Rudolph Bultmann

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

Roger A. Johnson is Elisabeth Luce Moore Professor of Christian Studies at Wellesley College