Table Of ContentTOWARD A DIALECTICAL UNDERSTANDING OF POWER:
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER AND THE THEOLOGY OF THE CROSS
A Dissertation
Submitted to the
Faculty of Divinity
University of Edinburgh
in Partial Fulfillment
for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
by
Leslie Mason Alford
April 1994
U N I V E R S I T Y OF E D I N B U R G H
ABSTRACT OF THESIS
Name of Candidate MS£®_i£S2_“ -®EL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Address..... . . . . . . . . . .
Degree. . . . . . Ph-D.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Date ....3Q..Aprll. ..1.99.4.....................................
Title of Thesis Toward.. a. .DiaLcctical..Under standing...of..Power.; Die.tKicb..SonhQgi fee...
..............and. .tbs.. Bis o logy.. of.. the.. Cross.....................................
No. of words in the main text of Thesis P.9.9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
This thesis seeks to demonstrate that a dialectical motif
of power runs paradigmatically throughout Dietrich Bonhoeffer's
theology, finding its ultimate expression in his theology of the
cross. Power and weakness serve as a matrix through which
Bonhoeffer approached life. Thus, what began as an implicit
theological category for him gradually became an intentionally
explicit motif, the terms of which gained their meaning increas
ingly according to Luther's theologia crucis.
By examining how power and weakness manifest themselves
dialectically in his understanding of God, humanity, and sin, one
can see how Bonhoeffer offers a fresh understanding of divine and
human power, and how these concepts gain renewed meaning
methodologically and materially according to Luther's theologia
crucis. Because of this sustained analysis of the meaning of
power in Bonhoeffer's theology, we then examine his notion of the
"arcane discipline" as a viable model for power in contemporary
theology. Having ascertained the meaning associated with
Bonhoeffer's dialectical concept of human and divine power, the
ethical ramifications of his theological concept are discussed.
In so doing, Bonhoeffer's novel definition and model of power
yield a new theological and ethical language from within its
overa11 structure.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This project has been one in which several people have
played a significant role, and I am grateful for the diverse ways
friends and colleagues have contributed to it.
I thank Dr. Glen Stassen, Professor of Christian Ethics at
the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for encouraging me to
pursue post-graduate work, and for the opportunity to serve as
Teaching Assistant in his Bonhoeffer seminar in 1988.
With deep appreciation I thank Dr. Margaret Farley,
Professor of Christian Ethics, Yale Divinity School, for
providing insight and inspiration on the project and in my
personal formation as a student of Bonhoeffer, and Dr. David
Kelsey, Professor of Systematic Theology, Yale Divinity School,
for helpful insights into Bonhoeffer and for potential avenues
of research.
Dr. Larry Rasmussen, Professor of Christian Ethics at Union
Theological Seminary has been a source of continual encouragement
and practical help, and I am grateful to have participated in his
first Bonhoeffer seminar at Union in the Spring of 1989. I am
indebted to Dr. Rasmussen, particularly because of his work in
the area of power analysis in ethics and his seminal work on the
topic of power and the theologia crucis in Bonhoeffer. I am
grateful to Union Seminary for graciously allowing me access to
the Bonhoeffer Archives on two sustained occasions. The library
staff was very kind and helpful, and I am grateful for their
assistance.
I am extremely grateful to Mr. Eberhard Bethge, Bonhoeffer's
best friend and biographer, for graciously meeting with me in his
3
home in Wachtberg, Germany last November to discuss my particular
interests in Bonhoeffer and for granting permission to reprint
the summary of our discussion. His insights proved invaluable
and helped to sharpen the focus of the thesis.
I am deeply grateful to the faculty and staff at New
College, Edinburgh for allowing me to pursue my doctoral studies
within the auspices of their fine facilities the past four years.
Although he has now joined the faculty at Princeton Theological
Seminary, I would like to thank Dr. Bruce McCormack for his
encouragement and support, and for helping get the project off
the ground. Dr. Ruth Page has served as my first supervisor, and
I extend to her deep thanks and gratitude for her insights,
guidance and support throughout the project. Finally, the staff
of New College Library, Norma, Paul, and Judith in particular,
have always amazed me with their gracious assistance and winning
smiles. I am grateful for their incomparable spirit as much as
their unflagging aid.
I have been fortunate beyond measure during my tenure at New
College, for I was the recipient of an Overseas Research Scheme
as well as a Postgraduate Studentship during my first three years
of study. These scholarships are much coveted among post
graduate students, and it is with deep, heart-felt thanks that
I extend my appreciation to New College and the Post-Graduate
Studies Committee for affording me the opportunity to complete
my studies in this way. Because of an annual research allowance
granted by the Studentship, I was provided the means in 1991 to
travel to Union Theological Seminary to make use of their
archives, to return in 1992 in order to deliver a paper at the
Sixth International Bonhoeffer Society Conference, and in 1993
of'.
to conduct the interview of ft- Eberhard Bethge in Germany.
4
Without the funds afforded as a part of this scholarship, these
incomparable opportunities would not have been possible, and I
sincerely thank Ms. Ann McKay and the entire Postgraduate
Studentship Committee for making it all possible.
Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends,
without whose encouragement and help this project would not have
been realized. David and Jenny MacLeod are an inspiration and
have made Edinburgh a special place for many reasons. Arabella
Crum-Ewing and Mike Cowan, both of Edinburgh, have provided
support, encouragement and memories beyond measure. Special
thanks go to Diane Schwab in The Hague, Netherlands for her
sacrificial help as I battled with my computer. Also, Scott
Carrie performed pure magic by rescuing a portion of the thesis
from almost certain disappearance from my computer's memory, and
for that feat I am forever grateful.
Lisa Pruitt, woman extraordinaire and fellow doctoral
colleague, has been a wonderful confidante and inspirational
friend— her interest in the project reflects her selfless
persona, and I am grateful for her comments and support. Libby
Vincent has been a sister soul-mate throughout my time at New
College, and it is with her beautiful spirit in mind that I
happily submit this thesis.
Finally, I thank my family for being just who they are,
helping to sustain me all along the way. To my Dad, Richard
Allen Mason and my sister, Hilary Mason Johnson, and to the
memory of my mother, I give special honor and thanks. To my
mother and father-in-law, Stan and Liz Alford, I have felt their
love and support all along the way, and I thank them.
But there is one person to whom special honor is due, and
that is my husband, Roger Paul Alford. No one but I will ever
5
know the extent of sacrifice on his part that went into this
project, and I cannot come close to expressing my love and
gratitude for the countless ways he helped make this entire
project a reality. This thesis represents the culmination of a
shared vision that has been in the works for over a decade, and
without him, I do not think I would have achieved it. We have
traveled a long road that has taken us to many places and through
many experiences, and it is with the highest respect and deepest
gratitude that I express my love and thanks for his selfless,
sacrificial share in the labor. There is no one else with whom
I would rather have traveled this road, and no one else with whom
I would rather joyfully travel the new paths that lie ahead.
This thesis is lovingly dedicated to Roger Paul Alford.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION .................................................... 10
CHAPTER ONE
Bonhoeffer's Dialectical Understanding of Divine
Power According to the Theologia Crucis
Introduction ............................................. 29
I. Luther's Notion of the Hidden G o d ................... 31
II. Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life and Early Theology:
A Certain Ambiguity (1927-32) 39
A. Influences..................................... 40
B. Sanctorum Communio ............................... 47
C. Act and Being.................................. 56
D. Bonhoeffer's Ambiguous Understanding of God . . 63
III. "From Phraseology to Reality" (1932) 66
IV. The Christology Lectures (1933) 69
A. The Nature of Leadership and It's Authority:
The Concept of Fiihrer............................ 69
B. Christ as Mediator, Center, and Boundary . . . 71
C. Kenotic Christology: Christ the Scandalon . . 75
V. The Cost of Discipleship (1937) 78
A. The C a l l ....................................... 81
B. The Extra Nos Character of F a i t h ........... 85
C. The Paradoxical Use of Language............. 88
VI. Letters and Papers from Prison (1943-45) 102
A. God's Providence in a Situation
of Human Powerlessness .......................... 102
7
B. The Place and Meaning of Suffering
in the Christian L i f e ............................ 105
C. Winning Power and Space in the World
by Weakness........................................ 110
Conclusions............................................. 118
CHAPTER TWO
Human Autonomy and the Theologia Crucis:
Toward a Dialectical Understanding of Human Power
Introduction ............................................. 124
I. The Ethics: Human Autonomy Defined in Relation to
the Crucified and Commanding Christ ................. 129
A. An Ethic of Reality: Conformation to the
Crucified Christ ................................. 132
B. Bonhoeffer's Conservative Social Structure
of Authority: Superiority and Inferiority
in his Ethic of Command...................... 141
1. A Conservative Social Structure as
Warrant for Ethical Discourse ............ 141
2. The Object Lying Beyond the Ethical:
'The Commandment of G o d ' ............... 14 6
3. Conclusions Regarding the Terms of Bon
hoeffer's Social Structure of Authority . 153
4. Conclusions Regarding Bonhoeffer's
Christological Ethics in Terms of
Conformation and Command ................... 158
II. Letters and Papers from Prison: Toward a Dialectical
Understanding of Human Power............................ 162
A. Toward a Non-Religious Interpretation:
Bonhoeffer's Concept of Religion .............. 164
1. Karl Barth's Critique of Religion . . . . 169
2. Rudolf Bultmann's Anthropological
Notion of Autonomy and Weakness ......... 175
B. Toward a World Come of Age: the Atheistic
Critique and the Nature of Human Autonomy . . . 185
8
1. Friedrich Nietzsche, the Will to Power,
and a Transvaluation of Values..... 185
2. Ludwig Feuerbach's Concept of Reality
and Anthropological Weakness . . . . . . . 196
C. A Different God at the Heart of Human Autonomy 199
Conclusions...................................... 204
CHAPTER THREE
Bonhoeffer's Ethical Interpretation of Sin:
"Power" in Creation and Fall
Introduction ............................................. 211
I. Luther's Systematic Definition of Sin ............... 213
II. Bonhoeffer's Ethical Definition of Sin:
Middle and B o u n d a r y................................... 215
III. Conclusions Regarding "Power"
in Creation and F a l l ................................... 229
Conclusions............................................. 237
CHAPTER FOUR
A Redefinition and a Model of Power:
The Arcane Discipline
Introduction ............................................. 241
I. The Relationship Between the Non-Religious Inter
pretation and the Arcane Discipline................ 243
II. The Relationship Between the Arcane Discipline
and Ethics............................................... 247
A. The Ultimate and the Penultimate............. 249
B. Conformation to C h r i s t ......................... 252
9
III. Prayer and Righteous Action as a Guarantee of the
Christian Identity of the "World Come of Age" . . . 257
A. Prayer as Limit........... 257
B. The Political Implications of Prayer............ 259
C. Righteous Action in the World: Getting
Terms S t r a i g h t ................................... 2 68
1. The Principle of Vicarious Action. . . . 271
2. New Expressions of "Middle"
and "Boundary"............................... 274
3. "Sharing in God's Suffering
in the World ................................. 277
4. Taking a Second Look at Who God is for
Us Today...................................... 281
IV. Preparing the Way for a New Model of Power.......... 288
Conclusions............................................. 294
CONCLUSION.................................................... 296
APPENDIX I: Interview with Eberhard Bethge ............ 307
APPENDIX II: A New Sequential Division for Ethics . . . 321
APPENDIX III: Prison Letter of 23 January 1944 and
the Poem "The F r i e n d " ..................... 324
BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................. 330
DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY ................................. 337
