Faith as Self-Understanding: Towards a Post-Barthian Appreciation of Rudolf Bultmann

Abstract:  The tradition of post-Barthian systematic theology has consistently criticized Rudolf Bultmann's doctrine of faith. Following Barth's critique, contemporary theologians have argued that Bultmann's concept of faith as self-understanding undermines the reality of God and reduces theology to anthropology. This article argues that such arguments rest on a misreading of Bultmann. Far from anthropologizing theological knowledge, Bultmann identifies faith with self-understanding precisely in order to maintain the distinctiveness of God's reality. According to Bultmann, the locus of all true knowledge of God is the living christological event of divine–human encounter in which God is both related to and differentiated from humanity. This conception of God and faith remains relevant, and it offers valuable resources to theological reflection today.