Bethel Confession

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The Bethel Confession is a Lutheran confession in the church struggle, which was drawn up in Bethel in August 1933 by a working group in which Hermann Sasse and Dietrich Bonhoeffer played a leading role . In addition, Georg Merz , Wilhelm Vischer and, as strategist and editor, Gerhard Stratenwerth (1898–1988) worked on the first draft .

history

Friedrich von Bodelschwingh sent the first draft to a number of 20 Protestant theologians (including Karl Barth , Hans Asmussen , Paul Althaus , Karl Heim , Adolf Schlatter , Hans Ehrenberg , Ludwig Steil and Wilhelm Zoellner ) with a request for expert opinions. When the reports came in, it quickly turned out that the confession was not suitable as an all-Protestant document against the German Christians . For many it was too Lutheran, others missed a clear position against Karl Barth's theology.

For various reasons, Sasse and Bonhoeffer then withdrew their support for the project. A version revised by Martin Niemöller was published anonymously , but it was no longer supported by the original main authors.

content

The Confession is divided into six main articles and presents the teaching of the Church both positively and negatively against popular heresies of the time:

  • I. From the Holy Scriptures
  • II. What is the Reformation?
  • III. Of the Trinity of God
  • IV. Of creation and sin
    • 1. Creator belief and natural knowledge
    • 2. The orders
    • 3. The law
    • 4. Sin
  • V. Of Christ
  • VI. From the Holy Spirit and from the Church
    • 1. Of the Holy Spirit
    • 2. Of justification and faith
    • 3. a. From the church
    • b. Office and profession
    • 4. Church and people
    • 5. Church and State
    • 6. Church and the Jews
    • 7. The end of all things

Appreciation

Klaus Scholder writes:

At the same time, the Bethel Confession in its first version - especially in view of the great German-Christian awakening of German theology at this time - remains a brilliant, sharp and impressive testimony to what theological work was still able to achieve in the summer of 1933 . Though cumbersome in form, laden with numerous references from the Bible, from Luther and especially from the [Lutheran] confessional writings, this confession was in some places theologically and politically clearer and more precise than the famous Barmer Declaration of May 1934 .

Remarks

  1. ↑ Scholder, p. 579.

literature

  • Bonhoeffer, Dietrich: Kirchenkampf and Finkenwalde: Resolutions, essays, circulars 1933 to 1945 , ed. by E. Bethge, 2nd edition (Munich: Chr. Kaiser, 1965), 80–89 (preliminary remarks by E. Bethges), 90–119 (text of the confession).
  • Bethge, Eberhard: Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Theologe, Christ, Zeitgenosse , 5th edition (Munich: Chr. Kaiser, 1983), esp. 352–356.
  • Gerhard Ruhbach : The Bethel Confession , in: Wolf-Dieter Hauschild , Georg Kretschmar , Carsten Nicolaisen (ed.): The Lutheran Churches and the Synod of Confession of Barmen. Papers at the International Symposium at the Reisensburg 1984 , Göttingen 1984, pp. 57–72.
  • Scholder, Klaus: The churches and the Third Reich 1: Prehistory and time of illusions 1918-1934 , minor. supplementary edition (Frankfurt / Berlin: Ullstein, 1986), 579-582.
  • Christine-Ruth Müller: Confession and Confession. Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Bethel (1933). A Lutheran attempt , Munich: Chr. Kaiser 1989.
  • Eberhard Busch : The Church and the Jews. Wilhelm Vischer's contribution to the so-called Bethel Confession , in: Magdalene L. Frettlöh , Hans P. Lichtenberger (Ed.): God perceive. Festschrift for Christian Link , Neukirchen-Vluyn 2003, pp. 41–52.

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