Hope in Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the concepts of ultimate, penultimate, and preparing the way

: eschatological tension as the basis for an ethical and responsible action

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7213/2175-1838.15.002.AO02

Abstract

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's contribution to 20th-century theology is immeasurable due to his pastoral dedication to the Christian church and his commitment and academic and theological rigor, which makes his theology widespread and worked on in different ways parts of the world, in an open, ecumenical, and critical way. The Lutheran martyr is the main subject of this article, especially regarding the perception of his thought on hope. As an objective, the article proposes a still little-explored reading of Bonhoeffer in the light of this theme, only approached in a more forceful way in Ethics, more specifically in the concepts of “ultimate”, “penultimate” and “preparing of the way”. Based on these concepts, responsible action is defended as the result of the eschatological tension between the ultimate and the penultimate, that is, the way is prepared for the penultimate to accept their ultimate reality, which will come – it is coming –, and from it gain dignity and worth. From an exploratory and qualitative bibliographical methodology of the author's writings, the work will be divided into three parts, passing through its Christological and ecclesiological understanding to reach hope.

 

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Author Biography

Filipe Costa Machado, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro

Mestre em Teologia PUC-Rio. Doutorando em Teologia pela PUC-Rio. 

Published

2023-08-30

How to Cite

Kuzma, C. A., & Costa Machado, F. (2023). Hope in Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the concepts of ultimate, penultimate, and preparing the way: : eschatological tension as the basis for an ethical and responsible action. Pistis Praxis, 15(2), 301–314. https://doi.org/10.7213/2175-1838.15.002.AO02