The lecture is dedicated to Vattimo's and Hölderlin's reading of the Bible. It avoids a direct approach, as exemplified by the questions: How does Vattimo read the Bible, how does Hölderlin read the Bible? The lecture avoids this immediacy in two ways: Firstly, it brings the two philosophers into a dialogue and in this way, i.e. in conversation, asks about their relationship to the Bible. Secondly, it considers their reference to the Bible on the basis of the figure of return: something that was once relevant has receded into the background, but its trace is taken up again. However, this is not merely an external, coincidental process, but rather God's departure and return are part of the very concept of God. The lecture aims to examine how - in their reconstruction of the notion of God - the two thinkers refer to the Bible.