July, 2019, Oxford University Press
Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Christian Humanism provides a comprehensive introduction to Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s theology based on all of his published works and letters. Well-known Bonhoeffer scholar, Jens Zimmermann presents Bonhoeffer’s theological ethos as a Christian humanism— that is, an understanding of the gospel rooted in apostolic and patristic writers who believed God to have renewed humanity in the incarnation. The essence of Bonhoeffer’s Christianity that unifies and motivates his theological writing, his preaching, and his political convictions, including his opposition to the Nazi regime, is the conviction that Christianity as participation in the new humanity established by Christ is all about becoming fully human by becoming Christlike.
Zimmermann describes Bonhoeffer’s humanistic theology following from this incarnational starting point: a Christ-centred anthropology that shows a deep kinship with patristic Christology; a hermeneutically structured theology; an ethic focused on Christ-formation; a biblical hermeneutic centered on God’s transforming presence; and a theological politics aimed at human flourishing.
This innovative study shows not only how Christology both grounds the Christian life as formation in true humanity and also provides the formative structures that define human nature, knowledge, and life with others in a common secular sphere.
This book offers distinctive contributions to our understanding of Bonhoeffer in the context of patristic theology, hermeneutic theory, and theological anthropology. It is the first to place Bonhoeffer’s theology as a whole into the greater Christian tradition to present a truly catholic Bonhoeffer, whose faith continues to speak to the cultural issues of our day.
Features a Foreword by John W. de Gruchy, Emeritus Professor at the University of Cape Town and Extraordinary Professor at the University of Stellenbosch.
“What an interesting idea but one that turns out to be more than an idea, that is, to read Bonhoeffer as a theologian engaged in the hard work of recovering our humanity. To be sure, as Zimmermann’s scholarship shows, Bonhoeffer’s ‘humanism’ is Christological all the way down. God became human that we might be what we were created to be in Christ. Zimmermann’s book is not only a constructive account of how to reclaim a Christian humanism but it will become one of the most important books for those wanting to understand Bonhoeffer.”
“At last, a full and sympathetic locating of Bonhoeffer in the context of the broadest possible theological tradition. His unique contribution to Protestant thought, and to the Christian resistance to totalitarianism and atrocity, is grounded in a much wider set of influences than most readers have realised, and this excellent book fills many gaps in understanding – as well as stressing by implication how much this broader tradition has to say in our own global political crises. ”