Der Glaube als freie Tat des Gehorsams Herkunft, Bedeutung und Problematik einer Denkfigur Rudolf Bultmanns

With the definition of faith as a free act of obedience, Rudolf Bultmann tried to solve a problem which he felt hadn't been properly dealt with by Wilhelm Herrmann, Karl Barth and Friedrich Gogarten. This article shows the origin and the meaning of Bultmann's concept in its exegetical, systematic-theological and philosophical relations. Although the interpretation of faith as a free act of obedience is linked to terminological difficulties, it is able to emphasize faith as an act of God as well as an act of life by human beings (made possible by God).