Paulus in Zürich. Zur Briefauslegung von Heinrich Bullinger

Within the wide span of the Reformation's readings of scripture, the voice of Heinrich Bullinger († 1575), the successor of Ulrich Zwingli in reformed Zurich, deserves special attention. The article deals with his exegetical works, namely his interpretation of the Pauline epistles, and pays particular attention to certain passages in his exegesis of Galatians and Philippians. Bullinger is one of the predecessors of modern rhetorical criticism in biblical exegesis. In particular, his education in humanistic culture as represented by Erasmus saw him take up some Melanchthon-driven impulses in analysing the Pauline texts with the tools of ancient rhetoric theory. Bullinger displays a modest and deliberated use of rhetorical categories and might therefore be regarded as a role model for today's scholars in their rediscovery of Paul as a rhetorically skilled letter writer.