The Life and Work of Karl Barth

An Introduction

Barth’s theocentric (Christocentric) thought is a startling contrast to

            1: Schleiermacher’s theology of feeling

            2: Hegel’s theology of philosophical speculation

            3: Ritschl’s theology of moral judgments

            4: Troeltsch’s theology of the history of religions.

Early Developments

            1: God is GOD.

            2: in recent (i.e., 19^th Century) theology “God” is humankind speaking to itself in a loud voice.

            3: God alone can facilitate the knowledge of God.

 1919 – Commentary on Romans

 1921 – 2^nd edition of Romans

 1921 – professor of theology at Goettingen

 1922 – professor of theology at Muenster

 1930 – professor of theology at Bonn

1927 – Christian Dogmatics

1931 – Fides Quarens Intellectum

1932 – Church Dogmatics (his great work)

                        1: scriptural

                        2: Christological

                        3: ecumenical

            Its Characteristic Features

                        1: the Word of God is its constant point of departure

                        2: it moves from reality to possibility

                        3: as it does so it gives rise to “objectivism” (but not to remoteness or that which                                                                                      humans can domesticate: in this                                                                                                 regard it lies between Idealism and                                                                                          Realism.)