blog




  • Essay / The New Testament: mythology, truth and message

    Notably, Bultmann's approach is less that of a demystifier than that of an interpreter: his idea of ​​the New Testament is a kind of pure theology written in poetry of the story. The narrative elements are therefore not important, they are means of expressing a theological vision born from the encounter with God. In particular, the death and resurrection of Jesus are not two separate events, nor two halves of the same event. At the same time, Christ is crucified and God resurrects him to conquer death, it is a singular event. Accordingly, the act of proclaiming Christ's transcendence from the fallen world brings the person to experience an encounter and relationship with Christ. Therefore, faith is an act of trust in this encounter and the resurrection of Christ is an ongoing activity within the kerygma, and historical “facts” become irrelevant. Bultmann is criticized for denying the true resurrection; perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it redefines it. Above all, faith is at the heart of the thesis of Bultmann and the followers of Christianity. Therefore, the core of all Christians' devotion is that Jesus suffered death by crucifixion in order to redeem humanity. Most importantly, he conquers death after God resurrects him on the third day. More precisely, it is the spirit that is redeemed and not so much the physical body. Certainly, because of the fall of Adam, all suffer physical death; the spirit of man is preserved through faith in Jesus. However, Bultmann's main concern is that the New Testament is no longer viable in the modern world. Indeed, with the advent of modern science, technology and a renewed understanding of nature and the universe, modern man can no longer digest the concepts of the Bible. In other words, the idea of ​​a heaven in the sky or a hell under the earth seems ridiculous. Likewise,...... middle of paper ......tion of Christianity as Paul notes in his writings. Despite this, we have yet another disagreement between the authors. James states that faith alone is not enough, but good works consistent with faith are essential. For this reason, Bultmann's suggestion to reduce the NT and reinterpret the kerygma may be credible. As a result, it enables man to have an experience in Christ and a relationship. Finally, Bultmann is not interested in the historical Jesus. For this reason, there is really no way to explain the person "Jesus of Nazareth" other than the historical fact that he is crucified. Works Cited Bultmann, R. (nd). The task of demystifying the proclamation of the New Testament. In The mythological element of the New Testament message and the problem of its reinterpretation, part 1 (pp. 1-25). New York, New York: Harper & Row