Rudolf Bultmann, Hans Jonas und die Marburger Hermeneutik

This review examines two volumes: The anthology on Hans Jonas and Marburg
hermeneutics edited by Malte Dominik Krüger and Andreas Großmann in 2023 and
the correspondence between Rudolf Bultmann and Hans Jonas published three years
earlier. Particular attention will be paid to what connects the two publications: The so
called »Marburger Hermeneutik« (Marburg hermeneutics). The term describes a
constellation of intellectuals whose common hub was Marburg in the 1920 s. At the
center of this constellation are the theologian Rudolf Bultmann and the philosopher
Martin Heidegger, who were able to gather students around them like Gerhard
Krüger, Karl Löwith, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Leo Strauss, Hannah Arendt and Hans
Jonas, all of whom later became important intellectual figures. The discussion of the
two books takes place in reverse chronological order, starting from the most recent
publication. In a first step, the term »Marburger Hermeneutik« is defined more closely.
In the following two steps, the volumes are discussed in more detail, with the correspondence
being regarded as concrete example of a particular Marburg hermeneutics
constellation. The final step is a concluding reflection on the potential of the
concept of »Marburger Hermeneutik«.