Book Review: Simone Weil for the Twenty-First Century by Eric O. Springsted

Abstract

secondary literature. A growing body of work examines how Bonhoeffer theologized the Bible. Ross shows us how he used it. One might question why Ross limits himself to the 1930s. Perhaps the choice was pragmatic. It would be fascinating—even if a bit more challenging—to offer similar analysis of Bonhoeffer’s use of Scripture in the more distinctly ethical phase of the 1940s. Doing this might force us to expand our imaginations. It is one thing to analyze Bonhoeffer’s biblical interpretation in his sermons and commentaries. How might we analyze the way interpretation informed his resistance? Lying behind this question is a larger issue that remains unscrutinized in this book: the assumption that biblical interpretation is something that primarily happens on paper. I wonder if this assumption limits our ability to analyze Bonhoeffer as a reader of the Bible. This book, the first installment in T&T Clark’s series “New Studies in Bonhoeffer’s Theology and Ethics,” will be of special interest to scholars seeking a more textured understanding of Bonhoeffer’s thinking and to those interested in the theological interpretation of Scripture. In order to do justice to the gritty details of Bonhoeffer’s exegesis, Ross frequently quotes large chunks of German text, which he translates himself. The strength of this approach is that it gets us deep into the details of Bonhoeffer’s interpretive habits. The potential drawback is that the prose at times feels tedious. Ross is aware of this. In this book he is quite literally doing exegesis of Bonhoeffer’s exegesis, a close reading of his close reading. This gives the book a more workmanlike feel than one concerned with grand theories and unifying ideas. This book lives not in the clouds but on the ground. Those interested in Bonhoeffer’s theology should consider this a virtue.