Dillenberger, John

Agency History

Although negotiations for cooperation among Bay Area seminaries had begun at least as early as 1958, articles incorporating the Graduate Theological Union were signed in September of 1962. The GTU administers academic doctoral programs for the member seminaries. The records in this accession date from 1959 to 1971, preceeding and during the administration of dean and president John Dillenberger. In these formative years, the six Protestant and three Roman Catholic schools that comprise the GTU became members; the Common Library came into existence; relationships with UCB were established; and several centers, such as those for Judaic Studies and Urban-Black Studies were founded and attached to the GTU.

John Dillenberger (1918–2008) was an American historian of science specializing in the relationship between science and religion. His book Protestant Thought and Natural Science (1960) was considered an authoritative introductory survey of the topic for several decades.

Paul Johannes Tillich (1886–1965) was a German-American theologian and Christian existentialist philosopher. He is considered by many to be one of the most influential Protestant theologians of the twentieth century.