Christ the Center

by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Edwin H. Robertson (Translator)

Christ the Center cogently presents the basis of Bonhoeffer’s thinking about Jesus Christ and offers the key to his entire theology. A classic work of Christological thought, both edifying and uplifting, Christ the Center is an enlightening guide to faith and action in uncertain times.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Religion, Christianity, Nonfiction, Faith, Spirituality

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Protestant theologian of Germany, concern Christianity in the modern world; for his role in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, people executed him.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer served as a Lutheran pastor. He, also a participant in the movement of Resistance against Nazism and a member, founded the confessing church. Members of the Abwehr, the military intelligence office planned his involvement, which resulted in his arrest in April 1943 and his subsequent hanging in April 1945 shortly before the end of the war. His secular view influenced very many people.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietric...

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series of lectures given by Dietrich Bonhoeffer early in his career is a mixed bag.  His original lecture notes did not survive.  The book reproduces the lectures through notes taken by Bonhoeffer's students.  The theological content is quite good.  It could hardly be otherwise.  But the presentation is poor and lacking in clarity.  It's obvious that one is reading someone else's notebook.
 
The gist of Bonhoeffer's lectures is that Jesus, the Christ, is the center of all things: creation, history, theology, the Church and the life of the Christian.  That may seem like a given for Christians, but it's important to keep in mind that Bonhoeffer was responding to a German Church that increasingly embraced the ideals of the National Socialist Party.  It was necessary to restore an orthodox Christology to the German Evangelical Church.  The lectures that form "Christ the Center" were a small part of his efforts to steer the Church back to its origins.  
 
Thought not an easy read, I recommend "Christ the Center" as a reminder to today's Church of who Jesus is.  There is a lot of confusion in the world about the Christ, and the Church does not always do a good job of responding to it.  In spite of it's difficulties, "Christ the Center" is a good antidote.  Be prepared to spend a little extra time working through it.  The thread of Bonhoeffer's argument is easily lost on occasion and difficult to pick back up.  But it will reward your efforts if you stick with it.

[J.I. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The text of this book was originally delivered as a series of lectures in Berlin in the summer of '33. It can be found now in Volume 12 of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works Series. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the development of the maturing thought of Bonhoeffer and anyone with a healthy interest in a christology that goes beyond liberal theology to reclaim the real historical, actual Jesus of the biblical text as the Christ of faith. Bonhoeffer accomplishes this feat not in a modernistic willful ignoring of historical criticism or an ignorant by-passing of contemporary philosophical developments but by showing that both liberal theology and philosophical approaches are natural dead-ends in asking the 'how' and 'what' question concerning Christ. Rather, we should ask who Christ is. Bonhoeffer collapses the ontological question into the soteriological: Jesus Christ is Christ-pro-me. Nothing more and nothing less can be said about him.

[Joe Santone · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this collection of notes on Bonhoeffer's christology lectures in Berlin, the reader is taken to "the center and border of his existence" in an encounter with Jesus Christ. The book's purpose is as a summary and introduction to christology (especially Lutheran christology, and its history and interactions with "liberal Christianity"), as well as a summary, defense and exposition of the Chalcedonian definition of the Hypostatic Union. In its exploration of christology, Chalcedon and the various heresies regarding the natures and person of Christ, this book is largely a success. But, it is not a perfect work.

At various points Bonhoeffer makes odd and frustrating blunders (this is, however, to be taken in the context that these lectures were written early in Bonhoeffer's career). At one point Bonhoeffer says that the Bible is useful with its "flaws," but that it must be informed by scholarship. Now, any sensible Christian will agree that textual criticism has contributed much to our understanding of the Bible and its historical and cultural contexts. But Bonhoeffer seems to be saying-- in the midst of making a statement that we may sometimes have to preach on a text that scholarship has "destroyed"-- that the Bible is secondary to the historical method, as if the analysis were superior to the subject being analysed. Bonhoeffer did not realize, perhaps, the transitory nature of textual criticism (as with all the sciences, what is "fact" this morning is silly fiction by dinnertime), and that what was declared corrupt in the text a hundred years ago has been reaffirmed today. After all, what scholar today seriously contends that Jesus did not really exist? But that argument was extremely popular in Bonhoeffer's day.

Another major stumble comes from Bonhoeffer's ecclesiology, which is quintessentially Lutheran. Bonhoeffer views the Church's authority as inept in the modern era-- he attacks modern "ecumenical councils" as hogwash because of a lack of resolve or definition for orthodoxy and heresy-- and seems to believe that the Church's earlier councils (prior to the Reformation, but especially the first seven or so) were really the only decisive ones. It is unfortunate, this digression, because to answer it properly involves an entire ecclesiastical diatribe which would veer completely off of the current subject. It will suffice to say that this view of ecclesiology is fundamentally inept and naturally leads to a poor state of Christian unity and orthodoxy. An arbiter, a decision-maker-- a pope, a bishopric, a Church with Real Authority-- is necessary to avoid these problems which Bonhoeffer accurately outlines.

A third mistake comes to mind, and that is Bonhoeffer's side-swipe mention of Catholicism as "self-redemption." Very little could be further from the truth. I understand that, as a passionate Lutheran, Bonhoeffer would have to justify his Lutheranism in contrast to the Catholic Church (who was it that said, Every Protestant should ask each day why he is not a Catholic?), but the attack was unwarranted and inaccurate. No serious Catholic, apologist or theologian or layman or priest, would claim that the Church is a method of "self-redemption." From excerpts of his much later work, the "Ethics," it seems Bonhoeffer grew out of this sort of tactic, and that is fortunate.

Most disconcerting is one small passage where Bonhoeffer seems to say that Christ's nature had to have some kind of sinfulness to it in order to be really human. The language is unclear and this I again chock up to the unsure process of piecing the lecture together from students' notes. Nonetheless, this is something to mark.

In all, this book is informative and insightful. Part Two is, in my opinion, vastly superior to Part One, but both have their strong merits. Not all the points hit home and not all the logic is quite so fine-cut (I take this not to be the fault of Bonhoeffer but of the dodgy process of putting together his words from scattered notes), but there is enough material of a spectacular nature to make up for the few significant blunders.

[Jon Coutts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a compact, constructive review of Christology that one can't help but wish it was a completed book. But the fact it is pieced together from lecture notes is impressive, not to mention helpful for a theology teacher to see. It is however frustrating that this publication resisted the use of footnotes.

[Janae Epp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonhoeffer is one of my favorite authors. Reading him feels like spending time with an old friend, and I always come away challenged and encouraged by his deep thinking. There’s much I’m not able to catch, but I’m always grateful for the parts that I do! This short book is a reconstruction of some lectures he gave regarding Christology. He provides a robust yet beautiful meditation on the “who” of Jesus Christ, rejecting too much emphasis on the “how.” Good reminders.

[Scott Kohler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the praise in the front matter of this book, I feel like it is wrong to say that I found this book based on Bonhoeffer’s 1932 Christology lectures to be tedious, but I did. The opening section I thought was very dense, even as I think I took away Bonhoeffer’s point, that in Christology we must concern ourselves more with the who question than the how questions that usually dominate discussions of the topic. But most of Part Two is taken up with the How questions, and perhaps I just don’t follow all of the subtleties but it was a bit of a slog.

The last ten pages, though, I think I will return to. There, as he discusses at last the Who question, considering the meaning of Jesus appearing “in the likeness of sinful flesh” and it is quite eye opening. His thoughts about the sinlessness of Jesus and the necessity of the incognito aspect of his life for us (that people did not see him as sinless, nor that his miracles or resurrection are transparent in their meaning) gives me a lot to think about. And I think it opens a window on the way Bonhoeffer’s own mind worked.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume is a compilation of student notes from Bonhoeffer's lectures on christology while teaching at the University of Berlin. While dense and, at times, a mildly laborious read, this collection of notes provides a solid foundation to understanding the great theologian's later writings. Exceptional organization paired with Bonhoeffer's ability to work through metaphysical issues allows the reader to freshly examine faith and one's relationship to Christ.

Overall, thoroughly academic and not as gripping or quotable as his later writings, but necessary for the reader who wants to study Bonhoeffer beyond his usual labels of "radical" and "religionless".

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an amazing survey of Christology, all the more so because it was not written as a book but was reconstructed from student notes after a series of lectures. I really appreciated the parts of section 2 that addressed various heresies as they relate to Christology. I'm not sure I understood everything in the book, but it was a fascinating read nonetheless. One of the key points I take away from this book is that it is more to the point to ask "Who is Jesus Christ?" than to ask "How can Jesus Christ be?". Instead of worrying about problems like the dual nature - the humanity of God and the divinity of man - we should try to understand and know the person of Jesus Christ.

[Norman Styers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a book written by Bonhoeffer, but a reconstruction by one of his students of a course in Christology he gave. The book could benefit from being about twice as long as it is. The text spits out paradoxes faster than G.K. Chesterton, but fails to elucidate them, which makes it hard to grasp just what he is driving at. Still, the book is worthwhile and has some interesting insights.

[Drew Darby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good. I felt that just by engaging in thinking about christology in such a precise way that I got a lot out of the book. My only complaint is that the editing wasn't too great---some weird alternations between American and British spellings, punctuation oddities, etc...

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book seeks to answer the questions "Who is Christ" and it is still very relevant in addressing this question people of faith today. Skim through the first part of Part 2 unless you want a review of ancient Christian heresies, but otherwise a good (and short!) read.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A SERIES OF LECTURES BY BONHOEFFER ON CHRISTOLOGY

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian, as well as a participant in the German Resistance movement against Nazism. He was hung for his part in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. This book contains "reconstructed lectures given by Bonhoeffer in 1933 on the theme of Christology... this is not Bonhoeffer's text---it has been reconstructed from notes by his students."

He states that "christology is the centre of all disciplines. It is the unknown and hidden centre of the university of learning." (Pg. 28) Christ is "the Counter-Logos. Classification is no longer a possibility, because the existence of this Logos spells the end of the human logos. Only the question, 'Who are you?' will do." (Pg. 30) He adds, "In theological terms: it is only from God that man knows who he is." (Pg. 31)

He observes, "the work of Jesus drives me to despair about myself, because I cannot follow his example. But if Jesus is the Christ, the Word of God, then ... I am met in his work as one who cannot possibly do the work he does. It is through his work that I recognize the gracious God." (Pg. 38) He adds, "Christ stands for (our) new humanity before God... There where mankind should stand, he stands as a representative... He is the Church." (Pg. 48)

He suggests that "the content of the addressing Word... is not the uncovering of hidden truths, nor the imparting of a new concept of God, nor a new moral teaching. It is far more concerned with the personal appeal of God to men to assume responsibility." (Pg. 51) He insists, "There is no way from history to the absolute. There is no absolute ground for faith derived from history... There is only the witness of the risen one to himself, by which the Church bears witness of the risen one to himself, by which the Church bears witness to him 'in history.'" (Pg. 72) More provocatively, he says, "Simply stating the sinlessness of Jesus fails if it is based upon the observable acts of Jesus. His acts ... are not sinless, but ambiguous. One can and should see both good and failure in them." (Pg. 109)

Bonhoeffer is of continuing interest to theologians and students from a wide variety of backgrounds; this volume should be similarly popular.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of this went way over my head. It was a bit like reading a second year engineering textbook without having taken any first year courses. Still, there were some delightful sections. And there is also a certain thrill in jumping into unfamiliar waters and letting them sweep you away, even if you don't understand everything.

While Bonhoeffer makes some challenging and controversial statements, I am 100% behind the main idea of his book: namely, that Christ must always remain the center of our Christology. While it sounds like a simple idea, Bonhoeffer shows how we tend to fall into one of two traps: either downplaying Jesus' divinity in order to emphasize his humanity, or downplaying his humanity to emphasize his divinity. There are a variety of socio-cultural and even theological reasons for these heresies. They can be reached through very eloquent reason and logic. But at the end of the day, they fall short because they are asking "what" and "how" questions about Jesus the God-Man, instead of simply asking "Lord, who are you?" Bonhoeffer argues that Jesus is always willing to answer that question through his Word. But he will never be bent toward our need to explain, rationalize, or quantify what has always been a divine mystery. When we try to bend him to our will, he becomes a stumbling block.

Basically, keep asking "who" questions and forget about "what, where, why," and "how." Those questions are answered only when we approach Jesus as a "who" and allow him in on his own terms.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really written by Bonhoeffer. These are class notes from his Christology seminary class, which he taught at the University of Berlin in 1933, then collected by Eberhard Bethge. As a result, it is incomplete, missing the third part.

As one usually finds with Bonhoeffer, there are insightful comments throughout, but here even more than in Life Together, one catches strong whiffs of his neo-orthodoxy which is not a pleasant odor. Particularly frustrating are dialectical statements like this (which in fact mean nothing), "To speak of Christ is to keep silent, to keep silent about Christ means to speak."

So, this is a mixed bag. By no means a classical Protestant or Lutheran presentation of Christology, nevertheless some nice points here and there. I always appreciate Bonhoeffer's criticism of theological liberalism, even if I would never follow behind him down the path he goes to do so.

Probably would not recommend to someone who isn't already deeply discipled in biblical Christology.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very stirring philosophically-oriented theology. This is not the easiest to read (even though it's short) and I wouldn't recommend it as a starting point for Bonhoeffer's work.

That said, it's an outstanding glimpse of the sheer brilliance of a young theologian. Bonhoeffer's argument draws from deep, deep philosophical thinking in portraying Christ as the absolute center of all things (history, eschatology, creation, etc.). I really loved his elucidation of Christ as the "ongoing presence" in the church today, worked out in Word and sacrament. His work on the historical Jesus is similarly brilliant, though a bit more dense in his take-down of ongoing heresies (docetism, Ebionite, etc.)

Bonhoeffer's Christology was extremely important to his overall philosophy/theology/worldview, and this is a very good place to get a glimpse of that work in his early years. It's inspiring and brilliant. It's tragic that it remains unfinished.

[Steve Irby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quarantine-Book #63:

I just finished "Christ the Center," by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Long translator intro to the tune of 26 pp.

"When the church speaks rightly out of a proper silence then Christ is proclaimed," p 27. This book is about what that proclamation is.

Bonhoeffer digs into the Logos and ends up suggesting that our "Who" and "How" questions of the Logos equate to Transcendence (Who) and Immanence (How).

Via this Who and How Bonhoeffer looks as Christ's presence today in the proclaimed Word, sacraments and the Church before moving on to the problematic christologies which lead up to Chalcedon. His ground is to always point to the Who when one asks about the How.

"The question is no longer, 'how can God be the humiliated man,?' but rather, 'Who is the humiliated God-Man?'"

I wish I had read this years ago; I will read it again.

#DietrichBonhoeffer #Bonhoeffer #ChristTheCenter #Christocentric #TheWord #GermanTheologians

[John Funnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just can’t get enough of Bonhoeffer!

A short little book but it took some time to read as you have to digest such profound truth.

Blown away initially by his breakdown of the question “who are you?” The highest question humanity could ask, when asked or Jesus. Bonhoeffer looks at how Jesus answered this question to Pilate.

A break down of the word and sacrament - Christ’s presence and current relationship with the church.

We then read Bonhoeffer’s helpful critique on some heretical views of Christ.

The book closes with the humiliation of the exalted one!

However magisterial Bonhoeffer’s treatment is, part three, the eternal Christ, ends tragically blank! Bonhoeffer was murdered by the Nazi regime before he could finish it!

I will ask him in Heaven what he would have written, although this would be a superfluous act once i see Jesus face to face in all His eternal wonder and glory.

[Harrison Kretzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

God has renewed my mind through these Bonhoeffer lectures on Christology (or the study of study as he would say). When confronted with the God-Man Jesus Christ, we must first ask the question, "Who are you, Lord?" and not "How?" Ohhhh how sanctifying it has been.

Bonhoeffer speaks first on the presence of Christ (in Word, in Sacrament, and in the Church) then he summarizes many different Christological heresies that the church has rejected over the years (Docetism, Ebionitism, Nestorianism, and Subordinationism). These heresies deal with the natures of Christ where the question "How", not "Who?, has been prioritized.

Bonhoeffer quotes A LOT of Luther (like a good Lutheran does I guess) but provides critiques for Luther as well. Since this small book is a collection of lectures, I was trying to imagine sitting and listening to Bonhoeffer teach on Christ. Excellent read!!

[W Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a succint and profound treatment of Christology by one of the greatest theologians of the last century. Bonhoeffer is insistent that Jesus is Christ for us, and that Jesus Christ cannot be objectified or considered in the abstract, but must be encountered as the God-Man who meets us in real history. By walking through the intricacies of negative Christology (i.e., what is off-limits for orthodox Christian theology), Bonhoeffer demonstrates that the question "How?" always leads us into error and contradiction. This leaves the question "Who?", which is the only real question we can ask about Chirst, and the only access point we have for positive Christology.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christ the Center provides an interesting glimpse into Bonhoeffer’s Christology through the notes of his students. His thought process — both in the general way in which he conceptualizes reality and in the specific questions he asks of it and the subsequent answers he finds — is, unsurprisingly, highly influenced by nineteenth-century German idealism, particularly Hegel and Kant. This philosophical tradition has always proven challenging for me, and as a result, I found the work to be somewhat lacking as a theological treatise — though its value as an historical artifact, particularly for those seeking a comprehensive view of Bonhoeffer’s theology, remains unimpaired.

[Ian Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an interesting read that helped me to better understanding who Christ is; however, a majority of the book focused on addressing heresies and reiterating an point made in the introduction. imo you can get a grasp of this whole book's content by just reading the introduction and the last section.

TL;DR - Christ is FULLY Man and FULLY God. The best way to understand Christ is by listening to WHO he says he is and taking him at his word. As you ask questions of "How? How is Christ like this?" you will ALWAYS stray towards some past heresy that fell short.

[Caleb Hallsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

My appreciation for Bonhoeffer continues to grow the more I read about him and his work. This piece is packed with rich Christology that is much needed today, as it was in 1933. The first half is indeed singular with his introduction to Christology and his discussion of Christ as the present One for the church. The second half is still good and helpful, but certainly becomes a bit more precise, intellectual, and often historically located as he discusses the union of the natures in Christ and various heresies (past and present in 1933), which makes this section harder to access.

[Logan Quiring · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was helpful for me in its discussion of heresies and negative Christology, but more so I found it to get bogged down investigating what I feel is appropriately left as mystery to us. It also felt to me that several of the discussions walked the dangerous line of forgetting Jesus’ Jewish context, which was not unknown to that era. Maybe this is all inherent to the field, and I’ve just learned that Christology is not my greatest interest. Regardless, the fact that this book was compiled from various students’ notes and published posthumously should be recognized and commended.

[Joseph Sverker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly interesting christology where there is an emphasis on how Christ as a whole is God and human. But the main point seems to be that what christology should emphasise is the question who. In that way we will move in the right direction rather than thinking too much about how. Or maybe we only get to the question how through the who?
There are also interesting points about the view of the bible in relation to liberal theology. Much food for thought.

[肥啾 H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am reading with discernment. I love many ideas, such as the discussion about silence. For example, I know eyes can convey more information than we expected or assumed, and I know many many things are sent through without a single word spoken. This book mentions this awesome point by saying Christ the Lord is everywhere: in nature, in wildlife, in people’s eyes, in anything that brings the world a better place.

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not Bonhoeffer’s most accessible book, but then again it is pulled together from detailed lecture notes his students made. As usual, the payoff is worth the effort. His concluding section on modern liberalism’s docetic heresy is fascinating, and opens keen insights into American evangelical problems today. His final pages on the incognito Christ are brilliant, leaving one wishing that Bonhoeffer had given these ideas their proper treatment.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the compilation of a series of Bonhoeffer's lectures on Christology in 1930 in Berlin, and not a text written by Bonhoeffer for publication, it gives the unique feeling of being able to sit in on those classes. Outlining the heart of Bonhoeffer's theology, Bethge did an amazing job in putting this together from the notes of various students after the war.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Faith is when the search for certainty out of visible evidence is given up.” (110) it took me a long time to read this book. On the whole it was dense and difficult but throughout were gems like the above quote, so I kept at it. This is not Bonhoeffer’s most accessible book but maybe that’s because the subject is Christology which can be tedious and confusing at times.

[Grant Rhines · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the second part more than the first and while there some great thoughts every once in a while, overall this was a bit more scientific than I’m able to connect with.

Thought his theology was orthodox all the way through and this continued to dismantle some of the extreme accusations against Bonhoeffer—looking at you Universalism.

Overall good, but not one I’d ever clamor to revisit.

[Gary Boschee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the first section - The Pro Me. Bonhoeffer can be a bit boring at times, but here he definitely was not. The first part of part two - The Historical Christ, was a real snooze for me, but the last few pages, on Positive Christology, were very powerful, as they absolutely riveted me.