Bultmann

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A German theologian known for his work in demythologizing biblical texts and contemporary Christian thought
2. A prominent figure in 20th-century theology, focusing on existentialism and the relationship between faith and modernity
3. An influential scholar whose interpretations aimed to reconcile Christian faith with modern philosophical concepts and cultural contexts

Etymology: Rudolf Bultmann (1884–1976) was a German Lutheran theologian, and his surname entered English only as the name of a person, so there is no older word behind it to trace. Bultmann's own name comes from German, and "Bultmann" is a surname of the kind formed from a personal or occupational element with the suffix "-mann," meaning "man." Its first element is not a dictionary word in modern German, so any firm claim about its exact meaning would be speculation. The reason the name is known beyond German churches is his program of demythologizing. In a 1941 essay, Bultmann argued that the New Testament was written in a mythological worldview of heaven, hell and supernatural intervention, and that modern readers needed to interpret its message existentially, in terms of human self-understanding, rather than accept those cosmological images literally. The idea spread widely and gave "Bultmannian" and "Bultmannian" style its place in twentieth-century debates about scripture and faith.