Bultmann's pioneering study of the New Testament initiated a new era in biblical studies in the Twentieth Century. Together with Karl Barth, Bultmann broke with liberal theology, but his often misunderstood program of demythologization took him in a radically different direction from Barth. In many respects Bultmann set the agenda for biblical theology in the decades following World War II. This volume concentrates on the key texts and ideas in Bultmann's thought. It presents the essential Bultmann for students and the general reader. Roger Johnson's introductory essay and notes on the selected texts set Bultmann in his historical context, chart the development of his thought, and indicate the significance of his theology in the development of Christian theology as a whole. Substantial selections from Bultmann's work illustrate key themes: God as "Wholly Other" Jesus and the Eschatological Kingdom Existentialist interpretation Kerygma Faith and Modernity in conflict Demythologizing: controversial slogan and theological focus

Rudolf Bultmann: Interpreting Faith for the Modern Era (Making of Modern Theology)

Religion & Spirituality

Rudolf Bultmann

Christian Books & Bibles

Fortress Press

Hardcover, no dust jacket. Ex-library. Slightly worn and scuffed boards.

Karl Barth - Rudolf Bultmann Letters, 1922-1966

Karl Barth

William. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

Two of the most brilliant German thinkers of the twentieth century were Karl Jaspers and Rudolf Bultmann. Jaspers, the philosopher, and Bultmann, the theologian, were both influenced by the philosophy of Martin Heidegger and the rise of the existentialist movement. Late in their careers they interacted on the subject of Bultmann's attempt to divest Christianity of its mythical components and make sense of it in more modern terms. This work is a compilation of articles by Jaspers and Bultmann that formed a running debate originally published in various scholarly journals. The first half of the book is Jaspers' lengthy and critical analysis of Bultmann's interpretation of Christianity, in which Jaspers essentially rejects the premise that Christianity or any other religion can or should be understood without its mythical framework. Jaspers charges that Bultmann has radically misunderstood the nature of myth and that myth is an irreplaceable form of symbolic communication.In the second part, Bultmann defends his approach, suggesting that Jaspers has not really understood his intent or meaning. Contemporary people today, schooled in the scientific tradition, are likely to reject the biblical texts because of their miraculous claims and supernatural content. Bultmann insists that the scholarly, scientific study of the Bible is a legitimate way to reveal its true message, apart from all the supernatural trappings. Finally, in response, Jaspers accepts some of Bultmann's clarifications but takes him to task on the subject of "justification by faith," which he feels Bultmann defines too narrowly and too exclusively.This stimulating work by two penetrating minds will give anyone interested in perennial philosophical and theological questions much to ponder.

Myth & Christianity: An Inquiry Into The Possibility Of Religion Without Myth

Politics & Social Sciences

KARL JASPERS

Philosophy

Prometheus

As the first volume in the Johannine Monograph Series, The Gospel of John: A Commentary by Rudolf Bultmann well deserves this place of pride. Indeed, this provocative commentary is arguably the most important New Testament monograph in the twentieth century, perhaps second only to The Quest of the Historical Jesus by Albert Schweitzer. In contrasting Bultmann's and Schweitzer's paradigms, however, we find that Bultmann's is far more technically argued and original, commanding hegemony among other early-Christianity paradigms. Ernst Haenchen has described Bultmann's commentary as a giant oak tree in whose shade nothing could grow, and indeed, this reference accurately describes its dominance among Continental Protestant scholarship over the course of several decades.

The Gospel of John: A Commentary (The Johannine Monograph Series)

Wipf and Stock

It is difficult to overestimate the singularity of Rudolf Bultmann. Bultmann's Theology of the New Testament changed the course of New Testament interpretation and has continued to influence the field until today. As ambitious in scope as it is consistent in method, Bultmann's volume asks and provides answers to the big questions. Bultmann also found a way to wed a sober-minded commitment to historical reconstruction to his deep desire for the New Testament to speak to contemporary humans.

Theology of the New Testament

Baylor University Press