RUDOLF
BULTMANM
Mythological Christology
A New Approach to the
Study of the Gospels and Jesus
A
contemporary of Karl Barth, Bultmann was both indebted to and critical of his
idea. Bultmann was one of the main architects of a new approach to Gospel
study, namely, form criticism. Butlmann wanted to analyze in detail the
traditions that lie behind the Gospels as they were shaped by the Christian
communities. He came to the conclusion that what the Gospels tell about Jesus
and his life relates more to the Sitz im
Leben, life Situation.
Butlmann
also continued the long tradition of the History and religious School. New
Testament idea can be attributed to the contemporary religion and mythologies
of the surrounding nations, such as Egyptian mysticism, Hellenistic
philosophies, various mystery religions and so on. The title “Lord: that is
applied to Jesus in the New Testament is an example of this kind of borrowed
material.
The
history of Jesus, it is the Kerygma
of the New Testament that is central to faith. In Bultmann’s view, that is the
approach of the New testament itself: The New testament is not concerned about
the facts of Jesus’ life but the confession of faith. Bultmann borrowed Kahler
for two views of history using the original German terms: Historie and Geschichte. Historie means the events of the past as
they are; Geschichte refers to the
meaning and relevance of past events for our lives today.
Jesus through the Lens
of Mythology
Bultmann’s
conception of myth is much wider than that of his predecessor. Myth is not
simply a miracles or a story about a miracle (as for Strauss) but rather the
way in which reality as a whole is conceived. Myth is a prescientific way of
conceptualizing reality. It is a primitive means of objectifying the forces
that impinge upon and determine humane existence and thus conveys insights
concerning it.
The
most important myth is eschatological: the imminent end of the world through
divine intervention, leading to judgment or reward. The project of
“demythological” is the most famous concept of Bultmann. (an anglicized form of
the German Entmythologisierung.
“stripping off myths”). Demythologizing is rather a matter of experiencing of
experiencing again the gospel and of re-expressing that encounter in the
conceptuality of today, though never in such a way that the gospel becomes a
mere object.” Bultmannian approach does not mean a removal of but rather a
reinterpretation of myths. The purpose of demythologization is to reinterpret a
myth existentially.
For
Bultmann, with the help of demythologization, the message of the New Testament
can be made intelligible to a modern person. Myth is Bultmann’s category for
talking about things that cannot be dealt with in the confines of the language
of history and scientific observations. Myths helps us listen to the Bible.
Human Existence and
Faith in Christ
Bultmann
borrowed from various sources for his emerging theology and Christology. Existential
focuses on an analysis of human existene. According to Heidegger, there are two
kinds of existence, an “authentic existence” in which people accept the
challenges of “being thrown” into the world and yet make sense of their lives
and an “inauthentic existence” that consists of the lost of the distinction
between self and the world.
Bultmann
made creative use id the basic concepts of existentialism in constructing his
Christology and its meaning for modern men and women. In his view, the New
Testament recognizes two modes of human existence. First, “unbelieving and
unredeemed,” what he calls inauthentic existence; it is characterized by the
delusion of self-sufficiency and adhesion to the visible and transitory worlds.
Second, “believing and redeemed,” in other words, authentic existence, in which
humans know that the goal or the purpose for which humanity was created is not
reached by their own efforts but by committing their lives to faith in Christ.
As
a Lutheran theologian, Bultmann offered an existentialism interpretation of the
standard Lutheran concept of justification. This aim was to destroy “every
longing for security” based on good works or what he calls “objectifying
knowledge,” The neo-orthodox influence on Bultmann are seen in his understanding
of the revelation of God in Christ. Bultmann believed that the historical Jesus
himself is the focus of God’s revelation. God’s revelation lies in the present
encounter of an individual with preaching concerning God.
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