Back in the Saddle Again

I have been inactive for quite a while on this site. However, I’m going to get back at it. I plan to post a series of meditations on biblical texts by Gerhard Von Rad. Von Rad was one of the Christian theologians and pastors in Germany who opposed the Nazi ideology. Of the 18,000 protestant pastors in the 1930s in Germany, about 5000 jointed the pro-Nazi German Christian movement and 7000 joined the “Confessing Church” which opposed recognition of any leader other than Christ. Von Rad was one of the 7000 who did not bow the knee to Baal.
Here is a prayer the Hitler Youth were taught, one which von Rad would have considered idolatry :
(https://lfb.org/dietrich-bonhoeffer-and-the-confessing-church/)

Schütze, Herr, mit starker Hand
unser Volk und Vaterland!
Laß’ auf unsres Führers Pfade
leuchten Deine Huld und Gnade!
Weck’ in unserem Herz aufs neue
deutscher Ahnen Kraft und Treue!
Und so laß’ uns stark und rein
Deine deutschen Kinder sein![190]

Protect, O Lord, with your strong hand,
Our people and our fatherland!
Allow upon our leader’s course
To shine your mercy and your grace!
Awaken in our hearts anew
Our German bloodline, loyalty, and strength!
And so allow us, strong and pure,
To be your German youth!
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Nazi_Germany)

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Robert Ford reporting from the Bonhoeffer Congress in Sweden

Saturday  June 30

Dear Mark,

Sorry I haven’t emailed you earlier, but I’ve been trying to condense the great topics and discussions and questions we are enjoying in our theological dialogue here in Sigtuna. We have a good number of participants and many new historical issues and differing theological aspects of Bonhoeffer’s life and theology that we have been presented with from the lecturers…that really have been interesting.

First of all…the Sigtuna location for this Congress has been an excellent choice…both for its beautiful, comfortable, and ascetic qualities that lend themselves so well to group theological interaction and the wonderful fellowship that Bonhoeffer Congresses seem to initiate and and provide a sense of continuity for returning and new participants each year. The rooms here are very nice and the food has been the best (I think) ever.

Secondly, the historical reality that Bishop Bell and Bonhoeffer had their secret meeting here in Sigtuna (in an upper room in a building down in the village of Sigtuna, rather than here on this campus) makes this very special as the Congresses , I believe , are always held at places Bonhoeffer met with people in ecumenical and in critical consideration of how to apply Christian thought and action to resistance to Hitler and the Nazi tragedy for the German people. This location for the Congress makes us feel the living history of Bonhoeffer’s lasting influence on the contemporary, authentic and world changing witness of Christians and Churches trying to live in faith to God, Christ and one another. We have taken several trips to the upper room where Bell and Bonhoeffer met.

And, thirdly…concepts have come up in the lectures each day that give us several new things to question and consider. I can’t address them all, but here are some of the issues and discussions:

What if Bishop Bell’s and Bonhoeffer’s meeting had gained the response and help of the British and the Allies to assist and really respond to what Bonhoeffer and the other conspirators were trying to do?

What about the new issue for many of us that the longstanding question of how could a Christian get involved in assassinating a governmental leader? What has come up in this Congress is the concept of “Tyrannicide” having some sense of justification in attempting to topple and murderous governmental leader? “Tyrannicide” was something new to many of us in this Congresses’ lectures and discussion.

I must stop here, but will try to give you a more thorough report when I get home (although I must humbly admit there is a wealth of issues in this Congress that will take me some time to try to look at again to come up with hopefully accurate descriptions of what we have been presented with here at Sigtuna.

Yours in Christ,

Bob

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February is for Love

It’s February, the month of St. Valentine’s Day, so I will be posting a few selections from “Love Letters from Cell 92” the letters exchanged between Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his fiancee Maria while he was imprisoned.

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Dietrich, Maria, and Grandma

Einleitung, Ruth-Alice von Bismark  (Maria’s sister)

“Ich werde nicht älter als 39 Jahre werden”,

hat Dietrich Bonhoeffer einmal einem Studenten gegenüber geäußert.  In seinem 37. Jahr aber begegnet er seiner Frau.

In den drei Jahren, den nun folgen, vollenden sich sein Werk und sein Leben.  Welchen Anteil hat daran das Mädchen, das sich für ihn entscheidet?

. . .

Maria von Wedemeyer ist gerade 18 Jahre alt und hat ihr Abitur hinter sich, als sie Dietrich Bonhoeffer bei ihrer Großmutter wiedertrifft.  Sie kennt ihn als “Pastor Bonhoeffer”.  Die Großmutter hat ihn in seiner Bedeutung früh erkannt und ist ihm Bundesgenossin im Kirchenkampf und mütterliche Freundin geworden.  In ihrem Hause schreibt Bonhoeffer unter anderem an seinem damals bekanntesten Werk “Nachfolge”.

Brautbriefe Zelle 92. Herausgegeben von Ruth-Alice von Bismarck und Ulrich Kabitz.  München: Verlag C.H. Beck, 1992, 2006.

Hauptwörter das Abitur secondary school diploma qualifying for admission to university der Anteil part die Bedeutung importance der Bundesgenosse,  die –in, ally die Frau (intended) wife der Kirchenkampf church struggle die Nachfolge discipleship (i.e., The Cost of Discipleship, English title before the Bonhoeffer Works English edition) Zeitwörter äußern remark begegnen meet entscheiden sich für decide for (i.e. agreed to marry)

erkennen recognize vollenden sich (psv) were completed werden,  1) become; ist geworden became 2) future “will” wiedertreffen meet again (he had taught her confirmation class earlier, which she failed!) Andere Wörter bekanntest best known damals then, at that time einmal once früh early gegenüber to, in conversation with gerade just unter anderem among other things

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Though for the Day–Von der Dummheit

Dummheit ist ein gefährlicherer Feind des Guten als Bosheit.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer,” Nach zehn Jahren” in Widerstand und Ergebung, 14.

die Bosheit evil

die Dummheit stupidity

der Feind enemy

gefährlicherer more dangerous

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Moltmann on Bonhoeffer on the Old Testament

John Hobbins at Ancient Hebrew Poetry cites an article by Moltmann on Bonhoeffer’s reading of the Old Testament: Jürgen Moltmann, “Dietrich Bonhoeffer und die politische Theologie. Eine persönliche Würdigung,” Orientierung 2 (2006) 14-18.

Moltmann introduces the Bonhoeffer passage with these words:

Bonhoeffer beginnt das Neue Testament vom Alten Testament her zu lesen und nicht umgekehrt …

The selections from Bonhoeffer’s letter may be read here, here, and here.  (Or click on the Bonhoeffer Index tab above and see letter #2.)

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Bonhoeffer Index–New Page

You will notice at the top a new page called, “Bonhoeffer Index.”  Just click on the page for an index of all the selections from Bonhoeffer’s letters that have been posted since this site was born in 2007.  The letters are basically in the order in which they were first posted, which is roughly in chronological order.

If you right click on the highlighted titles, it will open a new tab; then after reading you can return to the index.  Or you can use the left click if you only want to look at one selection in a session.

The  search box on the upper right of the screen is also a useful way of finding specific passages.  Just enter a keyword.

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New Bonhoeffer Biography

The T&T CLark Blog has announced a new biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

“I am delighted to announce the publication of a major new biography on Dietrich Bonhoeffer this fall. The book was originally published in German by C. H. Beck Verlag in Munich. The author, Dr Ferdinand Schlingensiepen, is one of the founders of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Society. The book was translated by Isabel Best, one of the translators of the “Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works”. In his foreword Ferdinand Schlingensiepen explains how he came to write this book and why he thinks there is a need for a new biography now.  . . .” (More)

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Bultmann Too

8 June 1944 to Eberhard Bethge from Tegel (10 of 10)

Bultmann scheint nun Barth’s Grenze irgendwie gespürt zu haben, aber er mißversteht sie im Sinne der liberalen Theologie, und verfällt daher in das typisch liberale Reduktionsverfahren (die “mythologischen” Elemente des Chritentums werden abgezogen und das Christentum auf sein “Wesen” reduziert).  Ich bin nun der Auffassung, daß die vollen Inhalte einschließlich der “mythologischen” Begriffe bestehen bleiben müssen-das Neue Testament ist nicht eine mythologische Einkleidung einer allgemeinen Wahrheit!, sondern diese Mythologie (Auferstehung etc.) ist die Sache selbst!-aber daß diese Begriffe nun in einer Weise interpretiert werden müssen, die nicht die Religion als Bedingung des Glaubens (vgl. die peritome bei Paulus!) voraussetzt.

. . .

Die Mündigkeit der Welt . . . wird nun wirklich besser verstanden, als sie sich selbst versteht, nämlich vom Evangelium, von Christus her.

Hauptwörter die Auffasung opinion, interpretation die Auferstehung resurrection die Bedingung condition die Einkleidung clothing der Glauben faith die Grenze boundary, limitation der Inhalt contents die Mündigkeit maturity, adulthood das Rekuktionsverfahren process of reduction die Sache selbst the thing itself das Verfahren procedure, process die Wahrheit truth das Wesen essence die Weise manner, way peritome circumcision (Greek)

Zeitwörter abziehen, abgezogen take off, subtract, strip off bestehen consist, survive bleiben remain spüren, gespürt feel verfallen in fall (back) into voraussetzen require, presuppose Andere Wörter allgemein general, universal einschließlich including irgendwie somehow vgl.  vergleichen compare (cf.) von . . . her from the point of view of . . . wirklich really

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Genuine Prophesy vs. Conservative Restoration

8 June 1944 to Eberhard Bethge from Tegel (9)

Die Bekennende Kirche nun hat weithin den Barth’schen Ansatz überhaupt vergessen und ist vom Positivismus in die konservative Restauration geraten.

Es ist ihre Bedeutung, daß sie die großen Begriffe der christlichen Theologie durchhält, aber darin scheint sie sich allmählich auch fast zu erschöpfen.  Gewiß sind in diesen Begriffen der Elemente der echten Prophetie (hierunter fällt sowohl der Warheitsanspruch wie die Barmherzigkeit, von denen Du sprichst) wie des echten Kultes enthalten, und insofern findet das Wort der Bekennenden Kirche überhaupt nur Aufmerksamkeit, Gehör und Ablehnung.  Aber beides bleibt unentfaltet, fern, weil ihnen die Interpretation fehlt.

Hauptwörter die Ablehnung refusal, rejection der Ansatz base, beginning der Anspruch claim, demand die Aufmerksamkeit attention, attentiveness die Barmherzigkeit mercy die Bedeutung meaning, importance die Begriff concept, idea das Gehör sense of hearing, ear der Kult worship, ritual, liturgy die Warheit truth der Warheitanspruch claim of truth, demand for truth Zeitwörter bekennen confess; bekennend (participle as adjective or substantive) confessing bleiben remain durchhalten hold out, hold on to enthalten contain, comprise

erschöpfen sich exhaust oneself fallen unter come under fehlen be lacking geraten turn out, turn into scheinen seem vergessen forget Andere Wörter allmählich gradually echt genuine fast almost fern distant gewiß certain insofern in so far as, as far as that goes sowohl . . . wie as well (A). . . as (B) überhaupt completely unentfalten undeveloped weithin to a large extent -‘schen (suffix) pertaining to, belonging to Barth’schen Barth’s, Barthian

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