Rudolf Bultmann : Intrepreting Faith For The Modern Era

Bultmann’s pioneering study of the New Testament initiated a new era in biblical studies in the 20th century. Together with Karl Barth, Bultmann broke with liberal theology, but his often misunderstood programe 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 Bult mann’s thought. It presents the essential Bultmann for stu dents and the general reader. Roger Johnson’s introductory essay and notes on the selected texts set Bultmann in his historical context, chart the deve lopment 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 Eschatalogical Kindgom; Existentialist interpretation; Kerygma; Faith and Modernity in conflict; Demythologizing: controversial slogan and theological focus.