Arch Sc soc des Rel. 1987 64/ï juillet-septembre) 75-93 Volker DREHSEN ERNST TROELTSCH OU LA PIETE COMME NORME EN SOCIOLOGIE RELIGIEUSE* In the German-speaking sphere Ernst Troeltsch has recently been rediscovered like Max Weber as classic in the sociology of religion chap For that several reasons are decisive Troeltsch has expressed in an original manner thoroughly general constellation of religious problems by which at the same time he established renewed but from now on classical view of the sociology of religion The sociological theme was concerned with scientific realisation of lived Christian piety which is manifested as kind of religiosity beyond traditional Protestant churches chap With this formulation of the question Troeltsch recurred to contem porary context and to temporarily neglected tradition of Protestant theology chap In such manner Troeltsch opened the restrictive dogmatic perspectives of theology and took up essential approaches of the historical and philosophical sciences to religion including the concepts of sociology and psychology chap 4) Today Troeltsch fundamental insights of the sociology of religion are seen as qualified instrument in the study of the living practice of Christian piety under the conditions of modem culture and this in two respects under the aspects of structural theory of social differentiation as well as that of functional theory of social- personal identity chap 5)

1) Troeltsch peut-il être considéré comme un classique de la sociologie religieuse?

Les classiques connaissent hui un regain considérable intérêt renouvelé porté par les théoriciens de la religion oeuvre Ernst Troeltsch ins crit lui aussi dans ce contexte plus vaste En général intérêt porté aux

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