Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Biography (Paperback)

~ (Author), Victoria J. Barnett (Author, Editor)
Key Phrases: provisional administration, Ciernohorské Kúpele, war court, World Alliance, Council of Brethren, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Some words Gorky used about Tolstoy come into my mind: 'Look what a wonderful man is living on this earth!' . . . Bethge has produced a monumental study of him which will surely stand as the definitive and authoritative work on the subject. Reading . . . it is a spiritual experience." -- ---Malcolm Muggeridge, The Observers

Product Description

Eberhard Bethge's exhaustive biography of Bonhoeffer is recognized throughout the world as the definitive biography. Victoria Barnett has now reviewed the entire translation for this edition, correcting hundreds of mistakes and omissions, and adding in sections from the German, for example, on Bonhoeffer's childhood, that have never before appeared in English.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1048 pages
• Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers; Rev Sub edition (February 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800628446
• ISBN-13: 978-0800628444
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 2.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #80,375 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Testament to Excellence, May 2, 2000

By	Daniel Dropko (Vermilion, OH United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

About 20 years ago, I read an older translation of this biography. Then, as now, a reader cannot help but be impressed by the thorough and meticulous scholarship that went into its preparation. Because of its size and scope (900+ pages), it may be somewhat daunting to new readers who may be just now encountering Bonhoeffer. However, given the nature of his literary output (Bonheoffer was still a young man when he died, and many of his ideas exist only in limited or underdeveloped forms), this in-depth look at the man and his motivations by the individual who probably knew him best is essential to an informed understanding of his work. For Bonhoeffer admirers, it doesn't get any better than this.

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now I know Bonhoeffer, April 1, 2000

By	Nathan Solomon (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews

In this work, Bonhoeffer's student and friend brought me closer to Bonhoeffer than I thought possible. Previously, I had thought Letters and Papers From Prison was as close as I could get to understanding the "religionless" Christian -I was wrong. Bethge's opus gives an incisive look into the formation of Bonhoeffer the man and the theologian which sheds more light on his Christian fortitude in the Nazi tempest. I whole-heartedly recommend this work for it has been an inspiration to me as a human being as well as a student of theology

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic -- Bethge is indispensable, April 17, 2000

By	Clifford Green (Boston, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Eberhard Bethge was Dietrich Bonhoeffer's closest friend and the lifelong editor and interpreter of his life and writings. For the first time we now have the completely unabridged biography in a revised and updated English translation. This is not only a classic of twentieth century biography; it also addresses key issues not only of German and European history, World War II, and the Holocaust but also, through Bonhoeffer's theology, the church and modernity. It sharply poses the question of authentic Christian life. A big book and a challenging read!