Prayerbook of Christ

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Christological Interpretation of the Psalms

Brad Pribbenow

The contributions of Dietrich Bonhoeffer to the fields of systematics, ethics, sociology, and theology have become well known in recent decades. What has been overlooked, however, is the significant contribution he has also made to the study and interpretation of the Psalms. Bonhoeffer’s approach to the Psalms is built upon an understanding of its relationship to prayer and to Jesus Christ the Crucified One. Employing methods drawn from both premodern and modern exegetes, Bonhoeffer develops a Christological interpretation of the Psalms which, in certain key aspects, has not been seen in the history of interpretation. His is an interpretation informed by the historical reality of Jesus Christ praying the prayers of the Psalms in his incarnation. As the church of today prays the Psalms, it is encouraged by understanding that they are also praying the very words which Jesus prayed. The Psalms are not only the prayerbook of the church, more fundamentally, they are the prayerbook of Jesus Christ.

In this book, Pribbenow explores Bonhoeffer’s unique Christological interpretation of the Psalms by means of a concentrated analysis of its development, coherence, and significance, tracing it from its formation at Berlin University, into the years of development at the Confessing Church Preacher’s Seminary in Finkenwalde, and through the months of interrogation and imprisonment at the hands of the Third Reich.

Lexington Books / Fortress Academic

Pages: 248 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9½

978-1-9787-0105-2 • Hardback • August 2018 • $117.00 • (£90.00)

978-1-9787-0106-9 • eBook • August 2018 • $45.00 • (£35.00)

Subjects: Religion / Biblical Studies / General, Religion / Biblical Criticism & Interpretation / Old Testament, Religion / Christian Theology / Christology, Religion / Prayerbooks / General

Prayerbook of Christ

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Christological Interpretation of the Psalms

Hardback

eBook

Summary

The contributions of Dietrich Bonhoeffer to the fields of systematics, ethics, sociology, and theology have become well known in recent decades. What has been overlooked, however, is the significant contribution he has also made to the study and interpretation of the Psalms. Bonhoeffer’s approach to the Psalms is built upon an understanding of its relationship to prayer and to Jesus Christ the Crucified One. Employing methods drawn from both premodern and modern exegetes, Bonhoeffer develops a Christological interpretation of the Psalms which, in certain key aspects, has not been seen in the history of interpretation. His is an interpretation informed by the historical reality of Jesus Christ praying the prayers of the Psalms in his incarnation. As the church of today prays the Psalms, it is encouraged by understanding that they are also praying the very words which Jesus prayed. The Psalms are not only the prayerbook of the church, more fundamentally, they are the prayerbook of Jesus Christ.

In this book, Pribbenow explores Bonhoeffer’s unique Christological interpretation of the Psalms by means of a concentrated analysis of its development, coherence, and significance, tracing it from its formation at Berlin University, into the years of development at the Confessing Church Preacher’s Seminary in Finkenwalde, and through the months of interrogation and imprisonment at the hands of the Third Reich.

Details

Lexington Books / Fortress Academic

Pages: 248 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9½

978-1-9787-0105-2 • Hardback • August 2018 • $117.00 • (£90.00)

978-1-9787-0106-9 • eBook • August 2018 • $45.00 • (£35.00)

Subjects: Religion / Biblical Studies / General, Religion / Biblical Criticism & Interpretation / Old Testament, Religion / Christian Theology / Christology, Religion / Prayerbooks / General

Author

Brad A. Pribbenow is professor of Old Testament and dean at Lutheran Brethren Seminary.

Table of Contents

Part 1: A Brief History of Christological Interpretation of the Psalms
Chapter 1:Christological Interpretation of the Psalms from the New Testament through Scholasticism
Chapter 2:Martin Luther’s Christological Interpretation of the Psalms
Chapter 3:Modernity’s Challenge to a Christological Interpretation of the Psalms

Part 2: The Influences And Development Of Bonhoeffer’s Christological Interpretation Of The Psalms
Chapter 4:The Place of the Old Testament in Early Twentieth Century Biblical Studies
Chapter 5:Bonhoeffer’s Early Exegetical Treatment of the Psalms
Chapter 6:Bonhoeffer’s Christological Interpretation of the Psalms versus Earlier Approaches
Chapter 7:The Relationship between Prayer and the Psalms in Bonhoeffer’s Interpretation
Chapter 8:The Relationship between Christ the Crucified and the Psalms in Bonhoeffer’s Interpretation
Chapter 9:The Unique Contribution of Bonhoeffer’s Christological Interpretation of the Psalms

Part 3: Bonhoeffer’s Later Interpretation of the Psalms
Chapter 10:Bonhoeffer’s Use of Psalm 119 Prior to his 1940 Commentar
Chapter 11:Bonhoeffer’s Partial Commentary on Psalm 119 (1940)
Chapter 12:The Context and Content of Bonhoeffer’s Use of the Psalms During His Imprisonment
Chapter 13:Bonhoeffer’s Use of the Psalms During His Imprisonment: Organized by Genre
Chapter 14:Bonhoeffer’s Use of the Psalms During His Imprisonment: Organized by Prayerbook Theme and by Date of Use
Chapter 15:Three Important Imprisonment Uses of the Psalms by Bonhoeffer

Conclusion:A Summary and Assessment of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Christological Interpretation of the Psalms

Reviews

This book will appeal to those interested in several different aspects of Christian history, theology, biblical interpretation, the Psalms and doctrine . . . I found the overall argument to be a compelling one.
— Psaltermark

This is an excellent, scholarly inquiry into Bonhoeffer's Christ-centred interpretation of the Hebrew Psalms, which illuminates well the theological and spiritual resources that fed his courageous resistance to Nazism. Especially helpful is the way it locates Bonhoeffer against the wider background of Christian treatment of the psalms over the centuries as well as the crisis he faced in his own lifetime - and the questions which still face us today in the relations of Christianity and Judaism.
— Rev. Dr. Keith Clements

The figure of Dietrich Bonhoeffer has received much scholarly attention over recent years, ranging from his intellectual contributions to Protestant theology to his sacrificial resistance against Hitler. Less, however, has been done on Bonhoeffer’s biblical exegesis, and much less on his place in the history of biblical interpretation. Dr. Pribbenow admirably helps to fill this gap. Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Christological Interpretation of the Psalms offers us a view of Bonhoeffer as a theologian thoroughly conversant with the assumptions and methods of modern exegesis, yet as one who cares deeply about the Christian use of the Scriptures. By attending to Bonhoeffer’s personal context and development against the backdrop of the wider history of interpretation, Pribbenow reveals Bonhoeffer’s own unique solution to the hermeneutical challenges of reading and praying the Psalter. As such, Bonhoeffer gives us a viable approach to the Psalms today—not merely as a record of ancient religious piety or as a collection of devotional material, but as the very prayerbook of Christ.
— Erik H. Herrmann, Concordia Seminary