Who am I?: Bonhoeffer's Theology through his Poetry

Description

It has often been noted that poetry is a particularly suitable medium when it comes to understanding the connection between theology and biography. Needless to say that this is particularly exciting in the case of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the poems he wrote during his imprisonment by the Nazis. Although any one of his ten poems should be read within their respective historical and biographical context, they are also rounded, self-sufficient pieces of work that cannot be 'explained' by the biographical and theological prose that surrounds them. They rather serve as a sort of creative and perhaps sometimes even critical interlocutor to these contexts. This is why the contributors to this volume have not been asked to explain the poems but to facilitate this conversation: the conversation between the reader and the poems, between the individual poems as well as between the poems and Bonhoeffer's life and his theology. These poems lend themselves ideally as an entry point into Bonhoeffer's theology, in that each one of them resonates with a particular central theological concept that Bonhoeffer was developing in his prison years. Themes and concepts such as "friendship", "religion", "identity", "freedom", "representative action" and others are not only represented in these poems but often expressed in the dense and compelling fashion that only poetic language affords. As such, they deserve the thorough and imaginative engagement of the international line-up of first-class theological authors gathered in this book.

Bernd Wannenwetsch is Lecturer in Ethics at Harris Manchester College in the University of Oxford, UK.

'Whoever contemplates Bonhoeffer's prison poems gains unique insights in the life and work of this great theologian. Bernd Wannenwetsch and the contributions in this collection offer such insights now to the English speaking world. The eleven studies on the theological poetry of this truly ecumenical martyr will enrich international scholarship with new theological inspirations on what it means to be a Christian today.' - Jurgen Henkys, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany -- Jurgen Henkys "I've been waiting eagerly for this book, and I wasn't disappointed...The kind of close reading modelled in these essays is unfortunately rare in contemporary theology; and the essays show that our own theological horizons can be extended through such a discipline of slow, attentive reading...this whole collection is an exciting, creative, tightly focused exploration of Bonhoeffer's poetry and theology. It's not only an invaluable contribution to Bonhoeffer studies; it also contributes significantly to contemporary conversations about ecclesiology, ethics, politics, and human identity." http://faith-theology.blogspot.com/2009/10/who-am-i-bonhoeffers-theology-through.html, 2009 'A worthy and timely contribution to Bonhoeffer studies in English and one that opens up fresh perspectives."Expository Times, July 2010 'Of the many graces which Bonhoeffer possessed, his gift for poetry is perhaps the least recognised, even though his verse illuminates much about him and his thought. As they contemplate Bonhoeffer's poems, these essays conduct their readers towards some of his deepest life-experiences and theological commitments, and show once again how much he continues to astonish, move and instruct us.' - John Webster, King's College, Aberdeen Scotland, UK -- John Webster