Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Simone Weil: A Study in Christian Responsiveness

Religions and Discourse #24

by Vivienne Blackburn

The book is the first major study to bring together the two early twentieth-century theologians Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German Lutheran pastor, and Simone Weil, French philosopher and convert to Christianity. Both were victims of Nazi oppression, and neither survived the war. The book explores the two theologians’ reflections on Christian responsiveness to God and neighbour, being the interdependence of the two great commandments of the Jewish Law reiterated by Jesus. It sets out the common ground and the differing emphases in their interpretations. For Bonhoeffer, responsiveness was the transformation of the whole person effected by faith (Gestaltung) , and the responsibility (Verantwortung) for one’s actions which it implies. For Weil, responsiveness was the hope and expectation of grace (attente) reflected in attention , the capacity to listen to, understand and help others. Both Bonhoeffer and Weil faced a world dominated by aggression and horrendous suffering. Both endeavoured to articulate their responses, as Christians, to that world. The relevance of their thought to the twenty-first century is explored, in relation to perspectives on grace and freedom, on aggression, suffering, and forgiveness, and on the role of the church in society. Conclusions are illustrated by reference to contemporary theologians including Rowan Williams, Daniel Hardy, Frances Young and David Tracy.

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Caleb Moore]

At this point in my research, this the only major work done on comparing Bonhoeffer and Weil that I have found. I deeply appreciate the work done within this book and the way it brings to life Bonhoeffer and Weil.

Overall, Blackburn treats both Bonhoeffer and Weil with care and attention (see what I did there???)

The strength within the book come from the authors important working of reading Bonhoeffer and Weil in their original languages. Throughout the book, the ability to describe and break down difficult theories and concepts in English while understanding the writers on a different language level is very helpful for readers like me.

While that is a strong point, there is, for my research at least two major missing pieces. First, the author mentions Bonhoeffer's time at Union as important for shaping his faith, because it grounds him in theological thought. Although not uncommon of a mistake for those writing about Bonhoeffer, especially in early 2000's, the author never mentions Bonhoeffer's experience in Harlem or at least that his trip to America moves Bonhoeffer to act in Germany.

Second, at times, the book treats Weil very differently than Bonhoeffer, because she challenges the Church in strong ways and because she does not enter the church does, the book writers Weil off as not "placing her life in God's hands." While Weil is certainly a complex writers and thinkers, and she struggled to ground some of her thoughts in Christian tradition, just because she explains things in unique ways, especially using Greek thought, does not mean her faith is any less valid than Bonhoeffer. I feel a bit of tension with the way the book attempts to explain Weil and the method the book uses for Bonhoeffer.

All that to say, I'm very pleased to have found this book and will certainly be engaging with it in length for my own thesis comparison of Weil and Bonhoeffer.