Reflections on the Bible: Human Word and Word of God

by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Book Overview

What caused Dietrich Bonhoeffer--a well-educated and philosophical pastor from Berlin--to risk his reputation, his freedom, and finally his life to stand with others against the brutality of the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 156563988X
• ISBN13: 9781565639881
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Hendrickson Publishers
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Great book, though not Bonhoeffer's best

"We are never finished with God's word when we have merely read the Bible; it must penetrate deep within us, dwell in us, like the Most Holy Place within the sanctuary." -page 71 Bonhoeffer was a passionate yet thoughtful man, and it bleeds through in his writing. He lives the words he writes. The title of the book, however, is partly misleading (at least to me). Bonhoeffer does write on the Bible itself (i.e. above quotation). But the other half of the book is on Biblical topics (i.e. chapters on unity, good and evil, end times). Format: Chapters are selected excerpts from Bonhoeffer's sermons, lectures, letters, etc. Most are short (an average of about four pages). Occasional quotations from Bonhoeffer inserted between chapters show his progressive relationship with the Bible. The book was good, but not Bonhoeffer's best. It feels a bit disjointed at times (which is due to the compiler, not the author). It is lighter than The Cost of Discipleship, but still deep. The pearls of wisdom here are fewer (compared to his other works), but the pearls are still there. My favorite comes from his final chapter, The Answer: "Either I determine the place where I will find God, or I let God determine the place where he wants to be found. If I am the one who gets to decide where God will be found, then I will always find a God there, a God who some way or other is the kind of God I am looking for, a God I like, a God appropriate to my own nature and personality. But if God is the One who says where he will be found, then this will very likely be the place that at first does not at all fit my own nature and character, a place I probably will not like at all. This place is the cross of Jesus." Wow. Worth the read.

Bonhoeffer on the Bible

I love this little book. It is a compilation of Bonhoeffer's meditations and essays on the Bible. I especially enjoyed the excerpts from his letters placed in between each reflection. Here is one of my favorites that Bonhoeffer writes from Tegel Prison in sincere honesty... "Once again, I am going through weeks in which I read little in the Bible. I never really know what I should make of this. I don't feel guilty, or that I'm somehow getting behind, and I also know that after a while I will have a craving to plunge back into it. Can one think of this as an entirely "natural" spiritual process? I'm almost inclined to think so." This book reveals Bonhoeffer's love for God's Word. It is (by his own admission) the very thing that made Bonhoeffer the man we know today. You will enjoy this simple yet refreshing read. I believe you will find that it reads as a devotional and still delivers the spiritual challenges that Bonhoeffer is known for. For those new to Bonhoeffer, I suggest reading: "The Cost of Discipleship" "Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community" "Christ the Center"