Bultmannism (1 of 3 notes)

Part One
INTRODUCTION: 5 CONTEMPORARY THEOLOGY
A DISPENSATIONAL THEOLOGY
By Charles F Baker

One of the radical theological systems of the day is that developed by Rudolf Bultmann and known chiefly for its tenet of demythologizing the Scriptures. Bultmann claims that the supernatural elements in the Bible, such as the bodily resurrection of Christ, are myths. Myths are defined by him as, “the use of imagery to express the otherworldly in terms of this world and the divine in terms of human life, the other side in terms of this side.’’⁴ Bultmann claims that the resurrection of Christ is not an historical event. Most people would define an historical event as one that actually occurred at a certain place and time. However, those who use the Historical- Critical method of criticism do not define history in exactly this manner. History is not simply what a historian has written in a book. Such accounts may contain legends and myths, as does much of ancient history that has come down to us. These elements must be sifted out. Now these critics have treated the Bible just the same as they would any other ancient book, as a purely human production. Before anything in the Bible can be considered historical the critics must sift out all of the legend and myth. But what kind of a sifter do they use? Their first principle is that of historical continuity: historic events must have historical causes. Their second principle is that of analogy: studying analogous events in the culture of the times.

4            Rudolf Bultmann, Kerygma and Myth, p. 10, by George E. Ladd, Christian Faith and Modern Theology (New York: Channal Press, 1964), p. 279.

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