Last Lessons

Abstract Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Letters and Papers from Prison relates, in his own words, his journey toward death. A rising star in the theological world of Germany, he is now reckoning with what it means to stripped of everything and to live before God with nothing. Writing to his friend Eberhard Bethge, he gradually sloughs off his trust in church and religious formulations. He strives to “just be”—but always in the presence of God. In this desire he resembles the Dutch prisoner Etty Hillesum. Bonhoeffer will also exchange letters with his fiancée Maria von Wedemeyer. These letters reveal how much this young woman, half his age, has taught him about love. In their correspondence, they plan for a future they will never have. Their exchange reveals an emotionally vulnerable side of Bonhoeffer not readily discernible in his more famous letters. Maria continues steadfast in her love until Dietrich, like Etty before him, disappears into the darkness.