This study considers the theology and practice of friendship in Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s academic writing, his pastoral work and thought, his involvement in the Abwehr plot, and his prison letters, taking special interest in the influence of Eberhard Bethge on Bonhoeffer and the influence of Bonhoeffer on Bethge. Friendship, as a locus of interpretation, also provides a fresh perspective on other aspects of Bonhoeffer’s thought, including ecclesiology, divine and human agency, eschatology, vicarious representation, concrete ethics and the divine command, politics, freedom, and obedience. Part I of the dissertation investigates Bonhoeffer’s theology before Bethge. In Sanctorum Communio, Bonhoeffer’s doctoral dissertation and first book, friendship is described as a community that is oriented to God’s creation and eschatological future, and the friend can participate in Christ’s redeeming work through ecclesial practices of Stellvertretung. Bonhoeffer’s failed friendship with Helmut Rößler, and his remarks about friendship within the context of his ministry in London and about the relation between ethics and the concrete command, offer insight into his theology of friendship as a political and ecclesiastical phenomenon in the context of the Third Reich. Part II of the dissertation looks at the theological influence Bonhoeffer and Bethge had on one another. At Finkenwalde, we begin to see this mutual influence begin to take shape, where freedom and obedience become part of the foundation of Bonhoeffer’s later concept of the Spielraum, and where we begin to see Stellvertretung, as a practice, take place between them. In the prison correspondence and through the influence of Bethge, Bonhoeffer develops the idea of the “realm of freedom” (der Spielraum der Freiheit), an expansion of Bonhoeffer’s theology of the mandates, where freedom and friendship become part of his understanding of social and political life. Integrating these theological and biographical resources, the study makes the constructive argument that a friend can be a theological Stellvertreter, taking into special account the particularity of the friend and mutuality that is characteristic of friendship. Through this participation in Christ’s redeeming work, its ecclesial location, and its political significance, a friendship can be for others.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study will contribute to the substantial corpus of secondary scholarship on the life, ministry, and theology of the German theologian, church leader, and modern-day martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945). Bonhoeffer’s legacy has also elicited considerable interest in the South African context, concerning a wide variety of themes such as the Confessing Church movement, secularisation, discipleship, confessing guilt, spirituality, and ethics. The critical question articulated by Bonhoeffer predominantly in his Letters and Papers from Prison, namely ‘Who is Jesus Christ, for us, today?’ has been raised by different generations of South African theologians in rapidly changing contexts. This study will concentrate on Bonhoeffer’s own Christology. The focus will be not so much on the significance of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ within a particular social context, but on how Bonhoeffer understands the person of Christ. More specifically, the problem investigated in this study is how Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s evolving views on the so-called ‘two natures’ of Christ should be understood. The Nicene confession,’ that Jesus Christ is Lord, that he is ‘truly God’ and ‘of one being with the Father, ’ prompted considerable reflection in Patristic Christianity. One crucial question was how the confession of the divinity of Christ reconciles with the humanity of Jesus of Nazareth portrayed so vividly in the canonical gospels. The formulation of the Council of Chalcedon, namely that one may speak of ‘two natures’ and ‘one person,’ has never been satisfactory and prompted further controversy but remains a point of reference in ongoing Christological debates to this day. The question, therefore, raised: How does Bonhoeffer understand the relationship between the ‘divine’ and the ‘human’ nature of Jesus Christ? This question is pertinent given the consistent Christological concentration in Bonhoeffer’s theology (even to the point of a Trinitarian reductionism), his increasing emphasis on a ‘this-worldly’ understanding of God’s transcendence and his consistent Lutheran intuition that the finite can indeed contain the infinite. Bonhoeffer’s Christology has been the subject of much scholarly interest. There is consensus that his Christology remains not only incomplete but also unresolved. A core problem in this regard is his understanding of the divine nature of Christ – which he assumes but of which he does not offer any full account. This study will contribute to the available literature by exploring Bonhoeffer’s understanding of the ‘two natures’ of Christ based on the primary and secondary research with specific reference to Sanctorum Communio (1927/1963), Act and Being (1930/1996), Christology, Discipleship (1937/1959), Ethics (1955, 6th edition and 2005, new critical edition) and Letters and Papers from Prison (2010). There has been considerable controversy in Bonhoeffer scholarship regarding the continuity and discontinuity in Bonhoeffer’s theological thinking from his student years to his death in 1945. It would, therefore, be wise to allow for Bonhoeffer’s ‘evolving’ views on the ‘two natures’ of Jesus Christ to speak for itself. This study will seek to describe and assess (in terms of Bonhoeffer’s sources and secondary scholarship) Bonhoeffer’s views in each of his main works to trace the developments in his thinking.

[pt] O trabalho caracteriza o dualismo no protestantismo brasileiro. Com base na análise da vida e obra Dietrich Bonhoeffer apresenta estratégias capazes de iluminar a prática da Igreja Batista no país. Primeiramente apresenta- se o problema que instigou a pesquisa: os efeitos prejudiciais do dualismo para a propagação do Evangelho. Afirma-se, também, a necessidade de uma visão integrada do ser humano que resulte em prática e teologia que considerem a inseparabilidade entre mística (vida voltada para o transcendente) e militância (vida inserida e atuante no mundo). Em seguida, trata-se do processo e estratégias pedagógicas de penetração dualista no cristianismo e da formação da teologia e da doutrina batista brasileira. Por fim, o estudo da reflexão teológica e experiência pessoal de Bonhoeffer, procura extrair maneiras de articular as dimensões espiritual e prática da vida cristã e de, assim, informar maneiras renovadas de um proceder cristão que supere o dualismo. Desse estudo, cinco pontos foram tomados como pistas para essa superação: o amor a Deus e ao próximo; a inserção da Igreja no mundo; a Igreja tomada como comunidade viva; a visão ecumênica e a dimensão ética da fé. / [en] This work characterizes dualism in Brazilian Protestantism. Based on an analysis of the life and works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, it presents strategies able to shine some light on the practice of the Brazilian Baptist Church in the country. Firstly, the research problem is presented: the harmful effects of dualism on the spread of the Gospel. The need for an integrated perspective of the human being, one that results in a practice and a theology that consider the inseparability between mysticism (life oriented to the transcendent) and militancy (life inserted and active in the world), is also affirmed. Next, the process and pedagogical strategies through which dualism penetrated Christianity and the formation of Brazilian Baptist theology and doctrine are discussed. Finally, the study of the theological reflection and personal experience of Bonhoeffer aims at gathering ways to articulate spiritual and practical dimensions of Christian life and, therefore, at offering renewed forms of Christian practice that surpass dualism. Out of this study five suggestions are given for overcoming dualism: love for God and the neighbor, insertion of the church in the world, the church taken as a living community, ecumenical vision, and, the ethical dimension of faith.

[pt] Esta dissertação tem por objetivo analisar a vida de Dietrich Bonhoeffer dentro do contexto da Alemanha no início do século XX. A sua vida se desenrolou como um homem que foi movido pela fé e a recepção de um chamado divino no mundo. Nos primeiros capítulos o leitor é situado nos anos iniciais de Dietrich Bonhoeffer, seu nascimento e a sua família. Em seguida são relatados sua formação teológica e seus primeiros passos no ministério pastoral. O texto continua com à ascensão do partido nazista e sua consolidação no poder, assim como o uso do aparelhamento do Estado alemão para aliciar as igrejas de diferentes confissões para a prática da doutrinação nazista. É abordado a teologia do Reich, a sua forma e a movimentação política, como o induzimento ao alemão comum a entender a raça ariana como superior a outros grupos e uma visão deturpada do evangelho. É exposta a resistência de Dietrich Bonhoeffer tratada em três frentes amplas que estão diluídas pela dissertação. Uma resistência teológica: que com seus sermões nos diferentes púlpitos, na rádio, na rua, dentro da sua família, e até no encarceramento contribuíram ao enfrentar Hitler e o nazismo. Procurou abrir os olhos dos alemães para realmente enxergar o mal que o nazismo representou. Uma resistência eclesiástica: por não aceitar que diversas confissões, incluindo a sua igreja, o parágrafo ariano no luteranismo. Como única saída se desligou da igreja, aceitando o convite do pastor Niemöller para dirigir um seminário totalmente à margem do Estado Alemão, para iluminar as jovens mentes a resistir ao mal que a imperava. Uma resistência política: Bonhoeffer levou informações para os seus aliados na Inglaterra através do bispo George Bell que foi o seu contato. Também participou de uma operação para a retirada dos judeus da Alemanha para à Suíça. Ele estava envolvido em um círculo de resistência com a finalidade do assassinato de Hitler. Como cidadão expressou sua atividade política daquilo que acreditava ser o certo e o ético a se cumprir como cristão. Por último é apresentado a sua prisão, os anos finais que contribuíram para o amadurecimento teológico e o crescimento da sua fé. A sua morte é tratada no texto como um martírio moderno, mesmo com a existência de contornos políticos. / [en] This Thesis aims to analyze the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer within the context of Germany in the early twentieth century. His life unfolded as a man who was moved by faith and the reception of a divine call in the world. In the first chapters the reader is placed in the early years of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, his birth and his family. Then his theological formation and his first steps in the pastoral ministry are reported. The text continues with the rise of the Nazi party and its consolidation in power, as well as the use of the apparatus of the German State to entice churches of different confessions to practice Nazi indoctrination. The theology of the Reich, its form and political movement are addressed, as well as the induction of the common German to understand the Aryan race as superior to other groups and a distorted view of the gospel. Dietrich Bonhoeffer s resistance is treated on three broad fronts that are diluted by the thesis. A theological resistance: that with his sermons in different pulpits, on the radio, on the street, within his family, and even in prison, he contributed to facing Hitler and Nazism. He sought to open the eyes of Germans to really see the evil that Nazism represented. An ecclesiastical resistance: for not accepting that several confessions, including your church, the Arian paragraph in Lutheranism. As the only way out, he left the church, accepting Pastor Niemöller s invitation to lead a seminar completely outside the German State, to enlighten young minds to resist the evil that reigned there. A political resistance: Bonhoeffer took information to his allies in England through Bishop George Bell who was his contact. He also participated in an operation to remove Jews from Germany to Switzerland. He was involved in a resistance ring for the purpose of assassinating Hitler. As a citizen, he expressed his political activity of what he believed to be the right and ethical thing to do as a Christian. Finally, his imprisonment is presented, the final years that contributed to his theological maturity and the growth of his faith. His death is treated in the text as a modern martyrdom, even with the existence of political contours.

[pt] A presente tese tem por objetivo analisar a teologia pública brasileira, a partir da ética da responsabilidade de Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Nós nos propomos ao seguinte desafio na problemática: em que circunstâncias a ética da responsabilidade bonhoefferiana pode contribuir para a teologia pública brasileira? Para enfrentar tamanho desafio escolhemos na dimensão geral da pesquisa um caminho metodologicamente dialético, à medida que avaliamos amplamente os pormenores da teologia pública brasileira e da ética da responsabilidade bonhoefferiana, alcançamos uma reflexão dialógica e propositiva. De maneira específica, o desenvolvimento da tese será dividido em cinco partes. Na primeira parte faremos uma análise histórica do desenvolvimento da teologia pública brasileira no século XX, abrangendo os diálogos com escolas internacionais de teologia pública e as produções a partir dos institutos de pesquisa e propagação acadêmica, sendo o nosso status quaestionis. Na segunda parte, faremos um recorte conceitual dentro da teologia pública brasileira, esse recorte se desvelou após a reflexão sobre o papel da teologia na sociedade e o seu diálogo com a esfera pública. Definimos essa sistematização como teologia da cidadania. Na terceira parte, nós nos debruçamos sobre a vida e obra de Dietrich Bonhoeffer, evidenciando o vívido entrelaçamento entre teologia e prática de vida. Na quarta parte, faremos um recorte conceitual de sua teologia, no caso a sua ética da responsabilidade, a partir de textos selecionados. Por fim, iremos propor um diálogo para avaliar caminhos e desafios entre a teologia da cidadania e a ética da responsabilidade bonhoefferiana. Como resultado, este trabalho espera trazer pontos de contato que privilegiam ações teológicas ético/responsáveis na sociedade em prol do bem comum e valorização do ser humano. / [en] This thesis aims to analyze Brazilian public theology, based on Dietrich Bonhoeffer s ethics of responsibility. We propose the following challenge in the problem: under what circumstances can Bonhoeffer s ethics of responsibility contribute to Brazilian public theology? To face such a challenge, we chose a dialectical methodological path in the general dimension of the research, as we broadly evaluate the details of Brazilian public theology and Bonhoeffer s ethics of responsibility, reaching a dialogic and propositional reflection. Specifically, the development of the thesis will be divided into five parts. In the first part, we will carry out a historical analysis of the development of Brazilian public theology in the 20th century, encompassing dialogues with international schools of public theology and productions from research institutes and academic propagation, being our status quaestionis. In the second part, we will make a conceptual cut within Brazilian public theology, this cut unfolded after reflecting on the role of theology in society and its dialogue with the public sphere. We define this systematization as theology of citizenship. In the third part, we delve into the life and work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, highlighting the vivid interweaving between theology and life practice. In the fourth part, we will make a conceptual cut of his theology, in this case his ethics of responsibility, based on selected texts. Finally, we will propose a dialogue to evaluate paths and challenges between the theology of citizenship and Bonhoeffer s ethics of responsibility. As a result, this work hopes to emphasize points of contact that privilege ethical/responsible theological actions in society for the common good and the valorization of the human being.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T12:20:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Adriani Milli.pdf: 1717178 bytes, checksum: ab4d894d16acfce757d4d059aa126d04 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-12-16 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The critique of religion is a recurrent theme on modern thought and appears even in the theology of this period. In this context, the present study focus on the comparison of the critique on religion in Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonheffer s thought. Therefore, the dissertation is organized in four main parts. Initially, it s done a contextualization of the western conception on religion and it s modern critique, including the theological ambit. Next, it s describe the conception and the critiques of religion on Barth and Bonhoeffer`s thought. Finally, a comparison it s made between both authors, on which delineate approximations and dissimilitudes of the critiques on religion of this two theologians. In a broad way, these two critiques indicate distortions of Christianity and proposals of restorations. As a key to comparison is the perception that Barth criticize religion on the perspectives of revelation, whereas Bonhoeffer makes his criticism on the perspective of life.(AU) / A crítica da religião é um tema recorrente no pensamento moderno e aparece até mesmo na teologia desse período. Nesse contexto, o presente estudo procura comparar a crítica da religião no pensamento de Karl Barth e Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Para tanto, a dissertação está organizada em quatro partes principais. Inicialmente, é feita uma contextualização da concepção ocidental de religião e sua crítica moderna, inclusive no âmbito teológico. A seguir são descritas a concepção e a crítica da religião no pensamento de Barth e Bonhoeffer. Finalmente, é realizada uma comparação entre ambos, que procura delinear aproximações e distanciamentos da crítica da religião desses dois teólogos. De maneira ampla, as duas críticas apontam distorções do Cristianismo e indicam propostas de restauração. Como chave geral de comparação está a percepção de que Barth critica a religião n a perspectiva da revelação enquanto Bonhoeffer faz sua crítica na perspectiva da vida.(AU)

[pt] A contribuição de Dietrich Bonhoeffer para a teologia do século XX é imensurável pela sua dedicação pastoral à igreja cristã, bem como pelo empenho e rigor acadêmico e teológico. O mártir luterano é o tema principal dessa dissertação, principalmente no que concerne ao seu pensamento sobre a esperança. Fez-se, pois, uma exposição da sua biografia, a fim de se perceber o quanto o contexto histórico e social é importante para suas obras e posicionamentos, e que já evidencia a perspectiva escatológica latente do autor. Em seguida, a apresentação de temas fundamentais da teologia de Bonhoeffer, como a eclesiologia e cristologia, serve de base para se definir a esperança que se faz presente, ainda que de forma secundária, nos seus escritos. Por fim, define-se o tema da ética do discipulado como a esperança bonhoefferiana, por ser o modo próprio do ser cristão, fundamentada nos conceitos de penúltimo, último e preparação do caminho. Todos estão presentes em Ética e moldam o pensamento teológico do autor, que traz a escatologia, como o último, para o presente, penúltimo, isto é, que apresenta o ethos cristão – discipulado – como a preparação do caminho para a volta do Nazareno. / [en] Dietrich Bonhoeffer s contribution to 20th century theology is immeasurable, for his pastoral dedication to the christian church as well as his academic and theological commitment and rigor. The Lutheran martyr is the main theme of this dissertation, especially regarding his thinking about hope. Therefore, an exposition of his biography was made, in order to understand how important the historical and social context is for his works and positions, and which already shows the latent eschatological perspective of the author. Then, the presentation of fundamental themes of Bonhoeffer s theology, such as ecclesiology and christology, serves as a basis for defining the hope that is present, albeit in a secondary way, in his writings. Finally, the theme ethics of discipleship is defined as the bonhoefferian hope, as it is the proper way of being a christian, based on the concepts of penultimate, ultimate and preparation of the way. All are present in Ethics and shape the author s theological thought, which brings eschatology, as the ultimate, to the present, penultimate, that is, which presents the christian ethos - discipleship - as the preparation of the way for the back from the Nazarene.

This thesis aims to contribute to an answer to the question, “What would a philosophy, and more specifically, an ethics, based on Christ, look like?” My first contention is that we find, in the ethical thinking of Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, two particularly radical and complementary attempts to point toward Christ as the basis or foundation of any genuine ethics. What sets the views of Barth and Bonhoeffer apart from many of the other philosophical and theological approaches to ethics, is the extent to which they seek to take seriously the ethical implications of the gospel – the revelation of God's grace in the Word and work of Jesus Christ – for ethics. My second contention is that, even if we follow neither Barth nor Bonhoeffer in the detailed outworking of the character of a Christologically grounded ethics, we nevertheless cannot avoid facing the radical challenge each of these men poses, in their own related but distinct ways, that in thinking about ethics we must take Christ as our standard and foundation. In the first two chapters, on Barth and Bonhoeffer respectively, I identify the structure and content of their arguments and display their textual basis in the texts most relevant to the topic, namely Barth’s Church Dogmatics and Bonhoeffer’s Ethics. I also present an outline of the character of a Christologically-grounded ethics as each of these theologians derives it from its Christological basis. In the third chapter I examine the cogency of their arguments.

This thesis aims to contribute to an answer to the question, “What would a philosophy, and more specifically, an ethics, based on Christ, look like?” My first contention is that we find, in the ethical thinking of Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, two particularly radical and complementary attempts to point toward Christ as the basis or foundation of any genuine ethics. What sets the views of Barth and Bonhoeffer apart from many of the other philosophical and theological approaches to ethics, is the extent to which they seek to take seriously the ethical implications of the gospel – the revelation of God's grace in the Word and work of Jesus Christ – for ethics. My second contention is that, even if we follow neither Barth nor Bonhoeffer in the detailed outworking of the character of a Christologically grounded ethics, we nevertheless cannot avoid facing the radical challenge each of these men poses, in their own related but distinct ways, that in thinking about ethics we must take Christ as our standard and foundation. In the first two chapters, on Barth and Bonhoeffer respectively, I identify the structure and content of their arguments and display their textual basis in the texts most relevant to the topic, namely Barth’s Church Dogmatics and Bonhoeffer’s Ethics. I also present an outline of the character of a Christologically-grounded ethics as each of these theologians derives it from its Christological basis. In the third chapter I examine the cogency of their arguments.

Thesis (B.A.)--Wheaton College, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.