OVERVIEW
Dietrich Bonhoeffer has become a popular subject of interest and, for the same reason, an often misunderstood or narrowly defined figure. His political resistance and ecumenical work have driven popular perception, but those who read Theological Education at Finkenwalde: 1935–1937 realize that Bonhoeffer was first and foremost a Lutheran pastor. Despite the deeply troubling Neo-orthodox elements in some of his works, the personal and professional writings in this volume reveal Bonhoeffer’s distinctly Lutheran thought and teaching emphasis. This publication, the 14th installment of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Works from Fortress Press, is the first opportunity for English readers to hear Bonhoeffer’s voice as a seminary professor—to overhear his heart for shepherding under the cross.
Theological Education at Finkenwalde: 1935–1937 contains Bonhoeffer’s personal correspondence, educational material, and pastoral writing from the period in which Bonhoeffer was serving as seminary director for the Confessing Church, a group of Lutheran dissenters to Hitler’s Reichskirche, or State Church. The book is quite accessible with an “Editor’s Introduction to the English Edition” that provides sufficient historical background to prepare any pastor to appreciate the primary source material.
The primary source material is laid out in three main sections that chronologically trace a category of Bonhoeffer’s material through his five sessions at Finkenwalde. Part 1 contains his letters and other personal documents. Part 2 contains his academic lectures, exercises, and essays. Part 3 contains his sermons, meditations and Bible studies from the period. I would also suggest reading the translated “Editor’s Afterword to the German Edition” on pages 971-1014 before diving into the three main sections as it provides additional direction and clarity. It concludes with some interesting appendices, biographical material, and indexes. I appreciated the list of hymns cited, the list of the literature used by Bonhoeffer, and an index of scriptural references.
REVIEW
Part 1: Letters and Documents
The beginning of this section records Bonhoeffer’s ecumenical efforts on behalf of the Confessing Church. Bonhoeffer insisted that the Confessing Church be recognized as the only legitimate “church of Jesus Christ” (124) in Germany on theological grounds. He fought for the validity of the Confessing Church even as dissentions arose from within it (215). The letters provide a powerful reminder that the strong synodical fellowship, authority, and accountability for doctrine we often take for granted in WELS are rare.
Bonhoeffer cares deeply about his pastoral candidates and their ability to shepherd under the cross. He encourages those who have graduated to conduct home visits and remain diligent in Scriptural meditation and study. His passion for God’s Word is obvious. He writes to his brother-in-law Rüdiger Schleicher:
“Let me first admit quite simply: I believe that the Bible alone is the answer to all our questions, and that we merely need ask perpetually and with a bit of humility in order to get the answer from it…if it is God who says where he is to be found, then it will probably be a place that is not at all commensurate with my own nature and that does not please me at all. That place, however, is the cross of Christ…Precisely this, however, is the message of the Bible, not only in the New but also in the Old Testament…Every other place outside the Bible has become too uncertain for me. There I am always afraid of encountering my own divine Doppelgänger. (166-170)
Part 1 includes his first string of letters exchanged with his good friend and biographer Eberhard Bethge, as well as an interesting exchange with Karl Barth. We also get an impression of the difficulties facing Bonhoeffer’s newly trained pastors and the sad state of the churches to which they were sent. One writes to him about an average of 1.5 people coming to church out of his village of 600. He took to walking the main street in his vestments to remind the parishioners it was Sunday (192-4). In a circular letter, Bonhoeffer writes: “To the extent one can even speak about it, there is no spiritual life in these congregations. And then to be completely alone. May God give all those brothers in similar situations the strength to be patient and to endure, but also the joy of missionaries” (214).
The correspondence of the final two sessions at Finkenwalde, especially, reflects the danger that faced the Confessing Church after Himmler’s Edict. Documents include the Gestapo’s order to shut down the seminary in Finkenwalde, the Berlin university’s notice of Bonhoeffer’s teaching ban, Bonhoeffer’s letter to the parents of Gottfried Beckmann who had been imprisoned, and finally a letter to his father: “…we can’t allow ourselves to worry about whether as a result of Himmler’s edict I may meet the same fate hundreds of others already have. We will not be able to persevere on behalf of the church without making sacrifices…Certainly none of us is particularly keen on going to prison, but if it does happen, then—at least I would hope—we will do so with joy precisely because the cause is worthwhile” (320-321).
Parts 2 & 3: Academic Lectures, Practical Exercises, Sermons, and Bible Studies
What would you cover if you had to condense a seminary curriculum into six months? Bonhoeffer focused on New Testament study, homiletics, and pastoral care. The editors are again meticulous in their incorporation of many details from outlines, fragments, and student notes. Details in the footnotes give the reader a rounder understanding of Bonhoeffer’s teaching style and lecture content.
The lessons and sermons reveal Bonhoeffer as distinctly Lutheran. Among the beginning lectures is a course on the Augsburg Confession. His lectures and essays constantly converse with Scripture, especially the cross of Christ. He demonstrates a strong grasp on Luther’s writings. Bonhoeffer’s favorite themes are the Church, discipleship, and preaching.
The New Testament study focused on the Sermon on the Mount, the Visible Church, sanctification and ethics in Pauline epistles, and congregational development and discipline in the New Testament. Bonhoeffer clearly grounds sanctification in justification and repeats “being in Christ” as the space of the Christian life. He is concerned with the power of the keys and the concrete action of a Christian.
The lessons on homiletics show Bonhoeffer’s commitment to the text. He suggests at least 12 hours preparation, including repeated reading of the text, prayer, questions, and exegesis. He says that the text should provide the structure of the sermon and warns against pulpit orations and introductions. “Get in people’s faces with the text” (496). “The quality of a sermon is attested if the congregation opens up the text again.” Bonhoeffer also warns about adopting another preacher’s style of speaking. His utmost concern is for truthfulness in delivery and confidence in the Word. “Good preachers acquire their own style, it happens quite involuntarily…The word of God is itself the exclamation point that we do not need to add” (506).
Above all, these lectures and exercises reveal that Christ dominated his homiletic. For Bonhoeffer, Christ is not just the center of the sermon, the incarnation lends the sermon an almost sacramental sense: “The sustaining witness of Christ is the foundation…Passing by the sermon means: passing by Christ. The word is something real; there is a sacramentum verbi” (514).
His concern for pastors is evident again in a section called “After the Sermon,” included in all five sessions. “After a sermon, the pastor himself is in need of pastoral care” (508). He calls for the pastor to converse with those near to him about the sermon and to speak and pray with brothers about sermons. He warns against doubting the effectiveness of proclamation even if the pastor may feel emptied himself. He also suggests going over the sermon text devotionally on Sunday evening to guard against allowing the finished sermon to become an accomplishment.
Bonhoeffer preaches what he practices in homiletics. For instance, two sermons on Psalms bookend Part 3 and in each Bonhoeffer takes us through the entire Psalm verse by verse. The sermons are direct. He centers on Christ and makes most applications to the “we” of the church. His Bible studies in Part 3 take the form of lectures that would subsequently be studied and discussed, making them difficult to assess. His studies include King David, Ezra and Nehemiah, Scriptural Meditation, and the Letters of Timothy.
RECCOMENDATION
Theological Education at Finkenwalde: 1935-1937 naturally commends itself to pastors. You do not need to be well-versed in WWII history or Bonhoeffer’s books to appreciate the material. In some ways, an uninitiated reader may especially benefit to hear Bonhoeffer’s voice as a pastor and professor before they attempt to assess opinions on his political involvement or theological critiques.
At the end of the first session Bonhoeffer wrote to his students: “The summer of 1935 was, I believe, the most fulfilling period in my entire life thus far both professionally and personally… by living together with all of you I learned more than ever in both respects” (119). Attending the written seminary of Finkenwalde was a profound blessing, enriching me personally and professionally as well. Here, I was privileged to delve into our Confessions, refine my catechism lessons, explore the art of homiletics, address the challenges of pastoral care, and reflect on discipleship under the cross of Christ. These blessings await every pastor who attends Bonhoeffer’s seminary.