Ernst Kasemann – the provocative questioning of a great man

The 20th Century produced several great commentaries on Romans. Barth, Cranfield, Wilckens, Jewett. Then there were some very good ones, Sanday and Headlam, J D G Dunn, Douglas Moo, Jospeh Fitzmyer, N T Wright. The one that's missing is the one I found hardest to read, which says as much about me as it does for the book.

9780802860262_l Ernst Kasemann's commentary on Romans was published in English by SCM in 1980, and bought with a gift from my first church who knew well my love of books. Because it was a gift, (and I chose it for goodness sake), I felt obliged to read it, not to waste a generous gift. For weeks, in my wee sloping roofed study, I slowly made my way up the steep brae that is Kasemann's dense style, theological wrestling and absolutely uncompromising approach to theological exegesis – something Kasemann was doing long before it has become a fashionable innovation to the hermeneutical industry. But I got to the top of the brae – I finished it, and it is one of those few books you begin as a chore, continue as a discipline, persevere as a matter of sheer determination not to be beaten, and then like climbing in low cloud, you move above the cloud base and see the view that makes it all worth it.

And the view Kasemann opened up changed our way of looking at things Pauline. Justification isn't to be limited to the specific individualistic benefit of the justified Christian; justification is cosmic in scale, is gift and power to accomplish, and is the dynamic reality that displays the reality and promise of the Lordship of Christ, now and in God's future for the creation. Not so much a breath of fresh air as a gale that blows you off your feet. For that reason Kasemann goes in the list of great commentaries.

And the man who wrote this dense masterpiece of exegetical toil? It takes a special kind of faith in God and faithfulness in discipleship to Christ, to take Isaiah 26.13 as the text to preach in 1937 Gestapo ridden Germany. Read the text and you'll see why he was arrested. In 1941-2 Kasemann argued passionately for the validity of womens' ministries. No surprise either, that he was a vociferous anti-nuclear campaigner. His daughter was killed in and Argentinian jail in 1977, an event that deeply affected him, pushing his theology in directions of radical critique of power, injustice and economic greed, and fuelling active inviolvement in the theology of world mission. He latterly became a Methodist – John Wesley and Ernst Kasemann!

There is a point to all this. In the Spring Eerdmans will publish collected sermons and lectures of Kasemann, who died in 1996 aged 90. The book cover is pictured above.  In my view this is a publishing event. An absolute necessity in early summer will be allocating blocks of reading time to gather the fruit of what Kasemann was saying and writing to the so complex world in the last quarter of the 20th Century.

Comments

10 responses to “Ernst Kasemann – the provocative questioning of a great man”

  1. Jason Goroncy avatar

    Thanks muchly for the heads up on this Jim. In this case, the words ‘a publishing event’ is no understatement. It’s joined by wishlist.

  2. Jason Goroncy avatar

    Thanks muchly for the heads up on this Jim. In this case, the words ‘a publishing event’ is no understatement. It’s joined by wishlist.

  3. David K avatar
    David K

    Thanks Jim – one for which to keep the powder dry – i.e. the Christmas book tokens unspent!

  4. David K avatar
    David K

    Thanks Jim – one for which to keep the powder dry – i.e. the Christmas book tokens unspent!

  5. Jim Gordon avatar

    Hello Jason – we are having a white, refrigerated Christmas. You, no doubt, are in T shirt and shorts and having a turkey barbeque on Christmas Day. Hope your life is good and getting gooder, my friend. What steroids do you recommend for blogs – yours is a regular must see and a liberal education for fatigued bloggers :))
    Hi David, – I’ve a feeling those raised on J D G Dunn and N T Wright won’t have felt the full force of Kasemann. Like many other great biblical scholars, changing fashions eclipse those lasting contributions, those lessons we shouldn’t need to learn twice. Have a good Christmas David – maybe see you in Scotland at BU stuff in January.

  6. Jim Gordon avatar

    Hello Jason – we are having a white, refrigerated Christmas. You, no doubt, are in T shirt and shorts and having a turkey barbeque on Christmas Day. Hope your life is good and getting gooder, my friend. What steroids do you recommend for blogs – yours is a regular must see and a liberal education for fatigued bloggers :))
    Hi David, – I’ve a feeling those raised on J D G Dunn and N T Wright won’t have felt the full force of Kasemann. Like many other great biblical scholars, changing fashions eclipse those lasting contributions, those lessons we shouldn’t need to learn twice. Have a good Christmas David – maybe see you in Scotland at BU stuff in January.

  7. Jason Goroncy avatar

    Jim, I heard that things have cooled down in Europe (minus 20 or something today in Poland). I am in shorts (as you guessed) and still working on a menu for the Christmas day. BBQ on the big eve is looking likely. As for blogging steroids, mine is a disease that I’d wish on no one. And as for rumours that I’m promoting ‘liberal eduation’, well …
    Advent blessings my friend.
    BTW: At this stage I’m planning on a visit to the UK in March. Perhaps we can catch up and share notes and a Laphroaig 😉

  8. Jason Goroncy avatar

    Jim, I heard that things have cooled down in Europe (minus 20 or something today in Poland). I am in shorts (as you guessed) and still working on a menu for the Christmas day. BBQ on the big eve is looking likely. As for blogging steroids, mine is a disease that I’d wish on no one. And as for rumours that I’m promoting ‘liberal eduation’, well …
    Advent blessings my friend.
    BTW: At this stage I’m planning on a visit to the UK in March. Perhaps we can catch up and share notes and a Laphroaig 😉

  9. Brodie avatar
    Brodie

    Thanks for the heads up on this…one to put on my “wider’ reading list.

  10. Brodie avatar
    Brodie

    Thanks for the heads up on this…one to put on my “wider’ reading list.

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