Das christliche Gottesbekenntnis. Eine andere systematische Theologie.
Adair-Toteff, Christopher
Das christliche Gottesbekenntnis. Eine andere systematische
Theologie. By Raphael Schulte. Munster: Aschendorff, 2014. Band I:
Prolegomena. Pp. 339; Band 2: Im Anfang erschafft Gott Himmel und Erde
und den Menschen. Pp. 395. 44 [euro]; 48 [euro].
Schulte must have intended his work to be completely different from
other books devoted to systematic theology when he announced its
subtitle: An Other Systematic Theology, and not Another Systematic
Theology. While there is little doubt that it differs from the typical
book devoted to systematic theology, there will most likely be some
confusion over what it really is. Is it a massive biblical commentary or
is it an extremely lengthy sermon? The answer may well be that it is an
uneasy combination of both.
The first volume, the "Prolegomena," seems intended to
lay out the fundamental theme of the book as announced by the title: the
Christian Declaration of God. However, the theme is not expressly stated
but rather is suggested; a detailed examination of the book of Genesis.
The contents of the second volume are indicated by the sentence "In
the beginning God created the heaven and the earth," and it
contains detailed exegesis of each word. But, S. adds "and
man," suggesting that humans will figure prominently in his
narrative. Both volumes have two themes: the first is primarily negative
while the second is mostly positive. The first involves S.'s
disputes with other scholars over their interpretations of the biblical
words and concepts; the second is his discussion of the extended nuances
and various sounds of these same words. These are the words and the
concepts that are found throughout the Bible, but more specifically in
Genesis, and they include the ideas of God, creation, nature, and man.
He takes his point of departure from contemporary theological
encyclopedias and he argues that the authors of the entries on these
terms show a fundamental misunderstanding of them. One would expect that
a Catholic theologian might find fault with the fourth edition of the
Protestant Die Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart but he also
identifies problems with the Catholic Lexikon fur Theologie und Kirche.
S. also takes issue with the Biblischer Kommentar Altes Testament and
even with the standard Brockhaus. His complaints often seem reasonable:
the authors of the entries in these scholarly works appear to be fixated
on the sterile definitions of the words and are not concerned with their
spiritual contexts. S. objects to this type of reading and he maintains
that the Bible cannot be examined in a sterile scholarly manner.
Instead, he insists that it must be listened to. S. reminds us that God
does not provide written concepts and clear definitions, but, instead,
speaks in metaphors, parables, and even riddles. The Bible is not a
textbook but is full of secrets and riddles. It does not contain perfect
paragraphs and logical sentences but is composed of signs, symbols, and
of course, sounds.
S. is concerned with the beginning sentence of Genesis and so he
examines each part. "In the beginning" cannot be considered a
typical beginning and although it may seem "simple and easy"
to understand, it is not. God is also not a normal creator and it is
wrong to think of him as an Aristotelian "First Cause." The
"I am" is not to be taken in the usual sense, and the name
"God" cannot be reduced to an anthropological monotheistic
classification. When we speak about "heaven and earth" we are
talking about the "world" and "nature." But,
"world" is not easy to understand and we need to be clear
about which of the various definitions of "nature" we mean. Is
it nature as "essence," as "world," or as
"telos," as in end or purpose? What is meant by
"man" and what is his nature and purpose? Are we to answer
these questions from our point of view? S. counsels us to look at the
words as they occur in Genesis.
Despite S.'s focus on the Old Testament, his book is filled
with New Testament themes. These include freedom, life, and above all,
love; that is, God created a world with love and with freedom. If the NT
is about rebirth and resurrection, S. believes that the OT is about
birth and life. It is about a "creation," one that is
continuing to happen and has an ongoing "history." It is not a
dead letter that we need to read to comprehend. Instead, it is a living
spirit that we must listen to in order to understand.
The book has a number of scholarly conventions: it is set out
systematically, with divisions and subdivisions as well as footnotes.
But the footnotes are sparse, and often lengthy (some running full
pages). Nor are the indices very helpful (the "Name Index"
comprises only one page that contains fewer than 50 names). There are
additions and appendices that seem like regular reviews of books, but
these are as close as we come to finding a bibliography. In most other
cases the reader needs to guess at the abbreviations for the titles of
the encyclopedias and other books. Yet, for someone who seems to look
down on the conventions of scholarship, S. does it rather well. His
complaints are neither cavalier nor specious. And his arguments are
often persuasive, especially his insistence on the importance of
listening to God.
Given S.'s repeated emphasis on God "speaking," it
seems peculiar that there is almost no mention of mysticism. In
particular, the Rhineland mystics (Meister Eckhart, Johannes Tauler, and
Heinrich Suso) believed in the mystic's need to remain quiet in
order to listen to God, but they also believed in the incredible power
of the spoken and written word. I cannot help but think that there is
another, almost mystical, voice lurking in the background. This someone
also railed against the deadness of scholarship and emphasized the
importance of language--Martin Heidegger. Heidegger is indeed mentioned
once, almost in passing, and as a philosopher. But, we should remember
that Heidegger was educated as a Catholic, began his seminary studies
before leaving because of ill-health, and did seem to have mystical
leanings. Like Heidegger, S. seeks the living voice, not of Being, but
of God. Schulte may reveal everything in the third and final volume;
yet, one is entitled to be somewhat skeptical. S. is evidently not as
concerned with endings as he is with beginnings; he has little interest
in the books of John and Revelation, but has far more interest in Exodus
and Genesis. For those who want a scholarly analysis, S.'s book may
be too subjective and perhaps almost excessively poetic. And, for those
who are looking for inspiration in a sermon it may be too scholarly and
overly long. However, it is a rather well-written book, and even more
crucially, it is devoted to the immense importance of the spoken
word--the words that were spoken in the beginning when God was creating
heaven and earth, and of course, humans.
DOI: 10.1177/0040563915620187
Christopher Adair-Toteff
University of South Florida, Tampa
