Bultmannian

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Of or relating to the theological approach developed by Rudolf Bultmann that seeks to reinterpret New Testament mythology in existential terms
2. Pertaining to Bultmann's hermeneutical method of stripping away mythological elements from biblical texts to reveal their existential meaning
3. Characteristic of the theological school founded by Bultmann that attempts to extract the existential message of Scripture from its mythological framework

Etymology: Rudolf Bultmann was a German New Testament scholar who taught at the University of Marburg, where he worked alongside the philosopher Martin Heidegger. Bultmann argued that the New Testament was written in a mythological worldview, with a three-tiered cosmos, miracles, and demonic forces, that modern readers could no longer accept literally. He proposed "demythologizing" the texts: stripping away that cosmology to uncover the existential message underneath, which he read through Heidegger's ideas about human self-understanding. "Bultmannian" is simply the English adjective formed from his name with the suffix "-ian," which attaches to proper names to mean "relating to" or "characteristic of" a person. It describes anything tied to Bultmann's theology or methods, such as his approach to the Gospels or the debates his program sparked. Like many scholarly adjectives of its kind, it is a plain, transparent formation rather than a word with a surprising backstory.