Principles of Orthodox Hermeneutics. II Orthodoxy in the Face of the Interpretations of Bonhoeffer and Bultmann

This article is a continuation of a course by Paul Evdokimov on the principles of Orthodox hermeneutics. It adopts a critical and comparative approach, examining the theologies of Rudolf Bultmann and, in the background, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in order to then identify the distinctive position of the Orthodox Tradition. The central idea is that Bultmannian demythologization, by reducing the evangelical message to an existential and anthropological interpretation inspired by Heidegger, leads to an excessive concentration on the believing subject at the expense of the cosmic, ecclesial, and sacramental dimension of the Incarnation. The theological contribution of the article lies in highlighting the hermeneutical role of the Holy Spirit, of living Tradition, and of the Eucharistic experience as foundations of an Orthodox reading of Scripture, irreducible both to subjective kerygmatism and to the historical determinism of contemporary Western theology.