1886-08-20

PAUL TILLICH, Prussian-American theologian, born (d: 1965); What? The world-renowned theologian? The one who preached that every Yes must have its corresponding No, and that no human truth is ultimate? Yes, and if you doubt it, read his wife’s autobiography, which, in its own beautifully-written way, is far racier than some contemporary fiction. It appears that Hannah Tillich liked it with Paulus, with other men, and with other women; Paulus liked it with Hannah, with Hannah and other women, with other women, and with Hannah and other men. In fact, the Harvard theologian liked it in almost every configuration. Given the limited number of human permutations and combinations, one would think it inevitable that snake eyes would have to be rolled. But not necessarily. Tillich called his homosexuality “latent.”