On E. Jüngel’s conception of God’s being concealed

The article examines the concept of the hiddenness of God by one of the leading representatives of modern German Lutheran theology, Eberhard Jüngel. Divine hiddenness in Lutheran theology, originating from Martin Luther, divides God into Deus absconditus and Deus revelatus, which were often opposed, thereby introducing "dual will" into God. Jüngel reworks Luther's concept of Divine hiddenness, depriving it of possible problematics. To understand Jüngel's logic in this matter, the article examines his concept of theology, faith and the possibility of knowing God. The defining provisions of Jüngel's theology are Christology and the concept of the unity of the immanent and economic Trinity and of love as a divine essence, which are the basis for his consideration of the problem of God’s hiddenness. Jünegel believes that it is possible to replace Luther's idea of Deus absconditus with a description of divine action as the action of the "right" and "left" hands, which will allow avoiding the presence of the "terrible" Deus absconditus in theology. An important role in Jünegel's rethinking of the hiddenness of God is played by the idea of "divine glory" and its "depth" as a unity of divine attributes-perfections, which simultaneously reveals and hides God from man. Compared with Luther, Jünegel's idea of the hiddenness of God should be assessed as less tragic, it eliminates the possibility of divine temptation, which for Luther was one of the important moments of God's attitude to sinful man. The article traces the connection between Jünegel's position and Luther's ideas. In conclusion, criticism of Jünegel's views by contemporary Lutheran theologians is considered.