Abstract
After a brief biographical introduction, this essay traces Schwager's approach to the problematic of divine violence, a prevalent theme in the Old Testament. By relating this notion to Jesus' non-violent teaching and conduct on the one hand, and to his judgement sayings on the other, Schwager interprets the tension as “drama”. What renders his theology “dramatic” is the pathos of God as reflected in the biblical text. When read through the dramatic lens, it reveals a non-violent God who in Christ turns unconditionally to sinful humanity to effect a radical deliverance from human entanglement with “sacred violence”. The article concludes with a reflection on the heuristic value of the dramatic view, pointing to the cruciality of the non-violent image of God for a faith that works its own way into a violent world through God's action in history.
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