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The aim of this chapter is to interpret anew the significance of the Phenomenology of Spirit as the fundamental locus of Hegel's understanding of history. Other writings will be freely used insofar as they serve to illumine the question of history in Hegel's work. The first section attempts, starting with an interrogation of Heidegger's construal of the meaning of conceptual thinking in Hegel, to show a way into the Phenomenology. The second section interprets the class="EmphasisTypeItalic ">Phenomenology as the place in modern philosophy which fully establishes a revolution in the ontology of time. This revolution overturns the traditional conception of time as "being-in-time" to "time- being." The sense of this revolution can be expressed by certain terms having a family resemblance: Time-Spirit (Zeitgeist) as opposed to Spirit in time, temporality as opposed to existence-in-time, "Being as historical truth of Being" rather than one unchanging transcendent being, or even Heidegger's recently baptized Being as "Sein" (SZ). If this event of modern thought happens in a profound way in Hegel, a serious departure from Heidegger's own reading of Hegel, particularly in Heidegger's earlier more Kantian period, is necessary. Lastly, in section three, it is claimed that this development of the concept of time assumes the form of an ultimate expansion of Greek onto-theology and the merger of it with Christian notions of the Trinity and history. Accordingly the third section is titled "Onto-theology of History and the Death of God."

DOI: 10.1007/978-94-010-3177-6_3

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