Instead of RKB answering each question individually, he’s put together a series of prepared responses.  Expect to see them at appropriate moments…  

As related by Kurt Anders Richardson on FB- Some years ago as a visiting prof at Uni Marburg theologische Fakultaet, I was told several times by different people about a certain non-lecture event. On the morning after that first Nazi pogrom, “Kristallnacht”, the regular lecture of Rudolf Bultmann was to take place. His usual hall […]

Who wrote of Georg Brandes’ life of Jesus (wherein Brandes calls into question the reality of Jesus), Is it really possible that such a book has a real writer as its author? Nice!

Ein Leichnam kann nicht wieder lebendig werden und aus dem Grabe steigen. – Rudolf Bultmann

Versteht man unter »von Gott« reden »über Gott« reden, so hat solches Reden überhaupt keinen Sinn; denn in dem Moment, wo es geschieht, hat es seinen Gegenstand, Gott, verloren. – Rudolf Bultmann

Here’s a great essay for your reading pleasure: Rudolf Bultmann — who died on July 30, 1976 at the advanced age of 91 — was the last of the theological giants who grew up in the universities of the Kaiser’s Germany (he began to study theology in 1903 at 19), and the last of the […]

Voraussetzungslose Exegese kann es nicht geben. … Unabdingliche Voraussetzung aber ist die historische Methode in der Befragung der Texte. Exegese ist ja als Interpretation historischer Texte ein Stück Geschichtswissenschaft. – Rudolf Bultmann

Von Jesus wissen wir historisch eigentlich gar nichts; das, was wir sicher wissen, passt auf eine Postkarte. – Rudolf Bultmann

Here’s the great one himself:     And yes, all the great ones (except Zwingli) were born in August.

Decades ago Morris Ashcraft wrote the definitive exposition of the theology of Rudolf Bultmann.  It also went out of print decades ago and became a classic in the meanwhile. Hendrickson has, thankfully, republished this masterpiece in paperback and made it once more easily available. How can modern scientific humanity understand the strange religious language of […]

When I was a small boy I started to attend the closest church to my home because I felt drawn to the place.  It just so happened to have been a Baptist church.  I had friends who attended other houses of worship but none of them seemed very appealing to my 14 year old mind. […]

So there’s plenty to look forward to.  Till then-

Personally, I’ll admit, I love his commentary on 2 Corinthians most, but I suppose it’s fair to say that his greatest commentary is the one on the Gospel of John.  In many ways it has been surpassed but it continues to exert grand influence on the area of Johannine studies.  I can’t think of a […]

Bultmann was never ordained but he was frequently asked to preach and he was always active in the life of the Lutheran parish in Marburg.  It was his task to stand at the door with the poor box and receive offerings as congregants left the service on Sunday morning.  And he took this job seriously […]

As related by Kurt Anders Richardson on FB- Some years ago as a visiting prof at Uni Marburg theologische Fakultaet, I was told several times by different people about a certain non-lecture event. On the morning after that first Nazi pogrom, “Kristallnacht”, the regular lecture of Rudolf Bultmann was to take place. His usual hall […]

The best biography of Bultmann is that of Konrad Hammann (and it’s better in German).  Particularly important is his discussion of Bultmann during the era of the Second World War. The best short study of Bultmann’s theology is Gareth Jones’s “Bultmann: Towards a Critical Theology“.  This book has not received the very wide attention it […]