Theologische Beiträge 21/4 (2021)
N. T. Wright (Übersetzt von Daniel N. Herrmann), "Die Bibel und christliche Mission," 239–249
The article argues that the Christian Bible hinges on Jesus. It looks forwards from his complex achievement to the ultimate establishment of his universal lordship, and to the tasks for which, in anticipation of that end, he commissions his followers and equips them by his Spirit. It looks back to the biblical narratives of creation and covenant, of Adam and Abraham, of Moses, David and the prophets, seeing there the deep roots both of Jesus‘ own work, present and future, and of the church‘s tasks in the interim. The Bible thus constitutes the God-given narrative within which the church discerns its vocation and orders its life. The first Christians did not suppose that their fresh readings of Israel‘s scriptures were identical to those on offer among their Jewishcontemporaries, though there are similarities and analogies. But they claimed that once they saw the events concerning Jesus as the goal towards which the scriptures had been tending they saw not only a deep coherence in the Bible itself but a fresh vision of how those same scriptures, with their tantalising glimpses of a glorious ultimate future, were to be fulfilled. The events concerning Jesus form a coherent whole, despite modern tendencies to break them up, whether into scattered fragments of early Christian reflection or into the two large (and to modern eyes somewhat contradictory) themes of ‘kingdom‘ and ‘cross‘. For clarity‘s sake the article separates the different strands of kingdom, cross, resurrection, ascension, second coming and the gift of the Spirit, concluding with an all-embracing reflection on the underlying theology of Temple and Creation.
E. J. David Kramer, "Mission in der Endzeit. N. T. Wrights Eschatologie und missionarische Ekklesiologie," 250–266
By interpreting the end times as commencing in the New Testament period, N. T. Wright locates the church’s mission within an eschatological framework. This article traces the contours of both the past and future dimensions of Wright’s eschatology and recognizes its linchpin in Jesus’ crucifixion and new-creation-inaugurating resurrection. A portrayal of Wright’s eschatologically conditioned missionary ecclesiology follows, focusing on his understanding of the gospel as the proclamation of Jesus’ lordship, his vision for the church’s mission, and his political theology. Finally, the author suggests that Wright’s work is conducive to a missionally focused biblical theology which challenges the church to live in anticipation of the new creation.
Florian Förg, "„Versiegle nicht die Worte der Weissagung“. (Apc 21,10): Apokalyptische Texte verstehen und predigen.," 267–279
Apocalyptic texts expect the visible kingdom of God to come and thus divide time into two eons. Besides, they distinguish between an earthly and a transcendent reality. Being pseudonymous in authorship, they share a global, sometimes cosmic horizon and expect a ruler who is coming down from God’s heavenly realm. – The exegete should put effort in studying how the text reuses earlier scriptures, motifs, and symbols, and try to understand the historical context as much as possible. – The main focus in preaching apocalyptic texts should be to convey hope to the listeners.
Reiner Braun, "Warum der Bibliolog viel Raum verdient, wenn es um die Vermittlung von Bibeltexten geht. ," 280–290
Among the didactic methods of biblestudy, the bibliodrama (German: "Bibliolog") is of special importance because it is oriented towards biblical and Jewish forms and stands for a unity of form and content. This is shown in particular by the parallelism membrorum. The bibliodrama is particularly close to the "core business" of the church and may become a unique selling point, opening up future perspectives for the church.
