The
Theology of Karl Barth
Department
of Theology
Tyndale
Seminary
Fall
2004
Instructor:
Professor V. Shepherd
Office Hours as Posted
Tuesdays at
8:30 a.m.
Tel. 416 226 6380 (6726) or 905 821 0587
E-mail: vshepherd@tyndale.ca or victor.shepherd@sympatico.ca
Prerequisite:
THEO
0531 and THEO 0532 or THEO 0530
Description:
The
course endeavours to acquaint students with a major tract of the most
significant theologian since the Sixteenth Century Reformation.
It presupposes theological zeal and a willingness to read closely and
consistently material that is admittedly dense yet equally rich.
Objectives:
to
have students
[1]
understand the “Copernican Revolution” in Barth’s theology with respect to
his understanding of revelation: God alone is both the subject and object of
revelation even as he remains Lord of it;
[2] appreciate Barth’s theological background: the anthropocentric liberalism
articulated most eloquently by Friedrich Schleiermacher;
[3] see that Barth stands in the Reformational tradition yet also moves beyond
it (e.g., the doctrine of election);
[4] probe specific items in Barth that have rendered him notorious; e.g.,
revelation as the “abolition of religion”;
[5] understand how Barth combines simultaneously faithfulness to the logic of
scripture and self-exposure to contemporaneity;
[6] appreciate how Barth has informed two recent, major theologians of the
Reformed tradition in both the English-speaking and German-speaking theatres:
Thomas Torrance and Eberhard Juengel;
[7] assess Barth’s fruitfulness for subsequent theological work.
Requirements:
[1]
Eleven (11) 400-word papers reflecting the student’s theological
engagement with the reading of the day
Note
1: The paper may articulate the student’s critical appreciation of a
theological point in Barth or in
Barth’s reading of the history of doctrine, or disagreement with same.
It may also articulate a
comparison between Barth and another single major thinker; e.g.,
Augustine, Anselm,
Aquinas, Luther, Zwingli, Bucer, Calvin, Bullinger, Melanchthon, Flaccius,
Turretin, Heppe,
etc.
Note
2: Since one purpose of the paper is
to ensure that the student has read the material assigned for
class, this paper must be
submitted at the commencement of the class; it may not be submitted
any time thereafter.
Note
3: Students should come to class prepared to discuss with the class the
substance of their written paper.
[2]
A final examination.
Texts:
Karl
Barth, Church Dogmatic: Part IV Volume 1:
(“The Doctrine of Reconciliation”) (
Edinburgh
: T.&T. Clark.)
This book is required.
John Webster, Barth (
New York
: Continuum, 2000) ISBN: 0 8264 5079 2
This
book is recommended.
Evaluation:
Class
participation
10%
Eleven 400-word papers
55%
Examination
35%
100%
A
Tyndale Seminary course is to require approximately 120 hours of work.
The
weekly Barth readings are weighty, and it is expected that students will spend
7.5 hours reading for class.
Two
hours have been allowed for the 400-word paper.
Fifteen
hours have been allowed for preparing for the final examination.
Breakdown:
Reading for class:
83 hours
Writing papers:
22 hours
Examination preparation : 15 hours
Total:
120 hours
Please
note that while no little time is required for the readings, there is no major
paper (50 hours are normally allowed for this) in the course.
Schedule:
Sep
14 Orientation: the life and
work of Karl Barth
Sep 21 Orientation (cont’d):
the theological liberalism against which he reacted
Sep 28 Church
Dogmatics Vol.
IV:1
pp. 3-66
Oct
5
67
-121
Oct
12
122
-156
Oct
19
157
-210
Oct
26
211
-283
Nov
2
284
-357
Nov
9
358
-412
Nov
16
413
-477
Nov
23
478
-513
Nov
30
514
-568
Dec
7
568
-642
Dec
14
Examination
