Markus Barth

Introduction to Demythologizing

DEMYTHOLOGIZING is one of the great modern catchwords in the realm of exegesis. It is a dreadful word; for it is neither Greek nor Latin, neither French nor English. But it was created by one of the many maltreatments of the German language (Entmythologisierung) to which our era has become accustomed. However, whether we like the term or frown at it, it denotes an important problem-important for every reader of the Bible, every preacher, every theologian-since each of us pays his tribute to demythologizing by doing it himself. The question of whether we know what we do continually and why and for what purpose we do it has to be answered. Therefore, we intend to glance at the work of one scholar who is known to many today as the outstanding herald of scholarly demythologization-Rudolf Bultmann. And we shall try to develop this system of demythologizing by treating in succession (a) the root of demythologizing in the New Testament research of the last decades, (b) the definition of myth, (c) the presupposed role of myth in the New Testament, (d) the proclaimed necessity of demythologizing, and, finally, (e) the actual practice of demythologizing. A critical appraisal of Bultmanns program is not in the scope of this essay.