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Niebuhr is fond of formulations such as the following:

"[Hebraic] prophetism has the first understanding of the fact that the real problem of history is not the finiteness of all human endeavors, which must wait for their completion by divine power. The real problem of history is the proud pretension of all human endeavors, which seeks to obscure their finite and partial character and thereby involves history in evil and sin" (NDM, 2: 25).

"[T]he real problem of prophetism [sc. the real problem of history, according to prophetism] is not the finite character of all historical achievement, though that remains one of the subordinate problems. The real problem is presented by the prophetic recognition that all history is involved in a perennial defiance of the law of God" (28 f.).

''The real question is not whether we are able to achieve absolute perfection in history; for even the most consistent perfectionist sects do not deny that human life remains in process. The question is whether in the development of the new life some contradiction between human self-will and the divine purpose remains. The issue is whether the basic character of human history, as it is apprehended in the Christian faith, is overcome in the lives of those who have thus apprehended it" (121).

I have two comments:

1. "The real problem" that Niebuhr takes, in the first two passages, to have been identified by Hebraic prophetism is, obviously, but one particular formulation of the human problem identified, in some terms or other, by all of the axial religions. It is that formulation, namely, which simply takes for granted, or necessarily presupposes, a theistic/monotheistic/radically monotheistic world view, or understanding of existence. Given that world view, or understanding of existence, the real problem of human history is seen to be the real problem of each and every human being, that she or he radically misunderstands, and is ever prone thus to misunderstand, her- or himself in the ultimate setting of her or his existence, coram Deo, notwithstanding that the truth about this setting has always already been made known, if only implicitly.

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