Rudolf Bultmann
Rudolf Bultmann | |
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| Born | Rudolf Karl Bultmann 20 August 1884 |
| Died | 30 July 1976 (aged 91) |
| Spouse |
Helene Feldmann
(m. 1917; died 1973) |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Dialectical theology |
| Institutions | University of Marburg |
| Doctoral students | |
| Influenced | |
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Rudolf Karl Bultmann (German:
Bultmann is known for his belief that the historical analysis of the New Testament is both futile and unnecessary, given that the earliest Christian literature showed little interest in specific locations.[11] Bultmann argued that all that matters is the "thatness," not the "whatness" of Jesus,[a] i.e. only that Jesus existed, preached, and died by crucifixion matters, not what happened throughout his life.[12]
Bultmann relied on
Background
Bultmann was born on 20 August 1884 in
Bultmann married Helene Feldmann on 6 August 1917.[17] The couple had three daughters.[18] Bultmann's wife died in 1973.[17]
After brief lectureships at
Bultmann became friends with Martin Heidegger who taught at Marburg for five years. Heidegger's views on existentialism had an influence on Bultmann's thinking.[23] What arose from this friendship was a "sort of comradery" grounded on an active and open dialogue between Bultmann and Heidegger from 1923 to 1928.[24] However, Bultmann himself stated that his views could not simply be reduced to thinking in Heideggerian categories, in that "the New Testament is not a doctrine about our nature, about our authentic existence as human beings, but a proclamation of this liberating act of God."[25]
He was critical of
Bultmann received many honors during and after his career, including honorary doctorates from many universities and elections to honorary societies.[33] In 1974, the Federal Republic granted him the highest level of the Order of Merit.
He died on 30 July 1976 in Marburg.[34]
Theological approaches
Bultmann's
According to Bultmann's definition, "[t]he aim of form-criticism [sic] is to determine the original form of a piece of narrative, a dominical saying or a parable. In the process we learn to distinguish secondary additions and forms, and these in turn lead to important results for the history of the tradition."[35]
In 1941 Bultmann applied
It is impossible to repristinate a past world picture by sheer resolve, especially a mythical world picture, now that all of our thinking is irrevocably formed by science. A blind acceptance of New Testament mythology would be simply arbitrariness; to make such acceptance a demand of faith would be to reduce faith to a work.[39]
Bultmann saw theology in existential terms, and maintained that the New Testament was a radical text, worthy of understanding yet questioned in his time because of the prevailing Protestant conviction in a supernatural interpretation. In both the boasting of legalists "who are faithful to the law" and the boasting of the philosophers "who are proud of their wisdom", Bultmann finds a "basic human attitude" of "highhandedness that tries to bring within our own power even the submission that we know to be our authentic being".[40] Standing against all human high-handedness is the New Testament, "which claims that we can in no way free ourselves from our factual fallenness in the world but are freed from it only by an act of God ... the salvation occurrence that is realized in Christ."[41] Bultmann remained convinced that the narratives of the life of Jesus offered theology in story form, teaching lessons in the familiar language of myth. They were not to be excluded, but given explanation so they could be understood for today. Bultmann thought faith should become a present-day reality. To Bultmann, the people of the world appeared to be always in disappointment and turmoil. Faith must be a determined vital act of will, not a culling and extolling of "ancient proofs". Bultmann said about salvation and eternity: "As from now on there are only believers and unbelievers, so there are also now only saved and lost, those who have life and those who are in death."[42]
Bultmann carried form criticism so far as to call the historical value of the gospels into serious question.[16] Despite that, Bultmann was an outspoken opponent of the Christ myth theory. In his book Jesus and the Word, he wrote:
"Of course the doubt as to whether Jesus really existed is unfounded and not worth refutation. No sane person can doubt that Jesus stands as founder behind the historical movement whose first distinct stage is represented by the oldest Palestinian community"[43]
Concerning the relationship between body, soul, and Spirit, he affirmed a monistic point of view.[44]
Legacy and criticism
Bultmann was an outstanding teacher, and he encouraged independence of mind among his students. The result was two major developments within the “Bultmann school.” In 1954 Ernst Käsemann raised “the question of the historical Jesus” (i.e., the question of the significance of knowledge of the historical Jesus for Christian faith), and a number of Bultmann’s pupils developed a position independent of their teacher’s on the matter. Then Ernst Fuchs and Gerhard Ebeling, building on Bultmann’s existentialist analysis, developed a method of interpreting the New Testament that emphasized the linguistic mode of human existence, giving birth to the so-called new hermeneutic. Bultmann himself took part in these discussions along with his pupils for as long as his health permitted, later living quietly in Marburg, where he died in 1976.[34]
Posthumously, Bultmann’s approach to the New Testament has been subject to increasing criticism, which has led modern scholars to overcome his theorems.[45] According to the theologian and historian of Christianity Larry Hurtado, Bultmann "approached the ancient Christian texts with a theological criterion, a particular formulation of justification by faith, which he used to judge whether the writings were valid or not."[46] John P. Meier believes that Bultmann had a "disconcerting way of solving problems with a few evasive sentences, his arguments do not hold up, despite having been handed down for generations."[47] Bart D. Ehrman, while agreeing with some of Bultmann's positions, underlines that "among our ranks there are no more form critics that agree with the theories of Bultmann, the pioneer of this interpretation".[48] According to Werner H. Kelber, "Today it is no exaggeration to claim that a whole spectrum of main assumptions underlying Bultmann's Synoptic Tradition must be considered suspect."[49]
Bultmann's skeptical approach to the New Testament has received criticism from conservative biblical scholars like Klaus Berger and Craig Blomberg.[50][51] Form criticism, in particular, has been challenged in recent years by Martin Hengel, Richard Bauckham and Brant J. Pitre, who have reasserted the traditional theory that the Gospels were written by eyewitnesses.[52][53][54]
Selected works
- Bultmann, Rudolf K. (1921). Die Geschichte der synoptischen Tradition. - German original
- ——— (1976). History of the Synoptic Tradition. San Francisco, CA: Harper San Francisco. ISBN 0-06-061172-3. (seminal work on form criticism)
- ——— (1976). History of the Synoptic Tradition. San Francisco, CA: Harper San Francisco.
- ——— (1926). Jesus. - German original
- ——— (1934). Jesus and the Word. Hudson River editions. New York & London: Scribner.
- ——— (1941). Neues Testament und Mythologie. - German original
- ——— (1953). Kerygma and Myth: A Theological Debate. London: SPCK. - (contains the essay "The New Testament and Mythology" with critical analyses and Bultmann's response)
- ——— (1984). OCLC 10948632.
- ——— (1941). Das Evangelium des Johannes. - German original
- ——— (1971). The Gospel of John: A Commentary. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster John Knox Press. OCLC 136267.
- ——— (1971). The Gospel of John: A Commentary. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster John Knox Press.
- ——— (1948). Theologie des Neuen Testaments. - German original
- ——— (1961). Theology of the New Testament. London: SCM Press. OCLC 1069331668.
- ——— (1970). Theology of the New Testament: Complete in One Volume. London: SCM Press. OCLC 715928440.
- ——— (1961). Theology of the New Testament. London: SCM Press.
- ——— (1949). Das Urchristentum im Rahmen der Antiken Religionen. - German original
- ——— (1956). Primitive Christianity in its Contemporary Setting. New York: Meridian Books. OCLC 280803.
- ——— (1956). Primitive Christianity in its Contemporary Setting. New York: Meridian Books.
- ——— (1954). Die Frage der Entmythologisierung. - German original
- ———; OCLC 186641. - In this dialogue with philosopher Jaspers, Jaspers first makes the case that Christianity can not be understood apart from its mythical framework, and that myth is a necessary form of communication through symbol. Bultmann responds that modern scientific analysis of the text is required to separate the genuine from the miraculous claims, thereby revealing the true message.
- ———;
- ——— (1957). History and Eschatology: The Presence of Eternity (1954–55 Gifford Lectures). Edinburgh: University Press. OCLC 752549.
- ——— (1958). Jesus Christ and Mythology (Cole lectures, Vanderbilt University, Kent Shaffer memorial lectures). Scribner Library (series) - Lyceum editions. Vol. SL73. New York & London: Scribner. OCLC 383108.
Notes
- haeccity and quiddity.
- ^ "Form criticism" in this instance is a tenet of Hegelian dialectics of which Bultmann applied to theology. The dialectic of Form and Content is explained by Hegel using an example of a book: a book's Form (whether or not it was handwritten, or a hardback copy, etc.), can neither determine nor influence its inner Content, yet, at the same time, that Content requires a form to be read.[36]
References
Footnotes
- ^ Bultmann 1910; Porter 2015, p. 58.
- ^ Congdon 2015b, p. 315; Wildman 2018.
- ^ a b c d Hobbs 1985, p. 63.
- ^ a b c Wildman 2018.
- ^ Congdon 2015a, p. 89; Dorrien 2003, p. 49; McKnight 2005, p. 271.
- ^ Jensen 2014, pp. 136–138.
- ^ Hobbs 1985, p. 63; Wildman 2018.
- ^ a b c Pagliarino 2018.
- ^ Geering, Lloyd (2013). "Theology before and after Bishop Robinson's Honest to God" (PDF). Sea of Faith Network. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ Monk 2011.
- ^ Broadhead 2011, pp. 1170–1172.
- ^ Borg 1994, p. 187; Broadhead 2011, pp. 1170–1172.
- ^ Bultmann 1991, pp. 94–95; Cross & Livingstone 2005, p. 252.
- ^ Dennison 2008, pp. 7, 14.
- ^ Porter 2015, p. 58; Watson & Hauser 1994, p. 104.
- ^ a b Cross & Livingstone 2005, p. 252.
- ^ a b Dennison 2008, p. 101.
- ^ Meier 2011, p. 3.
- ^ Jonas 1982, pp. 1–2; Markschies 2014, p. 23.
- ^ Zetterholm 2009, p. 78.
- ^ Schild 2016, p. 89.
- ^ Busse 2014, p. 44.
- ^ Wood 2005, p. 113.
- ^ Woodson 2018, p. 61.
- ^ Labron 2011, pp. 43–44.
- ^ Hammann 2013, kindle 6295.
- ^ Hammann 2013, kindle 6268.
- ^ Hammann 2013, kindle 6354.
- ^ Hammann 2013, kindle 6647.
- ^ Kelley 2002, p. 155.
- ^ "Germany". Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2011. See drop-down essay on "Unification, World Wars, and Nazism"
- ^ Ericksen 2012, p. 28.
- ^ Hammann 2013, kindle 11731.
- ^ a b "Rudolf Bultmann | German theologian". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
- ^ Mournet 2005, p. 56.
- ^ Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich (1969). Miller, Arthur V. (ed.). The Science of Logic. London: George Allen & Unwin. p. 3 § 989. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
- ^ Sariel, Aviram. "Jonasian Gnosticism." Harvard Theological Review 116.1 (2023): 91-122.
- ^ Bultmann 2004, p. 328.
- ^ Bultmann 1984, p. 3.
- ^ Bultmann 1984, p. 28.
- ^ Bultmann 1984, p. 26.
- ^ Bultmann 1971, p. 155.
- ISBN 978-0-684-14390-3.
- ^ Martine C.L. Oldhoff (2018). The Soul in the Bible: Monism in Biblical Scholarship? Analysing Biblical Studies from a Systematic Point of View (PDF). p. 154. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-4813-0041-4.
- ISBN 978-1-4813-0041-4.
- ISBN 978-0-385-46992-0.
- ISBN 978-0-06-208994-6.
- ^ Kelber, W. H. (1997). The Oral and Written Gospel: The Hermeneutics of Speaking and Writing in the Synoptic Tradition, Mark, Paul, and Q. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. p. 8.
- ISBN 978-3-629-32004-9.
- ISBN 978-0-8308-9809-1.
- ISBN 978-0-8028-7431-3.
- ISBN 978-0-334-02759-1.
- ISBN 978-0-7704-3549-3.
- ^ "Jesus and the Word - online". Archived from the original on 2 March 2007. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
- ^ "Kerygma and Myth: a theological debate". Retrieved 11 April 2019.
Sources
- ISBN 978-0-87784-992-6.
- ISBN 978-1-56338-094-5.
- Broadhead, Edwin K. (2011). "Implicit Christology and the Historical Jesus". In Holmén, Tom; ISBN 978-90-04-17092-6.
- Bultmann, Rudolf (1910). Der Stil der paulinischen Predigt und die kynisch-stoische Diatribe (in German). Göttingen, Germany: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ——— (1971). The Gospel of John: A Commentary.
- ——— (1984) [1941]. "New Testament and Mythology". In ISBN 978-0-8006-2442-2.
- ——— (1991). "Jesus and the Eschatological Kingdom". In Johnson, Roger A. (ed.). Rudolf Bultmann: Interpreting Faith for the Modern Era. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Fortress Press. pp. 91–102. ISBN 978-0-8006-3402-5.
- ——— (2004). "New Testament and Mythology: The Mythological Element in the Message of the New Testament and the Problem of Its Re-Interpretation". In Evans, Craig A. (ed.). The Historical Jesus: Critical Concepts in Religious Studies. Volume I: The History of the Quest: Classical Studies and Critical Questions. London: Routledge. pp. 323–358. ISBN 978-0-415-32751-0.
- Busse, Roger S. (2014). To Be Near the Fire: Demonic Possession, Risk Analysis, and Jesus' War on Satan. Eugene, Oregon: Resource Publications. ISBN 978-1-62564-811-2.
- Congdon, David W. (2015a). Rudolf Bultmann: A Companion to His Theology. Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books. ISBN 978-1-62564-748-1.
- ——— (2015b). The Mission of Demythologizing: Rudolf Bultmann's Dialectical Theology. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Fortress Press. ISBN 978-1-4514-8792-3.
- ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3.
- Dennison, William D. (2008). The Young Bultmann: Context for His Understanding of God, 1884–1925. American University Studies VII: Theology and Religion. Vol. 241. New York: Peter Lang. ISSN 0740-0446.
- ISBN 978-0-664-22355-7.
- Ericksen, Robert (2012). Complicity in the Holocaust : churches and universities in Nazi Germany. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-01591-3.
- Hobbs, Edward C., ed. (1985). Bultmann, Retrospect and Prospect: The Centenary Symposium at Wellesley. Fortress Press. ISBN 978-0-8006-7075-7.
- Hammann, Konrad (2013). Rudolf Bultmann: A Biography. Salem, Oregon: Polebridge Press. ISBN 978-1-59815-118-3.
- Jensen, Alexander S. (2014). Divine Providence and Human Agency: Trinity, Creation and Freedom. Farnham, England: Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4094-3530-3.
- S2CID 162531107.
- Kelley, Shawn (2002). Racializing Jesus: Race, Ideology and the Formation of Modern Biblical Scholarship. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-15402-4.
- Labron, Tim (2011). Bultmann Unlocked. London: T&T Clark. ISBN 978-0-567-03153-2.
- Markschies, Christoph (2014). "Individuality in Some Gnostic Authors, with a Few Remarks on the Interpretation of Ptolemy's Epistula ad Florum". In Torrance, Alexis; Zachhuber, Johannes (eds.). Individuality in Late Antiquity. Abingdon, England: Routledge (published 2016). pp. 11–28. ISBN 978-1-315-58841-4.
- ISBN 978-1-57506-100-9.
- Meier, Holger (2011). Rudolf Bultmann und sein hermeneutischer Ansatz der Entmythologisierung als existentiale Interpretation [Rudopf Bultmann and His Hermeneutic Approach to De-Mythologization as Existential Interpretation] (in German). Munich: GRIN Verlag. ]
- Monk, Stephanie D. (2011). "An Examination of the Theology of Bishop John Shelby Spong" (PDF). Global Journal of Classic Theology. 9 (1). ISSN 1521-6055. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- Mournet, Terence C. (2005). Oral Tradition and Literary Dependency: Variability and Stability in the Synoptic Tradition and Q. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament. Vol. 195. Tübingen, Germany: Mohr Siebeck. )
- Pagliarino, Guido (2018) [2015]. Diavolo e Demòni (un approccio storico) (in Italian). Tektime. ISBN 978-88-7304-437-6.
- ISBN 978-1-107-12796-8.
- Raupp, Werner (2003). Bultmann. Rudolf (Karl): Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Vol. 21. Nordhausen: Bautz. pp. 174–233. ISBN 3-88309-110-3. - (with compact introduction and detailed bibliography)
- Schild, Maurice E. (2016). "Review of Rudolf Bultmann / Günther Bornkamm: Briefwechsel, 1926–1976 Edited by Werner Zager". Lutheran Theological Review. 50 (1): 89–90. ISSN 0024-7553.
- Watson, Duane F.; Hauser, Alan J. (1994). Rhetorical Criticism of the Bible: A Comprehensive Bibliography with Notes on History and Method. Biblical Interpretation Series. Vol. 4. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill. ISSN 0928-0731.
- Wildman, Wesley, ed. (2018). "Rudolf Bultmann (1884–1976)". Boston Collaborative Encyclopedia of Western Theology. Boston: Boston University. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- Wood, Lawrence W. (2005). Theology as History and Hermeneutics: A Post-Critical Conversation with Contemporary Theology. Lexington, Kentucky: Emeth Press. ISBN 978-0-9755435-5-9.
- Woodson, Hue (2018). Heideggerian Theologies: The Pathmarks of John Macquarrie, Rudolf Bultmann, Paul Tillich, and Karl Rahner. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock. ISBN 978-1-5326-4775-8.
- Zetterholm, Magnus (2009). Approaches to Paul: A Student's Guide to Recent Scholarship. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Fortress Press. ISBN 978-0-8006-6337-7.
Further reading
- Bartsch, Hans Werner, ed. (1961). Kerygma and Myth: A Theological Debate. New York: Harper Torchbooks. Archived from the original on 30 May 2006. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via Religion Online.
- Bultmann, Rudolf (1958) [1934]. Jesus and the Word. Translated by Smith, Louise Pettibone; Lantero, Erminie Huntress. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Archived from the original on 2 March 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via Religion Online.
- ——— (1960). Existence and Faith: Shorter Writings of Rudolf Bultmann. New York: Meridian Books. LCCN 60006774. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ——— (1962) [1955]. History and Eschatology: The Presence of Eternity. New York: Harper Torchbooks. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via Gifford Lectures.
- ISSN 0009-5281. Retrieved 3 April 2018 – via Religion Online.
- Fergusson, David (1992). Bultmann. London: G. Chapman. ISBN 978-0-225-66626-7.
- Fries, Heinrich (1967). Bultmann-Barth and Catholic Theology. Translated by Swidler, Leonard. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Duquesne University Press. Archived from the original on 1 January 2006. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- Fuller, Reginald H. (1965). The Foundations of New Testament Christology. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- Hammann, Konrad (2013). Rudolf Bultmann: A Biography. Translated by Devenish, Philip E. Salem, Oregon: Polebridge Press. ISBN 978-1-59815-118-3.
- Kselman, John S.; Witherup, Ronald D. (1990). "Modern New Testament Criticism". In ISBN 978-0-13-614934-7.
- McKnight, Edgar V. (1969). What Is Form Criticism?. Guides to Biblical Scholarship: New Testament Series. Philadelphia: Fortress Press. OCLC 714991891.
- Moran, Seán Farrell. "Rudolph Bultmann". The Encyclopedia of Historians and Historical Writing. Vol. 1.
- Smith, Mahlon H. (2018). "Rudolf Karl Bultmann". A Synoptic Gospels Primer: Parallel Texts in Matthew, Mark & Luke. OCLC 60769417. Retrieved 3 April 2018.