lenten blog | March 11, 2025

Thank You Rudolf Bultmann

Throughout the year, the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ reproduces the Daily Lectionary for use by churches.  These are the suggested readings for March 11th:  Psalm 17;  Zechariah 3:1-10; and 2 Peter 2:4-21.  I would encourage you to read these short selections as part of your Lenten practice.

Rudolf Bultmann was a prominent and challenging New Testament scholar.  He died in 1976.  The word I associate with Bultmann is “demythologize.”  He argues that the content of New Testament proclamation presumes a mythical world view and language. (This would be even more true for the writings of the older Hebrew Bible.)  This was appropriate for the first-century community of the nascent church.  What eventually became our New Testament was written in the language of its first-century authors and audience.  This is to be expected.

The original New Testament was written in Koine Greek because that was the universal language of the time.  Koine Greek may be limited to the rarified assembly of biblical scholars today, but 2,000 years ago it was the uniting language of the Roman Empire.  The authors spoke to the people of their day in the most accessible language of their day.

As Latin became the common language of the Empire, however, the Greek Bible was translated into what is now called the Vulgate version of the Bible.  Then again, as Latin became the elite language limited to scholars and clergy, reformers began to share the Holy Scripture in the vernacular of their day so that all believers could again have direct access to the inspired text.

The King James Version of the English language Bible was published in 1611.  When we dive into the text in Bible study this evening, however, we don’t use that 400-year-old translation because its English is difficult for a modern reader. 

Bultmann’s innovation was to recognize that it wasn’t only the language that needed to be translated.  It was also the ancient, mythical world view, and this he termed demythologizing.  This meant that a scientific world view “finished” the mythical world view that was filled and dominated by supernatural forces constantly interrupting the natural order and needing to be constantly placated in an almost magical way.

Bultmann’s scholarly work was to respect the meaning of the myth and its proclamation, and to then interpret it for a non-mythical generation.  He sought to keep the truth of what was being revealed without the hindrance of the mythical vehicle of its revelation. 

Bultmann argued that the vehicle of New Testament proclamation was apocalyptic.  This means it was suffused with imagery expecting the imminent end of the world following a supernatural struggle between the forces of good and evil.  The earliest Christian writings expected a quick return of Jesus, even within their own lifetimes.  2,000 years and counting requires that the revealed truth be expressed in a non-apocalyptic way if that truth is to be meaningful.

To read today’s passages literally is difficult and for me distracting.  It is also dangerous.  It can be misused to justify atrocities and inhumanity.  Take this one passage:  “These people, however, are like irrational animals, mere creatures of instinct, born to be caught and killed.”  This leads to further deprecations.  Such passages read without the insight of demythologizing sanction acts of violence against those who are judged ungodly.  It is the realm of fanatics rather than the faithful.

Lent is a time to appreciate the love of God that motivates the cross of Christ, but for much of dominant Christian history Lent has been a time to threaten and harass those called the enemies of the cross.  Jesus’ perfect example of pacifism, of the absolute rejection of violence, has been turned too often into the justification for violence.  This is why the sacred text needs to be interpreted so that its overarching truth is not limited to the forms in which that truth has been conveyed. 

If you would like to join us for our online Bible study, please send an email to [email protected] for the Zoom logins.
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If you’d like, here is the link to the Southern New England Conference’s daily reading schedule:  www.sneucc.org/lectionary.