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Deep Dive into The Moody Handbook of Theology, Revised and Expanded by Paul Enns - Historicist Theologies
Oscar Cullmann and Wolfhart Pannenberg developed distinct theological frameworks that emphasize the critical role of history in divine revelation, though neither views the Bible as an infallible text.
Oscar Cullmann is associated with salvation history, or Heilsgeschichte, which focuses on the historical events of God's saving acts rather than abstract religious philosophy. Cullmann asserts that God reveals Himself through specific historical occurrences, with the incarnation of Jesus as the Messiah serving as the culmination of this holy history. He opposed Rudolf Bultmann's heavy reliance on myth, arguing that core Christian truths, such as Jesus regarding Himself as the Messiah, are historically verifiable facts. However, Cullmann still utilized form criticism, categorizing certain biblical accounts, like the story of Adam and future eschatological events, as myth. Furthermore, he maintained that Scripture is merely a fallible vehicle for explaining history, requiring a subjective, spiritual encounter for believers to personally appropriate God's saving acts.
Wolfhart Pannenberg developed a theology of history, or theology of resurrection, which roots Christian faith entirely in historical events to counter Bultmann's existential emphasis. Pannenberg argues that all history is revelation, occurring horizontally and accessible to human understanding without the need for special divine grace or the hindrance of original sin. For Pannenberg, the historical reality of Jesus Christ's resurrection is central to Christianity and constitutes the absolute climax of divine revelation. Despite his strong emphasis on historical events, Pannenberg departs from historic orthodoxy by explicitly rejecting the Bible as the direct revelation of God. He points out alleged inaccuracies within biblical texts, dismisses the virgin birth as a myth, and ultimately elevates the historical interpreter as the final authority over Scripture. Ultimately, while both theologians sought to anchor faith in historical facts, they simultaneously undermined traditional biblical authority by substituting history for the Scriptures.
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