. Hendrik Pinxten (Ghent University) and Prof. Dr. Didier Pollefeyt (KU Leuven). The dissertation provides a framework for understanding Etty Hillesum's spiritual search and it analyzes her Diaries and Letters 1941-1943 in the light of Martin Buber, Emmanuel Levinas and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The dissertation is submitted at Ghent University for the degree Doctor of Comparative Science of Cultures.
PhD: Comparative Science of Cultures, Ghent University
Title: “Etty Hillesum and the Spiritual Search: An Analysis of the Diaries and Letters 1941-1943 in the light of Martin Buber, Emmanuel Levinas and Dietrich Bonhoeffer”
Pages: i-xxx, 610 pp.
Publisher: University Press (October 20, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN: 978-90-7083-053-3
Book Review on VoegelinView
Exegesis of a Mystic's Experience
A book review by Macon Boczek
Meins G.S. Coetsier. Etty Hillesum and the Flow of Presence: A Voegelinian Analysis. Columbia: U. of Missouri Press, 2008. Bibliography, Index. 228 pp. Hardcover. $37.50.
On Wednesday, March 17, 2011 VoegelinView published a review by Prof. Dr. Macon Boczek of Etty Hillesum and the Flow of Presence: A Voegelinian Analysis .
See also:
Review by Prof. Dr. Francis T. Hannafey in the American Journal Theological
Studies 70, no. 2 (June, 2009): 512.
Italian review by Dr. Nicoletta Stradaioli in the Italian scientific periodical Il pensiero politico: rivista di storia delle
idee politiche e sociali, Anno XLIII, n. 2, Firenze: Casa Editrice Leo S. Olschki, 2010.
Etty Hillesum in Middelburg 10 November 2010
Presentation of the Conference Proceedings
‘Spirituality in the Writings of Etty Hillesum’
In November 2008 an international conference took place at Ghent University on the spirituality and authorship of Etty Hillesum (Middelburg 1914 - Auschwitz Birkenau 1943). Some twenty experts
from eight countries presented their papers. The texts are included in a conference volume. Boston Brill Academic Publishers has published the manuscript under the title ‘Spirituality in the Writings of Etty Hillesum.’ The editorial was carried out by Klaas A.D. Smelik, Ria van den
Brandt en Meins G.S. Coetsier.
It seemed a good idea to present the first copy of this book to dr. Hannie Kool-Blokland, director of the Zeeland Archives in Middelburg, and to offer next to a book-launch a program of lectures
and other activities. In this way, we paid attention in Middelburg in a variety of ways to this internationally widely read author. Several individuals and agencies both in and outside the city
have participated and contributed to this initiative of the Etty Hillesum Research Centre of Ghent University, making a varied program possible.
Central meeting point was the Town Hall at the Market Place of Middelburg, where once Dr. Levie Hillesum reported the birth of his daughter Esther, who was born on February 15, 1914 in their
family home at 77 Molenwater.
In this historic monument there were two lectures on Etty Hillesum. Writer Lisette Thooft spoke on ‘The New Spirituality of Etty Hillesum’ and Professor Erik Borgman reflected on ‘The Inability
to Testify on Behalf of Others – the Impossibility not to Testify on Behalf of Others.’
The first copy was presented to director dr. Hannie Kool-Blokland.
Berlin artist Roman Kroke, who has been inspired by the writings of Etty Hillesum, has created a series of illustrations to accompany her work, in which he depicts the essence of her spiritual
and moral legacy. Roman Kroke gave an excellent account of his work in DE DRVKKERY. The originals were on display.
There was also the possibility to participate in a ‘Etty Hillesum walk’ through this wonderful capital of Zeeland and a short memorial service took place in the Middelburg synagogue.
Spirituality in the Writings of Etty Hillesum (BRILL)
Dr. Coetsier co-edited the 2010 book Spirituality in the Writings of Etty Hillesum: Proceedings of the Etty Hillesum Conference at Ghent University, November 2008 (Supplements to the Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy)
- Hardcover: 490 pages
- Publisher: Brill Academic Publishers (October 31, 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 9004188584
- ISBN-13: 978-9004188587
- Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
From Brill Academic Publishers
Much of the previous scholarship on Etty Hillesum (1914-1943) was done by individual scholars within the analyses of their fields. After the proceedings of the international Etty Hillesum
Congress at Ghent University in November 2008, this Congress volume is the first joined effort by more than twenty Hillesum experts worldwide. It is an absorbing account of international
scholarship on the life, works, and vision of the Dutch Jewish writer Etty Hillesum, whose life was shaped by the totalitarian Nazi regime. Hillesum's diaries and letters illustrate her heroic
struggle to come to terms with her personal life in the context of World War II. Building on new interest in theology, philosophy, and psychology, this book revives Hillesum research with a
comprehensive rereading of both her published works and lesser-known secondary discourses on her life. The result is fascinating. With the current explosion of interest in inter-religious
dialogue, peace studies, Judaism, the holocaust, gender studies, and mysticism, it is clear that this Congress volume will be invaluable to students and scholars in various disciplines.
The Politics of Hard Times: Citizens, Nations, and the International System under Economic Stress
Historic 26th Annual International Meeting of the Eric Voegelin Society was held at the 106th APSA Annual Meeting convened in Washington, DC from September 3-5, 2010.
A record-breaking 7,350 political scientists, publisher representatives, and academics from related fields gathered to discuss the meeting theme, "The Politics of Hard Times: Citizens, Nations, and the International System under Economic Stress," and to explore a wide range of other political science topics and research. Led by program chairs Andrea Campbell, MIT, and Lisa Martin, University of Wisconsin, Madison, the program committee developed a schedule including more than 900 panel sessions, roundtables, and plenary addresses.
Ellis Sandoz, director of the Eric Voegelin Society, announced that the one-hour TV documentary film on Voegelin's life and work is now finished. The film was shown during a Business Meeting in the Omni Shoreham Hotel.
SILVER ANNIVERSARY meeting of the Eric Voegelin Society
This year's SILVER ANNIVERSARY meeting of the Eric Voegelin Society was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in conjunction with the APSA convention.
For the first time in its 105 years, the Annual Meeting occured outside the United States. The 2009 APSA Annual Meeting convened in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, September 3-6, 2009. The migration of the annual meeting to an international location is symbolic of the multiplicity of ways in which politics is in motion as well as our discipline. Program Chairs, Bruce Jentleson, Duke University, and Simone Chambers, University of Toronto, asked political scientists to think about the pursuit of knowledge in a context of change and complexity as a scholarly endeavor and to bring that knowledge to bear on the crucial challenges that shape our contemporary era.
Ellis Sandoz, director of the Eric Voegelin Society, announced that The Eric Voegelin Institute Series in Political Philosophy and in Religion and Politics now includes 30 volumes with others in press. The Collected Works of Eric Voegelin (34 vols.) now is complete, the achievement of the past quarter century! A one-hour TV documentary film on Voegelin's life and work is in production for release later this year. The DVD of "Voegelin in Toronto" is available from Amazon.com or contact Fritz Wagner. A highly successful Voegelin conference was held at the University of Lyon in March. A new edition of Geoffrey Price's Voegelin bibliography is in preparation at the Voegelin Center in Munich. The translation of Voegelin's works and pertinent secondary literatures into Chinese is proceeding apace.
Etty Hillesum at Galway University, Ireland
On Monday evening November 3, 2008, Dr. Meins G.S. Coetsier gave a paper in the Seminar Room of the Moore Institute at Galway University, Ireland. His paper "Etty Hillesum and the Experience of Reason" {Voegelin, Buber & Levinas} was part of a visiting speakers series where lecturers from other universities present their research on a variety of philosophical topics. The department of philosophy hosts these talks, which are characterised by lively discussion in a friendly atmosphere. The Irish scholars were especially interested in the philosophical issues (Voegelin, Levinas and Buber) that were addressed by Coetsier in his talk on Etty Hillesum.
Etty Hillesum and the Flow of Presence
The Flow of Presence in Boston, U.S.
The book of Meins G.S. Coetsier, published in America by University of Missouri Press, came out July 2, 2008. Etty Hillesum and the Flow of Presence can be ordered online at Amazon or at other bookstores world-wide.
- hardcover: 248 pages
- Publisher: University of Missouri Press (July 2, 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0826217974
- ISBN-13: 978-0826217974
Synopsis provided by the publisher
Although she died cruelly at Auschwitz at the age of twenty-nine, Etty Hillesum left a lasting legacy of mystical thought in her letters and diaries. Hillesum was a complex and powerful witness
to the openness of the human spirit to the call of God, even under the most harrowing circumstances. Her life was as much shaped by Hitler's regime as was that of philosopher Eric Voegelin, and
as Meins Coetsier reveals, her thought lends itself to interpretation from a uniquely Voegelinian perspective."Etty Hillesum and the Flow of Presence" analyzes the life and writings of Hillesum
from the standpoint of Voegelin's views on consciousness - especially his philosophy of luminous participation in the transcendent ground of being. Through a careful reading of her letters and
diaries, Coetsier reveals the inner development of Hillesum's mystically grounded resistance to Nazism as he guides readers through the symbolism of her spiritual journey, making effective use of
Voegelin's analytics of experience and symbolization to trace her path to spiritual truth.Intertwining the lives, works, and visions of these two mystical thinkers, Coetsier demonstrates his
mastery of both Voegelin's philosophy and Hillesum's Dutch-language materials.
He shows how mystical attunement to the "flow of presence" - Voegelin's designation for human responsiveness to the divine - is the key to the development of Hillesum's life and writings. He displays a special affinity for the suffering and grace-filled transformation that she underwent as she approached the end of her life and gained insight into the ultimate purpose of each individual's contribution to the well-being and maintenance of the human spirit.Retrieving one of the lesser-known but most compelling figures of the Holocaust, "Etty Hillesum and the Flow of Presence" is an original contribution to both Voegelin and Hillesum scholarship that reflects these writers' strong valuation of the human person. It presents Hillesum's life and work in an original and provocative context, shedding new light on her experiences and their symbolizations while further broadening the application of Voegelin's thought.