Rudolf Bultmann Research Articles

Horizons in Hermeneutics: A Festschrift in Honor of Anthony C. Thiselton ed. by Stanley E. Porter and Matthew R. Malcolm

Reviewed by: Horizons in Hermeneutics: A Festschrift in Honor of Anthony C. Thiselton ed. by Stanley E. Porter and Matthew R. Malcolm Patrick Gray stanley e. porter and matthew r. malcolm (eds.), Horizons in Hermeneutics: A Festschrift in Honor of Anthony C. Thiselton (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2013). Pp. xv + 301. $40. With the possible exception of Rudolf Bultmann, no name is more closely associated with the study of hermeneutics among NT scholars than that of Anthony Thiselton. As the editors observe (“An Introduction to a Celebratory Contribution” and “The Life and Work of Anthony Charles Thiselton”), Thiselton’s approach to biblical hermeneutics may be summarized as an attempt “to illuminate the transforming engagement of the horizon of the interpreter with the horizon of the biblical text” (p. x). Although terms like “horizon,” “transformation,” “engagement,” and even “hermeneutics” can be quite slippery, the essays appearing here nicely flesh out what they mean in theory and in practice. The unifying concerns of Thiselton’s prodigious scholarly output thus made it possible for the editors to produce a thematically coherent compilation that will be much more useful than the random assemblage of loosely related studies that typically comprise honorary volumes of this sort. The essays are grouped under three headings. “Facing the Other” includes the contributions of John Goldingay (“Poetry and Theology in Isaiah 56–66”), Robert Morgan (“Thiselton on Bultmann’s Sachkritik”), Mark L. Y. Chan (“Experience and the Transfiguration of Tradition in Paul’s Hermeneutical Christology”), Matthew R. Malcolm (“Kerygmatic Rhetoric in New Testament Epistles”), and Richard S. Briggs (“‘The Rock Was Christ’: Paul’s Reading of Numbers and the Significance of the Old Testament for Theological Hermeneutics”). “Engaging the Other” includes those of James D. G. Dunn (“The [End Page 742] Earliest Interpreters of the Jesus Tradition: A Study in Early Hermeneutics”), David Parris (“Metaphors, Cognitive Theory, and Jesus’ Shortest Parable”), and Richard H. Bell (“‘But We Have the Mind of Christ’: Some Theological and Anthropological Reflections on 1 Corinthians 2:16”). Finally, “Projecting Possibilities” includes those of Tom Greggs (“Reading Scripture in a Pluralist World: A Path to Discovering the Hermeneutics of Agape”), Stephen Fowl (“Scripture and the Divided Church”), Stanley E. Porter (“What Exactly Is Theological Interpretation of Scripture, and Is It Hermeneutically Robust Enough for the Task to Which It Has Been Appointed?”), and John B. Thomson (“‘Let Us Cook You Your Tea, Vicar!’ Church, Hermeneutics, and Postmodernity in the Work of Anthony Thiselton and Stanley Hauerwas”). Some contributors here stake out more provocative positions than others. Dunn, for example, distinguishes the hermeneutical strategies of the Gospel of John and the Gospel of Thomas by noting the former’s tendency to elaborate on the Synoptic tradition from the inside while the latter does so by introducing new and unrelated material from the outside. This difference was critical to the church’s decisions with respect to the canonical status of these writings. Chan, likewise, provides a salutary reminder that Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus was not an uninterpreted one but rather represented “a convergence of experience, scripture, tradition, and eschatological fulfillment” (p. 68). Fowl, on the other hand, makes the more audacious suggestion that, far from being the only or even the main cause of divisions within the church, different approaches to the interpretation of Scripture can play a vital role in healing ecclesial ruptures. Several essays range freely across traditional disciplinary boundaries, with Bell’s in particular standing out for its impressive integration of insights from philology, reception history, continental philosophy, and systematic theology. Thomson takes a somewhat more idiosyncratic approach, but he rightly sees in Hauerwas a figure with a long-standing emphasis on embodied discipleship who, like Thiselton, has exerted a profound influence on numerous biblical scholars and theologians alike. It is refreshing to see the authors take advantage of the unique opportunity afforded by the festschrift format to conduct experimental forays into various subjects in ways that are clearly inspired by Thiselton’s perspectives and concerns. Noteworthy along these lines are Malcolm’s attempt to adumbrate a rhetorical approach to Scripture that privileges content over form and Parris’s thick description of Luke 4:23 (“Physician, heal thyself!”) carried out with...

Demystifying the Program of Demythologizing: Rudolf Bultmann's Theological Hermeneutics

More than seventy years after Rudolf Bultmann delivered his famous lecture on the topic of “New Testament and Mythology” in 1941—initially on April 21 in Frankfurt am Main and again on June 4 in Alpirsbach—the program of demythologizing is still widely misunderstood, perhaps more so now than ever. Erroneous views have gradually accreted around Bultmann's original hermeneutic, so that now what is generally criticized under the name of “demythologizing” bears little resemblance to the intended program.

Reading Heidegger through the Cross

This article is concerned with how a particular concept of ontology switched from theistic to atheistic to theistic again due to the influences and disciples of Martin Heidegger. It is agreed that Heidegger took aspects of Christian thought, namely from Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther, and Søren Kierkegaard, stripping them of their relation to God and instead orientating them to nothingness. Despite Heidegger’s methodological atheism, his ontology was taken up by a number of theologians such as Ernst Fuchs and Rudolf Bultmann, who in their turn influenced Eberhard Jüngel, who in turn mentioned the direct influence that Heidegger has on his thought. Whilst Jüngel acknowledges his debts to Heidegger in the area of ontology, Jüngel also seeks to incorporate the history of God into ontology, where the history of God as Trinity is defined by the passivity of Christ on the cross, and how that event redefines evil’s work in nothingness. This article initially explores how Heidegger formulated his account of ontology, then explores how Jüngel re-Christianized Heidegger’s ontology; evaluating what can be drawn from these shifts about the relationship between ontology and history.

A Critical Review of Some Contemporary Existentialists in the Issue of Relationship between Religion and Science

In the issue of relationship between religion and science, there are some different approaches that –according to the view of Ian Barbour- include: 1.conflict, 2. Independence, 3. Integration, and 4. Dialogue. Also the approach of independence contains some points of views such as the view of Galileo, Kant and Wittgenstein. In this regard, we can count the view of existentialists -who believe in distinguish of the method and goal of religion and science, as one of the views of independence. In current study, we are trying to introduce the view of three main theist existentialists about their vantage point in the relationship between religion and science and also to explain what is the mechanism that they reach to the distinction in the method and goal of religion and science? In that case, here are mentioned Soren Kierkegaard, Martin Buber and Rudolf Bultmann. But this is not the end of the story and finally there will be present some criticisms about their view. Also it is mentionable that one of the advantages of these critiques is relates to the combination of Muslim philosophers and the westerns. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n3s1p516

‘Doctor of the Church’: Gerhard Ebeling

This article’s point of departure is the camaraderie of two eminent Protestant theologians ,Gerhard Ebeling and Ernst Fuchs. From the perspective of Eberhard Jüngel, Ebeling is described as a ‘doctor of the church’. Focusing on Ebeling’s autobiographical notes, the article describes his upbringing in a solid church going family, the effect of critical theological training in Marburg and the influence of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Rudolf Bultmann on his theological convictions. It points out Ebeling’s interest in the Reformer Martin Luther. The article follows Ebeling’s career in Zürich and Tübingen, and the way in which his visits to the US positively influenced his life and thinking.

The Mission of Demythologizing: Rudolf Bultmann’s Dialectical Theology by David W. Congdon

The Mission of Demythologizing: Rudolf Bultmann’s Dialectical Theology by David W. Congdon

L’intériorité de l’être dans le monde : le jeune Heidegger, lecteur d’Augustin et de Luther

From the Grundprobleme der Phanomenologie of 1919-1920, Heidegger seems to drop the idea of an interiority of the self : he explains that the examination of the pure life, in which he intends to be engaged, is not an internal examination. However, it should not lead us to conclude that the first Heidegger totally breaks away from the idea of interiority. One concept, forged during the first lecture courses of Freiburg (1919-1923), testifies in particular to the persistence of this idea in the young Heidegger’s hermeneutics of facticity : the concept of Selbstwelt , world of the self. The point of our article is to determine the real meaning and the sources of this conception of the self’s interiority. According to us, it directly comes from Heidegger’s phenomenology of religion, and more precisely from his interpretations of Augustine and Luther. Thus, we dwell on two texts of Heidegger : the lecture course of the 1921 summer semester, entitled Augustine and neoplatonism , and a talk entitled The problem of sin in Luther , given in Marburg in Februar 1924 within the context of a seminar of Rudolf Bultmann on Paul’s ethics. We attempt to demonstrate that the young Heidegger looks for, in particular in Luther, and more precisely in his interpretation of Paul’s inner man, a genuine conception of interiority, compatible with the life’s being in the world. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21747/21836892/fil33a8

Thomas F. Torrance and the problem of universalism

AbstractWhile Karl Barth and Thomas F. Torrance both believed in the possibility of universal salvation, they also rejected the idea that we could make a final determination about this possibility prior to the second coming of Jesus Christ. Hence, both theologians rejected what may be called a doctrine of universal salvation in the interest of respecting God's freedom to determine the outcome of salvation history in accordance with the love which was revealed in and through the death and resurrection of Jesus himself. This article explores Torrance's reasons for holding that ‘the voice of the Catholic Church . . . throughout all ages has consistently judged universalism a heresy for faith and a menace to the Gospel’. Torrance expressly believed in the ‘universality of Christ's saving work’ but rejected ‘universalism’ and any idea of ‘limited atonement’. He considered both of these views to be rationalistic approaches which ignore the need for eschatological reserve when thinking about what happens at the end when Christ comes again and consequently tend to read back logical necessities into the gospel of free grace. Whenever this happens, Torrance held that the true meaning of election as the basis for Christian hope is lost and some version of limited atonement or determinism invariably follows. The ultimate problem with universalism then, from Torrance's perspective, can be traced to a form of Nestorian thinking with respect to christology and to a theoretical and practical separation of the person of Christ from his atoning work for us. What I hope to show in this article is that those who advance a ‘doctrine of universalism’ as opposed to its possibility also have an inadequate understanding of the Trinity. Interestingly, Torrance objected to the thinking of John A. T. Robinson and Rudolf Bultmann because both theologians, in their own way, separated knowledge of God for us from knowledge of who God is ‘in himself’. Any such thinking transfers our knowledge of God and of salvation from the objective knowledge of God given in revelation to a type of symbolic, mythological or existential knowledge projected from one's experience of faith and this once again opens the door to both limited atonement and to universalism. Against this Torrance insisted that we cannot speak objectively about what God is doing for us unless we can speak analogically about who God is in himself.

Christelike etiek vanuit die perspektief van naasteliefde: Rudolf Bultmann en Stoïsynse etiek

Christian ethics from the perspective of neighbourly love: Rudolf Bultmann and Stoic ethics. This article consists of various sections. The first concerns a cultural-sensitive explanation of the meaning of the term ‘neighbour’. The second exemplifies Rudolf Bultmann’s understanding of the meaning of the love commandment which is found in the Jesus tradition and in the New Testament. This explanation represents a paraphrase of Bultmann’s reflection on the notion ’neighbourly love’ in Afrikaans. The article elaborates on Bultmann’s interpretation by means of expanded exegetical comments. The article also endorses Bultmann’s juxtaposition of Christian ethics with Greek Stoic ethics. This Greek heritage is described in an expanded way. The article discusses Bultmann’s understanding of neighbourly love within the context of the core values of his hermeneutics. The results are made relevant for the present-day Christian ethical perspective on the adherence to the so-called natural law, applied to the South African sociopolitical situation.

Rudolf Bultmann se verstaan van vryheid

Rudolf Bultmann’s understanding of freedom. This article is a reworked version of a paper delivered at a symposium on the life and work of Rudolf Bultmann who was born on the 20th August 1884. The article deals with Bultmann’s understanding of Christian freedom. Three articles of Bultmann on freedom are presented and evaluated: (1) Grace and freedom – 1948; (2) The importance of freedom for European culture – 1952; (3) The idea of freedom in antiquity and Christianity – 1959. The relevancy of Bultmann’s theology is explained to present-day Afrikaans speaking people. Bultmann’s theology is not only presented as relevant, but also as an important guideline for Reformational thinking. Bultmann is presented as a credible Lutheran theologian. His explanation of the doctrine of justification remains helpful in a context of constant self-justification. Some critical remarks are made from a Reformed perspective.

Rudolf Bultmann – Evangelie en geloof

Rudolf Bultmann – The Gospel and faith. Although the name Rudolf Bultmann is well known in South African ecclesiastical circles, many South Africans distrust his theology because of prejudice and the suspicion that it is not faithful to scripture. A synopsis of Bultmann’s own theological description of faith is presented here with the focus on its historical evelopment and with the aim in mind to serve as an apology for a better understanding of his point of view within the context of his life as a confessing Lutheran. The essay ends with a concise critical evaluation of Bultmann’s understanding of Christian faith pointing out its continual value for the current theological debate on the meaning of faith, as well as some minor conditional reservations on his arguments.

Die teologiese ensiklopedie volgens Rudolf Bultmann

The theological encyclopedia according to Rudolf Bultmann. The purpose of this article is to present Bultmann’s view on theology. The theme is relevant, since there is confusion as to what theology is or should be. Although his theological contribution remains under attack, Bultmann often complained of being misunderstood. Therefore it is necessary to read his work carefully and to reconsider his approach. The author started with themes Bultmann discussed in his lectures on theological encyclopaedia, published posthumously, and elaborates on them with reference to his other published work.

Hermeneutics and the Debate on Homosexuality in Africa

In this essay, I discuss hermeneutical approaches to the debate on homosexuality in the African context. I argue that the hermeneutics of Rudolf Bultmann offers a way of understanding the debate. I start with a general discussion of the response to homosexuality in Africa and follow that with a narration of perspectives from church leaders in Africa and proceed to discuss the work of Bultmann and in the last section apply the hermeneutical insights to point a way forward.

Gospel Narratives, Miracles, and the ‘Critical’ Reader: The Eclipse of the Supernatural

The European Enlightenment and the nineteenth century were formative periods for modern biblical criticism, and are rightly associated with the rise of sceptical perspectives on the supernatural dimension of the Bible. This article argues for the persistence of pre-critical, theologically conditioned assumptions in the hermeneutical procedures of two influential writers on the subject of miracles in the Gospels: Thomas Woolston and David Friedrich Strauss. Their work helped to revive a theological tradition of non-realistic interpretation of biblical narrative which runs from Origen of Alexandria to Rudolf Bultmann and beyond.

Glaube zwischen Bekenntnis und Welterfahrung: Zur Theologie Dieter Lührmanns

Dieter Lührmann (1939–2013), whose last post was as a teaching professor at the University of Marburg, was a highly esteemed New Testament scholar and theologian. In the tradition of Rudolf Bultmann and his teacher Günther Bornkamm he was a proponent of a theological exegesis which combined strict philological and historical work with theological thought. One of the main points of his research was the concept of faith in early Christianity. According to Lührmann, Christian faith inherently implies a tension between confession and worldly experience. This appraisal of Dieter Lührmann's theological path and achievements focuses on the aforementioned tension and definition of faith which characterise his theological exegesis and theology.

Da Nietzsche a Heidegger: Mondo classico e civiltà europea

Da Nietzsche a Heidegger: Mondo classico e civiltà europea

Understanding of failure and failure of understanding: Aspects of failure in the Old Testament

Taking its cue from Rudolf Bultmann’s famous verdict that the Old Testament is a ‘failure’ (‘Scheitern’), the article reviews three influential negative readings of Israel’s history as told in the Former Prophets. It is then argued that awareness of the theological problem posed by Israel’s history enabled the redactors of both the former and the latter prophetic collections to deal with the element of human failure in a way that facilitated Israel’s retaining of her faith. Next, the sapiential insight in failing human discernment is drawn into the equation. Failure of human action is here interrelated with failure to comprehend God’s order. By virtue of its incorporation into the totality of the Tanak, this insight became a constructive part of Israel’s faith. Therefore the concept of failure comprises more than coming to terms with Israel’s catastrophic history. Since it is encoded in Israel’s Holy Scripture, ‘failure’ is a major concept within the Old Testament internally and is therefore not suitable as a verdict over the Old Testament by an external value judgement. ‘Failure’ thus becomes a key hermeneutical category, not merely so that the Old Testament could become a ‘promise’ for the New Testament to fulfil, but as a manifestation of limits in human religion and thought. Far from undermining self-esteem, constructive use of the concept of her own failure sustained Israel in her catastrophe and should be adopted by Christianity – not least in South Africa, where the biblical message was often misappropriated to bolster apartheid.

Revelation between Cognitive Science of Religion and Dialectical Theology

The article critically discusses the contemporary relevance and challenges of Rudolf Bultmann's theology of revelation in relation to the basic claims of cognitive science of religion. Underlying the analysis is the assumption that his theology still has some relevance when confronted with the claims from this scientific approach to religion. There are nevertheless also good reasons for arguing that his notion of revelation needs a wider and more experiential focus. The argument for such an experiential-based notion of revelation is provided by an analysis of what features qualified revelatory experience may consist in.

Theology and historicism

This paper discusses attempts to think historicity in the work of the theologian Rudolf Bultmann and the German philosopher Hans Blumenberg. It then draws on the work of the Jesuit theologian Robert Doran in order to suggest how an historical pragmatics without historicism might be relevant to a future theology with social import.

Bonhoeffer and Bultmann: Toward an Apocalyptic Rapprochement

AbstractIn the 1950s and 1960s, the relation between Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Rudolf Bultmann was a topic of much dispute, with Gerhard Krause declaring the apparent opposition between them ‘resolved’ in 1964. Recent apocalyptic theology has reopened the divide between them by claiming Bonhoeffer as an apocalyptic thinker over against Bultmann. This article disputes that reading by arguing that the very conditions under which Bonhoeffer is rightly understood as apocalyptic open up the door for a new interpretation of Bultmann. The question of their relationship reveals the ambiguity surrounding the notion of apocalyptic. There is a pressing need for greater clarity regarding this notion as well as greater charity in relation to Bultmann.