Eberhard Bethge
Encyclopedia
Eberhard Bethge was a student of famed theologian and anti-Nazi martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer
, and later married Bonhoeffer's niece Renate. A fellow resister of the Nazis, Bethge was also the editor for and biographer of the great theologian.
Bethge was born in Warchau, near Magdeburg
, on August 29, 1909. He attended several universities, as is customary for theology students in Germany, before attending the underground Finkenwalde
Seminary in Pomerania
where Bonhoeffer taught in the name of Germany's Confessing Church
(part of the anti-Nazi resistance). Bethge became Bonhoeffer's close friend and confidant.
Though a member of the Resistance, Bethge was drafted to serve in the German army during World War II
. He was later arrested, along with dozens of other resisters, after the failed attempt to kill Adolf Hitler
on July 20, 1944, but was rescued by Russian troops shortly before his scheduled trial. After the war he spent several years as pastor for the same German-speaking congregation in Sydenham
, London
, England
, that Bonhoeffer had served in 1933-35. From 1961 to his retirement in 1975, Bethge was the Director of the 'Pastoral College' of one of the Protestant regional churches in Germany, the Evangelical Church of the Rhineland, charged with continuing ministerial education – a task which no doubt had an element of continuity with his and Bonhoeffer's work in the seminary in Pomerania in the 1930s.
Although Bethge was never formally appointed to a university post, he did hold various academic posts and lectureships, including stints at Harvard Divinity School
, Chicago Theological Seminary
, and Union Theological Seminary
in New York
; he was named 'Honorary Professor' at the University of Bonn
in 1969. While at CTS, Bethge traveled to Kalamazoo, Michigan, in late October 1966 for an evening supper program attended by local college and university students. He continued to give lectures until a year before his death in 2000.
Bethge is best known as the author of the definitive biography Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Man of Vision, Man of Courage. (A new English-language version, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Biography, was released in February 2000, edited by Victoria J. Barnett, with corrections of some translation errors, as well as some added material from the German edition – most notably on Bonhoeffer's childhood – that had never appeared in English.) Bethge also collected and edited Bonhoeffer's Letters and Papers from Prison (most of the which were addressed to him), as well as the unfinished effort Bonhoeffer considered his main life's work: Ethics. In 1995, Bethge edited Friendship and Resistance: Essays on Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Given that Bonhoeffer was hanged by the Nazis at 39 – a relatively young age – as well as the fact that Bonhoeffer's work was mostly "behind the scenes" rather than in the forefront of the Confessing Church movement, he was largely unknown in Germany and internationally. It was due to Bethge's untiring efforts that Bonhoeffer's theological and political legacy was preserved for future generations, and that Bonhoeffer became known as a key theologian of the 20th century.
In 1991 Bethge wrote an article for Christian History titled "My Friend Dietrich." Reflecting on his former companion's work, he admitted that "the language, concepts, and thought paradigms of this man are a half century old and older. … We find in him no answers to many of our most pressing questions. . . Even the world changed by half a century has not diminished, but rather expanded, the question of whether and how we are responsible citizens. Are we mature members of our society, states, corporations, and churches? . . . Unavoidably, we corrupt or renew the Christian claim and faith. Even in the nuclear, ecological, and feminist age, no one eludes the demands of citizenship with which Bonhoeffer struggled.
Bethge is survived by his wife Renate (Dietrich Bonhoeffer's niece), as well as by a son and two daughters.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and martyr. He was a participant in the German resistance movement against Nazism and a founding member of the Confessing Church. He was involved in plans by members of the Abwehr to assassinate Adolf Hitler...
, and later married Bonhoeffer's niece Renate. A fellow resister of the Nazis, Bethge was also the editor for and biographer of the great theologian.
Bethge was born in Warchau, near Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
, on August 29, 1909. He attended several universities, as is customary for theology students in Germany, before attending the underground Finkenwalde
Szczecin-Zdroje
Zdroje is a municipal neighborhood of the Szczecin City, Poland situated on the right bank of Oder river, south-east of the Szczecin Old Town, and south-west of Szczecin-Dąbie. Before 1945 when Szczecin was a part of Germany, the name of this suburb was Stettin-Finkenwalde...
Seminary in Pomerania
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
where Bonhoeffer taught in the name of Germany's Confessing Church
Confessing Church
The Confessing Church was a Protestant schismatic church in Nazi Germany that arose in opposition to government-sponsored efforts to nazify the German Protestant church.-Demographics:...
(part of the anti-Nazi resistance). Bethge became Bonhoeffer's close friend and confidant.
Though a member of the Resistance, Bethge was drafted to serve in the German army during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He was later arrested, along with dozens of other resisters, after the failed attempt to kill Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
on July 20, 1944, but was rescued by Russian troops shortly before his scheduled trial. After the war he spent several years as pastor for the same German-speaking congregation in Sydenham
Sydenham
Sydenham is an area and electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham; although some streets towards Crystal Palace Park, Forest Hill and Penge are outside the ward and in the London Borough of Bromley, and some streets off Sydenham Hill are in the London Borough of Southwark. Sydenham was in...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, that Bonhoeffer had served in 1933-35. From 1961 to his retirement in 1975, Bethge was the Director of the 'Pastoral College' of one of the Protestant regional churches in Germany, the Evangelical Church of the Rhineland, charged with continuing ministerial education – a task which no doubt had an element of continuity with his and Bonhoeffer's work in the seminary in Pomerania in the 1930s.
Although Bethge was never formally appointed to a university post, he did hold various academic posts and lectureships, including stints at Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...
, Chicago Theological Seminary
Chicago Theological Seminary
The Chicago Theological Seminary is a seminary of the United Church of Christ. It prepares women and men for leadership in the church and society through Master of Divinity , Master of Arts in Religious Studies , Master of Sacred Theology , Doctor of Ministry , and Doctor of Philosophy programs...
, and Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
; he was named 'Honorary Professor' at the University of Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
in 1969. While at CTS, Bethge traveled to Kalamazoo, Michigan, in late October 1966 for an evening supper program attended by local college and university students. He continued to give lectures until a year before his death in 2000.
Bethge is best known as the author of the definitive biography Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Man of Vision, Man of Courage. (A new English-language version, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Biography, was released in February 2000, edited by Victoria J. Barnett, with corrections of some translation errors, as well as some added material from the German edition – most notably on Bonhoeffer's childhood – that had never appeared in English.) Bethge also collected and edited Bonhoeffer's Letters and Papers from Prison (most of the which were addressed to him), as well as the unfinished effort Bonhoeffer considered his main life's work: Ethics. In 1995, Bethge edited Friendship and Resistance: Essays on Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Given that Bonhoeffer was hanged by the Nazis at 39 – a relatively young age – as well as the fact that Bonhoeffer's work was mostly "behind the scenes" rather than in the forefront of the Confessing Church movement, he was largely unknown in Germany and internationally. It was due to Bethge's untiring efforts that Bonhoeffer's theological and political legacy was preserved for future generations, and that Bonhoeffer became known as a key theologian of the 20th century.
In 1991 Bethge wrote an article for Christian History titled "My Friend Dietrich." Reflecting on his former companion's work, he admitted that "the language, concepts, and thought paradigms of this man are a half century old and older. … We find in him no answers to many of our most pressing questions. . . Even the world changed by half a century has not diminished, but rather expanded, the question of whether and how we are responsible citizens. Are we mature members of our society, states, corporations, and churches? . . . Unavoidably, we corrupt or renew the Christian claim and faith. Even in the nuclear, ecological, and feminist age, no one eludes the demands of citizenship with which Bonhoeffer struggled.
Bethge is survived by his wife Renate (Dietrich Bonhoeffer's niece), as well as by a son and two daughters.
Works by and about Eberhard Bethge
- Eberhard Bethge (ed) Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Letters and Papers From Prison, New Greatly Enlarged Edition. (New York: Touchstone Simon & Shuster, 1997).
- Eberhard Bethge, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Theologian, Christian, Man for His Times: A Biography. Rev. ed. (Minneapolis, Fortress Press, 2000).
- John de Gruchy, Daring, Trusting Spirit: Bonhoeffer's Friend Eberhard Bethge. (London: SCM, 2005)
- Tobias Korenke, 'Widerstand und Ergebung,' Die Politische Meinung, No. 366, Mai 2000.