Oswald Bayer
Encyclopedia
Oswald Bayer is a German Lutheran theologian, and is Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at the Evangelical Theological Faculty of the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany
. The author of several books in German, he is also an ordained pastor of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg
and president of the senate of the Luther Academy in Ratzeburg
. Although Bayer is a major contemporary Lutheran theologian, so far little of his work has been translated from German into English.
. His doctoral and postdoctoral work has been titled Promissio. He has also written on the history of the turning point in Luther's Reformation theology.
Oswald Bayer taught from 1974 to 1979 as professor of Systematic Theology at the Ruhr University Bochum. In 1979 he was appointed director of the Institute for Christian Social Ethics at the University of Tübingen. In 1995 he moved to the chair of systematic theology. Since 2005, Oswald Bayer has been Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at the University of Tübingen.
, Johann Georg Hamann
and also the linguistic-related developments of the 20th Century (for example, Paul Ricoeur
, Ludwig Wittgenstein
). He has published numerous interpretations of Luther
and Hamann
.
In the center of his theology is the promise of God to man, while the man responds in faith. Faith is therefore always, to Oswald Bayer, a speech act, an exchange between God and man. The exemplary center of this speech is the Divine Service, the source and destination point of all theology. Christian theology is regarded as justifying the interpretation of this linguistic event between God and the justified sinner. This is for Bayer - in allusion to Martin Luther
- the object of theology (the subiectum theologiae). Theology, which interprets the word occurrence, is itself always the hearer of God's word. This basic, systematic approach has unfolded Oswald Bayer in the areas of hermeneutics, philosophy of science, sociology and ethics.
In his word-theological approach, he pointedly turned against modern subjectivity, theology in the tradition of Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher
, as it represents at present in modified form, for example Bayer's Tübingen colleague Eilert Herms. In addition, Bayer also has enagaged with other contemporary theological and philosophical trends (such as the Marxist) in detail.
Bayer has also published numerous articles that have been translated into English.
Many of these have appeared in journals such as Lutheran Quarterly, Modern Theology, and others.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The author of several books in German, he is also an ordained pastor of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg
Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg
The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg is a Protestant church in the German former state of Württemberg, now the part of the state Baden-Württemberg. The seat of the church is in Stuttgart.It is a full member of the Evangelical Church in Germany , and is a Lutheran Church...
and president of the senate of the Luther Academy in Ratzeburg
Ratzeburg
Ratzeburg is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is surrounded by four lakes—the resulting isthmuses between the lakes form the access lanes to the town. Ratzeburg is the capital of the Kreis of Lauenburg.-History:...
. Although Bayer is a major contemporary Lutheran theologian, so far little of his work has been translated from German into English.
Life
Oswald Bayer studied Protestant theology and philosophy in Tübingen, Bonn and Rome, received his doctorate in 1968 and habilitation in 1970 on the concept of promissio (promise) in the theology of the young LutherMartin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
. His doctoral and postdoctoral work has been titled Promissio. He has also written on the history of the turning point in Luther's Reformation theology.
Oswald Bayer taught from 1974 to 1979 as professor of Systematic Theology at the Ruhr University Bochum. In 1979 he was appointed director of the Institute for Christian Social Ethics at the University of Tübingen. In 1995 he moved to the chair of systematic theology. Since 2005, Oswald Bayer has been Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at the University of Tübingen.
Work
Oswald Bayer's theology is based on Luther's theology of word and promise which he uses to provide a critical engagement with modernity. To this end Bayer builds on the intelligent, critic of KantImmanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg , researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th Century Enlightenment....
, Johann Georg Hamann
Johann Georg Hamann
Johann Georg Hamann was a noted German philosopher, a main proponent of the Sturm und Drang movement, and associated by historian of ideas Isaiah Berlin with the Counter-Enlightenment.-Biography:...
and also the linguistic-related developments of the 20th Century (for example, Paul Ricoeur
Paul Ricoeur
Paul Ricœur was a French philosopher best known for combining phenomenological description with hermeneutic interpretation...
, Ludwig Wittgenstein
Ludwig Wittgenstein
Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein was an Austrian philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. He was professor in philosophy at the University of Cambridge from 1939 until 1947...
). He has published numerous interpretations of Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
and Hamann
Johann Georg Hamann
Johann Georg Hamann was a noted German philosopher, a main proponent of the Sturm und Drang movement, and associated by historian of ideas Isaiah Berlin with the Counter-Enlightenment.-Biography:...
.
In the center of his theology is the promise of God to man, while the man responds in faith. Faith is therefore always, to Oswald Bayer, a speech act, an exchange between God and man. The exemplary center of this speech is the Divine Service, the source and destination point of all theology. Christian theology is regarded as justifying the interpretation of this linguistic event between God and the justified sinner. This is for Bayer - in allusion to Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
- the object of theology (the subiectum theologiae). Theology, which interprets the word occurrence, is itself always the hearer of God's word. This basic, systematic approach has unfolded Oswald Bayer in the areas of hermeneutics, philosophy of science, sociology and ethics.
In his word-theological approach, he pointedly turned against modern subjectivity, theology in the tradition of Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher
Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher
Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher was a German theologian and philosopher known for his attempt to reconcile the criticisms of the Enlightenment with traditional Protestant orthodoxy. He also became influential in the evolution of Higher Criticism, and his work forms part of the foundation of...
, as it represents at present in modified form, for example Bayer's Tübingen colleague Eilert Herms. In addition, Bayer also has enagaged with other contemporary theological and philosophical trends (such as the Marxist) in detail.
Writings in English
A few of Bayer's books have been made available to the English-speaking world.- Living by Faith: Justification and Sanctification. Translated by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003.
- Martin Luther's Theology: A Contemporary Interpretation. Translated by Thomas H. Trapp. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003.
- Theology the Lutheran Way. Translated by Jeffrey G. Silcock and Mark C. Mattes. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007.
- Oswald Bayer, and Alan Suggate. Worship and Ethics: Lutherans and Anglicans in Dialogue. Theologische Bibliothek Toplemann, no. 70. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1995.
- Tillich as Systematic Theologian, The Cambridge companion to Paul Tillich. Russell Re Manning (ed). Cambridge, UK : Cambridge University Press, 2009
Bayer has also published numerous articles that have been translated into English.
Many of these have appeared in journals such as Lutheran Quarterly, Modern Theology, and others.