Abstract
The theology of the Roman Catholic theologian David Tracy can be perceived as an appropriation of the hermeneutics of Hans-Georg Gadamer, whom he pursues in many aspects (an emphasis on both interpretation and finitude, a rejection of Cartesianism, plurality of meanings). Tracy does not want, however, hermeneutics to collapse into inappropriate relativism, and thus seeks criteria for assessing discrepancies in interpretation.
It is therefore possible to formulate the thesis that Gadamer's hermeneutics is crucial for Tracy, but he supplements it with the critical implications of the hermeneutic phenomenology of Paul Ricoeur, especially his hermeneutics of suspicion. Naming their relationship as via media makes it possible to point out the problems and shortcomings of Tracy's project.
First, we present the hermeneutical character of Tracy's theology as strongly conditioned by Gadamer, and then point to two areas where Gadamer's hermeneutics produce a strong influence: classics in theology and conversation as a theological method. In the third chapter, we look at the corrections and additions that Tracy amended with the help of Paul Ricoeur.