Rudolf Karl Bultmann (1884-1976)
Rudolf Karl Bultmann (1884-1976) was born on August 20th in
Wiefelstede, in (what was then known as) the grand duchy of Oldenburg.
His father, Arthur Bultmann, was an Evangelical-Lutheran pastor, his
paternal grandfather a missionary to Africa, and his maternal
grandfather a pastor of the pietistic tradition. Thus, young Rudolf
came from a family line heavily invested in the theological milieu of
his time. This family's gradual move toward Protestant
liberalism-especially on the part of his father-would prove to have a
significant impact on this young theologian-to-be.
Rudolf's education began at the humanistic Gymnasium at Oldenburg;
incidentally, he studied concurrently with the philosopher-to-be, Karl
Jaspers, who was only a few grades ahead of young Bultmann. Following
his graduation, he studied theology at the Universities of Tübingen,
Berlin, and Marburg, respectively. It is important to note that all
three of these institutions were heavily committed to liberal
theology. His greatest influence came from Marburg, including the
systematic and liberal theologian Wilhelm Hermann and New Testament
scholars Johannes Weiss and Wilhelm Heitmüller of the
history-of-religions school.
Bultmann received his doctorate in 1910 from Marburg and, two years
later, qualified as an instructor at his alma mater. In 1916, he
accepted an assistant professorship at Breslau, where he married and
had two daughters. Four years later he went to Giessen for his first
full professorship. Only one year later, however, he returned to
Marburg where he accepted his last full professorship, succeeding
Heitmülle...
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... of every mythological story from the New Testament. Rather, it is a
method of interpretation that recognizes mythology and rejects any
attempts to ascribe ultimate significance to it. As such,
demythologizing is only the negative step of a more comprehensive
method of interpretation that Bultmann had been propounding for many
years before he introduced the word "demythologize", the
existentialist interpretation of scripture. For example, returning to
the example of the Jesus' eschatology described above, Bultmann
demythologizes the eschatology of Jesus so that his existentialist
analysis can uncover its real meaning and significance. For Bultmann,
the 'No' of demythologization exists only for the positive work of the
existentialist interpretation, the rendering "clear the call of the
Word of God" (Bultmann 1991, 304).
John Calvin and Karl Barth: I feel that these two theologians cannot be separated since they both have greatly impacted my Christian faith. While attending Northwestern College, I took multiple Calvin
James Kittelson’s biography on the life of Luther is thought provoking and informative. Kittelson does not have a concise thesis, but as it is a biography the central theme of Luther the Reformer is an insightful narrative of Martin Luther’s life from his birth in Eisleben until his death on February 18, 1546 in Eisleben. Kittelson thoroughly and with great detail and sources explains Luther’s mission to reform the catholic church. Luther the Reformer seeks to condense Luther’s life in a manner which is more easily read for those who do not know the reformer’s story well. Luther is portrayed not only as a theologian throughout the book, but as a person with struggles and connections throughout the Germanic region in which he lived. Luther’s theology is portrayed throughout the entirety of the book, and Kittelson approaches Luther’s theology by explaining Luther’s past. The inclusion of
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born on February 4th 1906, as a son of a professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Berlin. Throughout his early life he was an outstanding student, and when he finally reached the age of 25 he became a lecturer in systematic theology at the University Berlin. Something that is very striking is that when Hitler came to power in 1933, Bonhoeffer became a leading spokesman for the Confessing Church, the center of Protestant resistance to the Nazis. He organized and for a shot amount of time he led the underground seminary of the Confessing Church. His book Life Together describes the life of the Christian community in that seminary, and his book The Cost Of Discipleship attacks what he calls "cheap grace," meaning that grace used as an excuse for moral laxity.
There is no one who did more to popularize archery and bow hunting in the United States than Fred Bear. Born on March 5, 1902, Bear originally set out to work for the automotive industry in Detroit, but turned his attention to the great outdoors when he saw the film Alaskan Adventures. Bear also became interested in making bows. Bear first began making bows in his basement as a hobby, eventually expanding into commercial production in 1939 and experimenting with new materials like fiberglass to make bows.
Although the Church was secure in its universality, two groups, the Albigensians and Waldensians emerged, each with very di...
I have never seen myself as an art museum enthusiast, nor have I ever been able to actually appreciate art and the messages it expresses. But never before have I ever been so taken away by an artist's work. Through his unique, inventive use of technology, Robert Buelteman proves in his images of "Through the Green Fuse," the momentary beauty of plants and their visual metaphors for human life. Buelteman's "Cortaderia Selloana" meaning Pampas Grass, caught my eye as soon as I entered his gallery. The colors and form of the image are breathtaking and even furthermore, his process for the creation of this image is fascinating. His choices of exotic plants all of whose characteristics range from delicate to dramatic seem to have been so meticulously chosen and for this piece in particular, pampas grass was a perfect selection because of how sharp and defined each blade of grass is. Buelteman's true messages of these images are expressed not only through his inventive process but through the media he incorporates into the process.
McManners, John. "The Oxford History of Christianity." The Oxford History of Christianity. New York: New York Oxford Press, 2002. 28.
Myths relate to events, conditions, and deeds of gods or superhuman beings that are outside ordinary human life and yet basics to it” ("Myth," 2012). Mythology is said to have two particular meanings, “the corpus of myths, and the study of the myths, of a particular area: Amerindian mythology, Egyptian mythology, and so on as well as the study of myth itself” ("Mythology," 1993). In contrast, while the term myth can be used in a variety of academic settings, its main purpose is to analyze different cultures and their ways of thinking. Within the academic setting, a myth is known as a fact and over time has been changed through the many different views within a society as an effort to answer the questions of human existence. The word myth in an academic context is used as “ancient narratives that attempt to answer the enduring and fundamental human questions: How did the universe and the world come to be? How did we come to be here? Who are we? What are our proper, necessary, or inescapable roles as we relate to one another and to the world at large? What should our values be? How should we behave? How should we not behave? What are the consequences of behaving and not behaving in such ways” (Leonard, 2004 p.1)? My definition of a myth is a collection of false ideas put together to create
Why was it significant that men like Söderblom and Otto argued for understanding religions on their own terms?
Placher, William C. A History of Christian Theology: An Introduction. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1983
We cannot over simplify human behavior and the power of belief. Belief being the structure humans have created to understand one’s existence. Equally important, beliefs reassure a sense of balance and control in a world where we may feel powerless or helpless despite scientific developments. Nevertheless, science is the reality tested. Bultmann, points out blind acceptance of the New Testament’s written word would be irrational, and “a sacrifice of the intellect which could have only one result – a curious form of schizophrenia and insincerity” . Nevertheless, there remains a confusion that pervades modern ideas of the universe and our existence. Bultmann did acknowledge the truths a shallow enlightenment had failed to perceive are later rediscovered in ancient myths. Therefore, the task of dissecting the written words and structure of the New Testament is important for clarification and
Fred Bear was born March fifth, 1902 in Waynesboro Pennsylvania. Growing up, he enjoyed fishing, hunting, and trapping with his father, who is the reason why he became interested in these activities in the first place. He began hunting with his dad at six years old. At the age of fourteen, Fred shot his absolute favorite animal to hunt, deer. While hunting, Fred would usually wear a flannel shirt and his signature hat, which looked like a round, black safari hat with a brown band wrapping around the middle along with a feather along the side, Everything him and his dad trapped was sold for money to feed their family. He was always very resourceful making the most of what he had. Growing up, Fred has always had a strong work ethic. When he
A Century of Theological and Religious Studies in Britain, 1902–2007 by Ernest Nicholson 2004 pages 125–126
Religion was questioned mainly by the Philosopher Nietzsche whom published work on his atheist theories. He admired personal traits that enhanced survival instead of the basic Christian traits to strive towards. He was influenced a great deal by Charles Darwin’s theory of Evolution which was also of much hated debate to this day. Even Classical liberalism was challenged in the fact that it wasn’t progressive enough in its economics which eventual chang...