Studentenalmanak 1960 - pagina 216

Bultmann in his famous essay on „Das Problem der Entmythologi-

sierung der neutestamentlichen Verkündigung", published originally

in 1941, appeals to the eschatological message of the New Testament

in support of his case for regarding the New Testament world-view

and proclamation as obsolete:

„ T h e mythical eschatology is untenable for the simple reason that

the parousia of Christ never took place as the New Testament

expected. History did not come to an end and, as every school

boy knows, it will continue to run its course. Even if we believe

that the world as we know it wül come to an end in time, we expect

the end to take the form of a natural catastrophe, not of a mythical

event such as the New Testament expects."

If every school boy knows that history will continue to run its

course, and that an end to present history connected with the

return of Jesus Christ may not be awaited, surely every University

student will be even more confident of these conclusions! I shall

not dwell upon the meaning of Bultmann's statement in detail nor

shall I labor the unavoidable question as to how Bultmann himself

can be so confident regarding the non-occurrence of future events.

My present purpose is chiefly to call attention to the currency of

a profoundly negative attitude toward eschatology in the world

about us.

Scholars who hold to such views, and yet remain within the

Christian tradition, indeed often make much of the significance

of „eschatology." They seek by way of reinterpretation (Bultmann

by way ot Entmjthologisiermg) to discover the inner and permanent

significance of N e w Testament eschatology. When they do so,

however, they commonly end up with a virtual denial of eschatology.

Thus Bultmann insists that the kingdom of God, though presented

in the New Testament in terms of the future, may never properly

be regarded as a future something which may become a present

something. The „future" deliverance by God, he maintains, wiU

never arrive as a state of rest and salvation. It is accordingly ironical

that, precisely in a time when modern scholars are occupied as

never before with the „eschatological" character of the Christian

message, they commonly repudiate what the Christian Church has

historically subsumed under this designation.

To be sure these modern perspectives may be quite uncongenial

and unacceptable to us who are members of the Free University

community. Nevertheless, we cannot fail to reckon with them

because of the vigor and effectiveness with which they are being

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