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The major work of Johannes Weiss, Die Predigt Jesu vom Reiche Gottes (1892) is most often not mentioned other than as an example of an exegetical discovery which would not have had any consequence, in the thought of its author, in dogmatic theology. After presenting in their context the principle theses of this work, this paper criticizes the representation – inherited from Schweitzer – of a “rediscovery” of eschatology, and specifies the limit of Weiss’ theological proposition: if one couldn’t reproach him for a reinterpretation of representations of the kingdom of God in the preaching of Jesus, one may regret that he treats this as a theme, and not as a relation constituting his identity.