DIETRICH BONHOEFFER’S LITURGICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLE
This essay first provides an overview of key scholarly literature about the renowned German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was killed by the fascist authorities in 1945 because of his participation in a plot to kill Hitler. The essay then explicates Bonhoeffer’s hermeneutical approach to Scripture. In contrast to the German theological education of his time, which emphasized historical critical study of the Bible, Bonhoeffer believed that the Bible set forth a living word of God. He viewed Scripture not simply as a text to be studied and analyzed, but also as a means by which to know the resurrected Christ. In this regard, Bonhoeffer especially emphasized the Psalms. For him, the Psalms are the prayers of Christ and his church, and when we hear and recite the Psalms we enter into the life of Christ and the church. Bonhoeffer had an opportunity to apply his ideas when he organized a seminary and asked his students to participate in morning and evening devotions, which included extensive readings from Scripture. As in a monastery, the seminarians prayed all 150 Psalms in the course of a week. Today, Western Protestant theologians are drawn to Bonhoeffer’s liturgical approach to Scripture, as they seek to renew church life in a time in which many parishioners neglect the Bible.
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Bonhoeffer, D. (1987), Das Gebetbuch der Bibel: Eine Einführung in die Psalmen. DBW 5, [The prayer book of the Bible: An introduction to the Psalms. DBW 5], Gütersloher Verlagshaus, München, Bundesrepublik Deichland (in Germ.).
Krötke, W. (2012), “Dietrich Bonhoeffers Psalmenauslegung“, [Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Psalms Interpretation], Mazel tov: Interdisziplinäre Beiträge zum Verhältnis von Christentum und Judentum, Festschrift anlässlich des 50. Geburtstages des Instituts Kirche und Judentum, in Witte, Markus, and Pilger, Tanja (eds.), Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig, Germany (in Germ.).
Krötke, W. (2009), Barmen – Barth – Bonhoeffer: Beiträge zu einer zeitgemässen christozentrischen Theologie, [Barmen – Barth – Bonhoeffer: contributions to a contemporary Christocentric theology], Luther-Verlag, Bielefeld, Germany (in Germ.).
Marsh, C. (2014), Strange Glory: A Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
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Schlingensiepen, F. (2005), Dietrich Bonhoeffer 1906-1945: eine Biographie, [Dietrich Bonhoeffer 1906-1945: a biography], Beck, Munchen Germany (in Germ.).
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