The Apostles Creed in Light of Today's Questions

by Wolfhart Pannenberg

The Apostles Creed In Light of Today's Questions [Paperback] [Jun 19, 2000] P...

Genres: Theology, Christianity

186 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Wolfhart Pannenberg, born in Stettin, Germany (now Szczecin, Poland), was a German Christian theologian. His emphasis on history as revelation, centred on the Resurrection of Christ, has proved important in stimulating debate in both Protestant and Catholic theology, as well as with non-Christian thinkers.

Reviews

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delightful and small little book is a succinct and challenging read that not only opens up new readings of the Apostles’ Creed but also serves as an excellent introduction of the theological work of Wolfhart Pannenberg. Pannenberg stands as one of the great theologians of the later 20th century and is well worth reading.



As for this work, the qualifying statement of the title says it all: this book is an exposition of the Apostles’ Creed “in light of today’s questions.” As such, it does not seek to explain what the Apostles Creed meant (if that can be ascertained with any certainty) but what it means today. Paradoxically, Pannenberg’s attempts to shed light on the Creed for today by exploring historical interpretation of the various articles is one of the highlights of the book. In doing so, the Creed is more than an ahistorical document without grounding then and there or here and now. Instead, as a historical document grounded in God’s history and the history of faith, the Christian expression of the gospel moves beyond existentialist interpretation to a witness to the God of history revealed through history.



A second strength of this work is the chapter on the Holy Spirit. In the Apostle’s Creed, discussion of the Holy Spirit is brief – “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” As such, Pannenberg pulls from the other great ecumenical creed of the patristic era – the Nicean-Constantinople Creed of 381 which describes the Holy Spirit as “the Lord, the giver of life.” Using the Old Testament as support the Holy Spirit is the life-giving personal force of the triune God. One way this is expressed is through the resurrection of Jesus Christ and appropriated by the people of God. Pannenberg interprets Paul in such a way that the “spiritual body” of 1 Corinthians 15 (the great chapter on the resurrection of the dead) as “the unique nature of the resurrection life…a life which remains bound to the divine origin of life and which is therefore not delivered over to death but is everlasting, immortal.” So rather than entering into debates about a dichotomous or trichotomous nature of humanity – the spiritual body refers to the work of the Holy Spirit, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, passes the body from death to life.



Ultimately though one’s pleasure in Pannenberg is tied to how much one subscribes to his doctrine of revelation. For Pannenberg God is known through history and is fully revealed in the eschaton. Thus, revelation or supra-natural knowledge of God is known only eschatalogically. Consider: “God creates the world in the light of its latter end, because it is only the end which decides the meaning of the things and beings with which we have to do in the present. All the chances of history therefore devolve upon any given present from their ultimate future, which is, as it were, the ‘place’ of divine creation.” While Pannenberg (and also Moltmann who has a similar program although in a different form) should be commended for drawing the theologian’s eyes to the hopes and promises of God’s future, one wonders whether Pannenberg as underestimated the definitive nature of the revelation of God through the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. While there is an eschatological nature to the revelation of God in Jesus Christ (i.e. the final consummation of the Kingdom) that reality moves outward from the definitive and objective work in Jesus Christ.



However, Pannenberg is consistent in his theological method. Even the “forgiveness of sins” is understood eschatalogically: “Anyone who accepts Jesus as the proclaimer of the rule of God is free from the burden of the past which closes the future of life for him. The forgiveness of sins is, therefore, the consequence of trust in the future of the living God…the forgiveness of sins confers freedom for a complete affirmation of the present moment, of which only the man who can be certain of a fulfilled future is capable.” This begs the question – to what extent is the atoning work of Jesus Christ fulfilled then and there and here and now. It seems to me that Jesus’ cry of “It is finished” suggests a finality of the atoning work of Jesus Christ who found vindication in God’s raising him from the dead. To suggest the forgiveness of sins as a condition of an eschatological hope downplays the finality of Christ’s atoning work.



Overall, this is a wonderful book and well worth the read. I might add that it is instructional and illuminative to read this book simultaneously with Karl Barth’s “Dogmatics in Outline”, which also expounds on the Apostles Creed. In doing so, one better notices the distinct contours of each mans theological work.

[Dorotea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parsing through the sentences that make up the Credo, Pannenberg explores the relatively modern issues that arise. He employs a historical perspective and I believe that the premise of the book is what’s really fascinating – which is why I liked a lot the first chapter, while the rest of it didn’t hold my enthusiasm. I have a rather strong penchant for Barth’s Dogmatics in Outline, which actually teaches the fundamental concepts behind the Credo.

[Bob Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does the Apostle's Creed still matter today? Wolfhart Pannenberg says, "ja" and this little book, The Apostle's Creed in light of today's questions provides some solid reasons for this.

Pannenberg's little book provides an introduction to his theology and his larger project of reconciling reason to faith in the modern world. (Modern here being the early 1970s). We can see the seminal ideas of his larger work Jesus God and Man at play here, especially his emphasis on Christology.

The book serves as a commentary on the modern implications of the Apostle's Creed. While he dips into the 'original' meaning, what is pressing is the modern world and its relation to the creed. Each chapter breaks down a section of the creed in which Pannenberg reflects on ancient Christianity, modern writers, especially Barth and modern philosophy.

Some of the themes that mark this work are the relationship between reason and faith. Faith for Pannenberg is not 'blind' but is the process of reason explaining the cosmos and is based in fact. Christology is the ultimate foundation for the creed (as it is for Pannenberg's theology) and provides the modern reader the entry point to the life of faith. Pannenberg reflects on Jesus' descent into hell as solidarity with the suffering of the world (much like Luther's interpretation) and he points to the eschatological hope of the church.

For Pannenberg, the Creed is not a static statement, but a dynamic reality that one must wrestle with if we are truly to claim the life of faith.

As an introduction, this is a great book for pastors and lay leaders. While some may find it dated, I think the questions he raises are still worth engaging with today.

Grade: A

[Reinhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eine kurze Zusammenfassung von der Theologie Pannenbergs. Keine Einleitung für Einsteiger, sondern ein Werk Theologie organisiert mit dem Apostolischen Glaubensbekenntnis. Jedes Kapitel untersucht eine Phrase des Bekenntnisses. Es fängt an im ersten Kapitel über Glaube. Jeder glaub and etwas. Wir müssen eine Vorstellung über die unsichtbare Welt haben und das benotigt Glauben. Er geht durch jede Phrase schrittweise. Man könnte einen guten Überblick von der Theologie Pannenbergs in diesem Buch bekommen. Er ist nicht so vorsichtig und systematisch wie sein zwanzig Jahre später veröffentlichtes Magnum Opus, aber hier vielleicht mehr persönlich und offen. Definitiv empfehle ich dieses Buch wie alle Werke von Pannenberg. Er hat immer eine klare Einsicht und man lernt immer etwas Neues und Wertvolles.

[Dan Wathen]

First couple of chapters were difficult to work through because of Pannenberg's academic writing style but as I moved through it became more easy to digest. He goes into great depth looking at each line of the creed, giving background and theological context.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pannenberg is sometimes difficult to follow in that his use of language does not always flow in English. Once you get familar with his style, however, it comes easier. This book is no exception. The first few chapters are difficult to follow but once you get into his treatment of the heart of the creed itself, he shines. His ideas regarding the incarnation and the preexistence of Christ, the resurrection and the church are extremely balanced between a historical and modern approach. He breathes new life into the creed that so many of us recite weekly in our worship services. I will definitely be reminded of much of what Pannenberg says about the creed when I encounter it again in worship. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to explore the fundamentals of a Christian faith based upon this historical creed.

[Henry Sturcke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although purported to be written in a prose that is accessible to the interested layman, this takes some concentration and effort to stay with. The result is worth it, though. Perhaps most interesting is his take on the resurrection of Jesus in chapter 4, since it is a useful introduction to one of his central ideas, namely that it was a prolepsis of the Christian hope. This is also indicative of his entire approach, which is that the credo does not have to be defended in the terms in which it perhaps was understood in the fourth or sixteenth century, but is worth reflecting anew in terms of contemporary questions and objections (in this case, primarily those of post WW2 Europeans). Recommended to anyone looking to grapple with the Apostolic Creed.

[T.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this book to anyone seeking to understand theology in light of modern and post-modern issues. The book is organized such that theological subjects are addressed in the order that their expressed in the Apostles Creed. East to read for anyone. Very insightful and thought provoking.