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Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss
Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary '' The Epistle to the Romans'', his involvement in the
Confessing Church The Confessing Church (german: link=no, Bekennende Kirche, ) was a movement within German Protestantism during Nazi Germany that arose in opposition to government-sponsored efforts to unify all Protestant churches into a single pro-Nazi German ...
, including his authorship (except for a single phrase) of the
Barmen Declaration __NOTOC__ The Barmen Declaration or the Theological Declaration of Barmen 1934 (German: ''Die Barmer Theologische Erklärung'') was a document adopted by Christians in Nazi Germany who opposed the German Christian movement. In the view of the de ...
, and especially his unfinished multi-volume theological summa the ''
Church Dogmatics ''Church Dogmatics'' () is the four-volume theological summa and ''magnum opus'' of Swiss Protestant theologian Karl Barth Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss Calvinist theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary '' The Epistle to the R ...
'' (published between 1932–1967). Barth's influence expanded well beyond the academic realm to mainstream culture, leading him to be featured on the cover of ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' on 20 April 1962. Like many Protestant theologians of his generation, Barth was educated in a
liberal theology Religious liberalism is a conception of religion (or of a particular religion) which emphasizes personal and group liberty and rationality. It is an attitude towards one's own religion (as opposed to criticism of religion from a secular position ...
influenced by Adolf von Harnack, Friedrich Schleiermacher and others. His pastoral career began in the rural Swiss town of
Safenwil Safenwil is a municipality in the district of Zofingen in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. History The first settlement in the area was a Roman era estate on a mule track from the Wigger valley toward Vindonissa. This was followed by a sma ...
, where he was known as the "Red Pastor from Safenwil". There he became increasingly disillusioned with the liberal Christianity in which he had been trained. This led him to write the first edition of his '' The Epistle to the Romans'' (a.k.a. Romans I), published in 1919, in which he resolved to read the New Testament differently. Barth began to gain substantial worldwide acclaim with the publication in 1921 of the second edition of his commentary, '' The Epistle to the Romans'', in which he openly broke from liberal theology. He influenced many significant theologians such as
Dietrich Bonhoeffer Dietrich Bonhoeffer (; 4 February 1906 – 9 April 1945) was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the secular world have ...
who supported the
Confessing Church The Confessing Church (german: link=no, Bekennende Kirche, ) was a movement within German Protestantism during Nazi Germany that arose in opposition to government-sponsored efforts to unify all Protestant churches into a single pro-Nazi German ...
, and
Jürgen Moltmann Jürgen Moltmann (born 8 April 1926) is a German Reformed theologian who is Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at the University of Tübingen and is known for his books such as the ''Theology of Hope'', ''The Crucified God'', ''God in Creat ...
,
Helmut Gollwitzer Helmut Gollwitzer (29 December 1908 – 17 October 1993) was a German Protestant (Lutheran) theologian and author. Born in Pappenheim, Bavaria, Gollwitzer studied Protestant theology in Munich, Erlangen, Jena and Bonn (1928–1932); he later ...
, James H. Cone,
Wolfhart Pannenberg Wolfhart Pannenberg (2 October 1928 – 4 September 2014) was a German Lutheran theologian. He made a number of significant contributions to modern theology, including his concept of history as a form of revelation centered on the resurre ...
,
Rudolf Bultmann Rudolf Karl Bultmann (; 20 August 1884 – 30 July 1976) was a German Lutheran theologian and professor of the New Testament at the University of Marburg. He was one of the major figures of early-20th-century biblical studies. A prominent criti ...
, Thomas F. Torrance,
Hans Küng Hans Küng (; 19 March 1928 – 6 April 2021) was a Swiss Catholic priest, theologian, and author. From 1995 he was president of the Foundation for a Global Ethic (Stiftung Weltethos). Küng was ordained a priest in 1954, joined the faculty o ...
, and also
Reinhold Niebuhr Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr (June 21, 1892 – June 1, 1971) was an American Reformed theologian, ethicist, commentator on politics and public affairs, and professor at Union Theological Seminary for more than 30 years. Niebuhr was one of Ameri ...
,
Jacques Ellul Jacques Ellul (; ; January 6, 1912 – May 19, 1994) was a French philosopher, sociologist, lay theologian, and professor who was a noted Christian anarchist. Ellul was a longtime Professor of History and the Sociology of Institutions on ...
, and novelists such as
Flannery O'Connor Mary Flannery O'Connor (March 25, 1925August 3, 1964) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. She wrote two novels and 31 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries. She was a Southern literature, Southe ...
, John Updike, and
Miklós Szentkuthy Miklós Szentkuthy (born Miklós Pfisterer; 2 June 1908 – 18 July 1988) was one of the most prolific Hungarian writers of the 20th century. His works include numerous novels, essays, translations, and a voluminous diary spanning the years 1930 ...
. Among many other areas, Barth has also had a profound influence on modern Christian ethics, influencing the work of ethicists such as
Stanley Hauerwas Stanley Martin Hauerwas (born July 24, 1940) is an American theologian, ethicist, and public intellectual. Hauerwas was a longtime professor at Duke University, serving as the Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke Divinity Schoo ...
,
John Howard Yoder John Howard Yoder (December 27, 1927 – December 30, 1997) was an American Mennonite theologian and ethicist best known for his defense of Christian pacifism. His most influential book was '' The Politics of Jesus'', which was first published in ...
,
Jacques Ellul Jacques Ellul (; ; January 6, 1912 – May 19, 1994) was a French philosopher, sociologist, lay theologian, and professor who was a noted Christian anarchist. Ellul was a longtime Professor of History and the Sociology of Institutions on ...
and
Oliver O'Donovan Oliver Michael Timothy O'Donovan (born 28 June 1945) is a British Anglican priest and academic, known for his work in the field of Christian ethics. He has also made contributions to political theology, both contemporary and historical. He w ...
.


Early life and education

Karl Barth was born on 10 May 1886, in
Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
, Switzerland, to Johann Friedrich "Fritz" Barth (1852–1912) and Anna Katharina (Sartorius) Barth (1863–1938). Karl had two younger brothers, Peter Barth (1888–1940) and Heinrich Barth (1890–1965), and two sisters, Katharina and Gertrude. Fritz Barth was a theology professor and pastor and desired for Karl to follow his positive line of Christianity, which clashed with Karl's desire to receive a liberal Protestant education. Karl began his student career at the
University of Bern The University of Bern (german: Universität Bern, french: Université de Berne, la, Universitas Bernensis) is a university in the Swiss capital of Bern and was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the Canton of Bern. It is a compreh ...
, and then transferred to the
University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative ...
to study under Adolf von Harnack, and then transferred briefly to the
University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-W ...
before finally in Marburg to study under
Wilhelm Herrmann Johann Georg Wilhelm Herrmann (6 December 1846 – 2 January 1922) was a Lutheran German theologian. Career Hermann taught at Halle before becoming professor at Marburg. Influenced by Kant and Ritschl, his theology was in the idealist tradition ...
(1846–1922). From 1911 to 1921, Barth served as a Reformed pastor in the village of
Safenwil Safenwil is a municipality in the district of Zofingen in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. History The first settlement in the area was a Roman era estate on a mule track from the Wigger valley toward Vindonissa. This was followed by a sma ...
in the canton of Aargau. In 1913 he married Nelly Hoffmann, a talented violinist. They had a daughter and four sons, two of whom were Biblical scholars and theologians Markus and Christoph Barth ( Markus Barth--6 October 1915 – 1 July 1994) (Christoph Barth--1917-1986). Later he was professor of
theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
in
Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911. General information The ori ...
(1921–1925),
Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state di ...
(1925–1930) and
Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...
(1930–1935), in Germany. While serving at Göttingen he met Charlotte von Kirschbaum, who became his long-time secretary and assistant; she played a large role in the writing of his epic, the ''
Church Dogmatics ''Church Dogmatics'' () is the four-volume theological summa and ''magnum opus'' of Swiss Protestant theologian Karl Barth Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss Calvinist theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary '' The Epistle to the R ...
''. He was deported from Germany in 1935 after he refused to sign (without modification) the Oath of Loyalty to
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
and went back to Switzerland and became a professor in Basel (1935–1962).


Break from liberalism

In August 1914, Karl Barth was dismayed to learn that his venerated teachers including Adolf von Harnack had signed the " Manifesto of the Ninety-Three German Intellectuals to the Civilized World";Manifesto of the Ninety-Three German Intellectuals
1914.
as a result, Barth concluded he could not follow their understanding of the Bible and history any longer.


''The Epistle to the Romans''

Barth first began his commentary '' The Epistle to the Romans'' (german: Der Römerbrief) in the summer of 1916 while he was still a pastor in Safenwil, with the first edition appearing in December 1918 (but with a publication date of 1919). On the strength of the first edition of the commentary, Barth was invited to teach at the
University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...
. Barth decided around October 1920 that he was dissatisfied with the first edition and heavily revised it the following eleven months, finishing the second edition around September 1921. Particularly in the thoroughly re-written second edition of 1922, Barth argued that the God who is revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus challenges and overthrows any attempt to ally God with human cultures, achievements, or possessions. The book's popularity led to its republication and reprinting in several languages.


Barmen Declaration

In 1934, as the Protestant Church attempted to come to terms with
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
, Barth was largely responsible for the writing of the Barmen Declaration (). This declaration rejected the influence of
Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) i ...
on German Christianity by arguing that the
Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...
's allegiance to the God of Jesus Christ should give it the impetus and resources to resist the influence of other lords, such as the German ,
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
. Barth mailed this declaration to Hitler personally. This was one of the founding documents of the Confessing Church and Barth was elected a member of its leadership council, the Bruderrat. He was forced to resign from his professorship at the
University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine ...
in 1935 for refusing to swear an
oath to Hitler The Hitler Oath (German: or Führer Oath)—also referred in English as the Soldier's Oath—refers to the oaths of allegiance sworn by the officers and soldiers of the German Armed Forces and civil servants of Nazi Germany between the years 193 ...
. Barth then returned to his native Switzerland, where he assumed a chair in systematic theology at the
University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis'', German: ''Universität Basel'') is a university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest surviving universit ...
. In the course of his appointment, he was required to answer a routine question asked of all Swiss civil servants: whether he supported the national defense. His answer was, "Yes, especially on the northern border!" The newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung carried his 1936 criticism of the philosopher
Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; ; 26 September 188926 May 1976) was a German philosopher who is best known for contributions to phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. He is among the most important and influential philosophers of the 20th ce ...
for his support of the Nazis. In 1938 he wrote a letter to a Czech colleague Josef Hromádka in which he declared that soldiers who fought against Nazi Germany were serving a Christian cause.


''Church Dogmatics''

Barth's theology found its most sustained and compelling expression in his five-volume ''magnum opus'', the ''
Church Dogmatics ''Church Dogmatics'' () is the four-volume theological summa and ''magnum opus'' of Swiss Protestant theologian Karl Barth Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss Calvinist theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary '' The Epistle to the R ...
'' (). Widely regarded as an important theological work, the ''Church Dogmatics'' represents the pinnacle of Barth's achievement as a theologian. ''Church Dogmatics'' runs to over six million words and 9,000 pages – one of the longest works of systematic theology ever written. The ''Church Dogmatics'' is in five volumes: the Doctrine of the Word of God, the Doctrine of God, the Doctrine of Creation, the Doctrine of Reconciliation and the Doctrine of Redemption. Barth's planned fifth volume was never written and the fourth volume's final part-volume was unfinished.


Later life and death

After the end of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, Barth became an important voice in support both of German penitence and of reconciliation with churches abroad. Together with Hans Iwand, he authored the Darmstadt Statement in 1947a more concrete statement of German guilt and responsibility for Nazi Germany and the Second World War than the 1945
Stuttgart Declaration of Guilt The Stuttgart Declaration of Guilt (german: Stuttgarter Schuldbekenntnis) was a declaration issued on October 19, 1945, by the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (', EKD), in which it confessed guilt for its inadequacies in opposition to ...
. In it, he made the point that the Church's willingness to side with anti-socialist and conservative forces had led to its susceptibility for National Socialist ideology. In the context of the developing Cold War, that controversial statement was rejected by anti-Communists in the West who supported the CDU course of re-militarization, as well as by East German dissidents who believed that it did not sufficiently depict the dangers of Communism. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...
in 1950. In the 1950s, Barth sympathized with the
peace movement A peace movement is a social movement which seeks to achieve ideals, such as the ending of a particular war (or wars) or minimizing inter-human violence in a particular place or situation. They are often linked to the goal of achieving world peac ...
and opposed
German rearmament German rearmament (''Aufrüstung'', ) was a policy and practice of rearmament carried out in Germany during the interwar period (1918–1939), in violation of the Treaty of Versailles which required German disarmament after WWI to prevent Germ ...
. Barth wrote a 1960 article for ''
The Christian Century ''The Christian Century'' is a Christian magazine based in Chicago, Illinois. Considered the flagship magazine of US mainline Protestantism, the monthly reports on religious news; comments on theological, moral, and cultural issues; and review ...
'' regarding the "East–West question" in which he denied any inclination toward Eastern communism and stated he did not wish to live under Communism or wish anyone to be forced to do so; he acknowledged a fundamental disagreement with most of those around him, writing: "I do not comprehend how either politics or Christianity require icor even permit such a disinclination to lead to the conclusions which the West has drawn with increasing sharpness in the past 15 years. I regard anticommunism as a matter of principle an evil even greater than communism itself." In 1962, Barth visited the United States and lectured at
Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of t ...
, the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
, the Union Theological Seminary and the
San Francisco Theological Seminary The San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS) is a seminary in San Anselmo, California with historic ties to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). SFTS became embedded in a new Graduate School of Theology of the University of Redlands in 2019. It was ...
. He was invited to be a guest at the
Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...
. At the time Barth's health did not permit him to attend. However, he was able to visit the Vatican and be a guest of the pope in 1967, after which he wrote the small volume (''At the Threshold of the Apostles''). Barth was featured on the cover of the 20 April 1962 issue of ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' magazine, an indication that his influence had reached out of academic and ecclesiastical circles and into mainstream American religious culture. Pope Pius XII is often claimed to have said Barth was "the greatest theologian since
Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wit ...
," though
Fergus Kerr Fergus Gordon Thomson Kerr (born 16 July 1931) is a Scottish Roman Catholic priest of the English Dominican province. He has published significantly on a wide range of subjects, but is famous particularly for his work on Ludwig Wittgenstein an ...
observes that "there is never chapter and verse for the quotation" and it is sometimes attributed to
Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...
instead. Barth died on 10 December 1968, at his home in
Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
, Switzerland. The evening before his death, he had encouraged his lifelong friend Eduard Thurneysen that he should not be downhearted, "For things are ruled, not just in Moscow or in Washington or in Peking, but things are ruled – even here on earth—entirely from above, from heaven above.”


Theology

Karl Barth's most significant theological work is his summa theology titled the ''
Church Dogmatics ''Church Dogmatics'' () is the four-volume theological summa and ''magnum opus'' of Swiss Protestant theologian Karl Barth Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss Calvinist theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary '' The Epistle to the R ...
'', which contains Barth's doctrine of the word of God, doctrine of God, doctrine of reconciliation and doctrine of redemption. Barth is most well known for reorienting all theological discussion around
Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...
.


Trinitarian focus

One major objective of Barth is to recover the doctrine of the
Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...
in theology from its putative loss in
liberalism Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...
. His argument follows from the idea that God is the object of God's own self-knowledge, and
revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...
in the Bible means the self-unveiling to humanity of the God who cannot be discovered by humanity simply through its own intuition. God's revelation comes to man 'vertically from above' ().


Election

One of the most influential and controversial features of Barth's Dogmatics was his doctrine of
election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
(''Church Dogmatics'' II/2). Barth's theology entails a rejection of the idea that God chose each person to either be saved or damned based on purposes of the Divine will, and it was impossible to know why God chose some and not others. Barth's doctrine of election involves a firm rejection of the notion of an eternal, hidden decree. In keeping with his Christo-centric methodology, Barth argues that to ascribe the salvation or damnation of humanity to an abstract absolute decree is to make some part of God more final and definitive than God's saving act in Jesus Christ. God's absolute decree, if one may speak of such a thing, is God's gracious decision to be for humanity in the person of Jesus Christ. Drawing from the earlier Reformed tradition, Barth retains the notion of double predestination but makes Jesus himself the object of both divine election and reprobation simultaneously; Jesus embodies both God's election of humanity and God's rejection of human
sin In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...
. While some regard this revision of the doctrine of election as an improvement on the
Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...
-
Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
doctrine of the predestination of individuals, critics, namely
Emil Brunner Heinrich Emil Brunner (1889–1966) was a Swiss Reformed theologian. Along with Karl Barth, he is commonly associated with neo-orthodoxy or the dialectical theology movement. Biography Brunner was born on 23 December 1889 in Winterthur, in the ...
,Brunner, Emil, ''The Christian Doctrine of God: Dogmatics: Volume 1,'' (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1950) have charged that Barth's view amounts to a soft
universalism Universalism is the philosophical and theological concept that some ideas have universal application or applicability. A belief in one fundamental truth is another important tenet in universalism. The living truth is seen as more far-reaching th ...
, thereby departing from Augustinian-Calvinism. Barth's doctrine of objective atonement develops as he distances himself from Anselm of Canterbury's doctrine of the atonement. In '' The Epistle to the Romans'', Barth endorses Anselm's idea that God who is robbed of his honor must punish those who robbed him. In ''Church Dogmatics'' I/2, Barth advocates divine freedom in the incarnation with the support of Anselm's . Barth holds that Anselm's doctrine of the atonement preserves both God's freedom and the necessity of Christ's incarnation. The positive endorsement of Anselmian motives in continues in ''Church Dogmatics'' II/1. Barth maintains with Anselm that the sin of humanity cannot be removed by the merciful act of divine forgiveness alone. In ''Church Dogmatics'' IV/1, however, Barth's doctrine of the atonement diverges from that of Anselm. By over-christologizing the doctrine, Barth completes his formulation of objective atonement. He finalizes the necessity of God's mercy at the place where Anselm firmly establishes the dignity and freedom of the will of God. In Barth's view, God's mercy is identified with God's righteousness in a distinctive way where God's mercy always takes the initiative. The change in Barth's reception of Anselm's doctrine of the atonement is, therefore, alleged to show that Barth's doctrine entails support for universalism.


Salvation

Barth argued that previous perspectives on sin and salvation, influenced by strict
Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
thinking, sometimes misled Christians into thinking that
predestination Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the paradox of free will, whereby G ...
set up humanity such that the vast majority of human beings were foreseen to disobey and reject God, with damnation coming to them as a matter of fate. Barth's view of salvation is centrally Christological, with his writings stating that in Jesus Christ the reconciliation of all of mankind to God has essentially already taken place and that through Christ man is already elect and justified. Karl Barth denied that he was a Universalist: "I do not believe in universalism, but I do believe in Jesus Christ, reconciler of all.". However, Barth asserted that eternal salvation for everyone, even those that reject God, is a possibility that is not just an open question but should be hoped for by Christians as a matter of
grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninco ...
; specifically, he wrote, "Even though theological consistency might seem to lead our thoughts and utterances most clearly in this direction, we must not arrogate to ourselves that which can be given and received only as a free gift", just hoping for total reconciliation. Barth, in the words of a later scholar, went a "significant step beyond traditional theology" in that he argued against more conservative strains of Protestant Christianity in which damnation is seen as an absolute certainty for many or most people. To Barth, Christ's
grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninco ...
is central.Richard Bauckham
"Universalism: a historical survey"
''
Themelios ''Themelios'' ( Greek: ''Θεμέλιος'', i.e., ''foundation'' or ''keystone'') is a peer-reviewed international evangelical theological journal that expounds on the historic Christian faith. Its primary audience is theological students, pas ...
'' 4.2 (September 1978): 47–54.


Understanding of Mary

Unlike many Protestant theologians, Barth wrote on the topic of
Mariology Mariology is the theological study of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mariology seeks to relate doctrine or dogma about Mary to other doctrines of the faith, such as those concerning Jesus and notions about redemption, intercession and grace. Chri ...
(the theological study of Mary). Barth's views on the subject agreed with much Catholic dogma but he disagreed with the Catholic veneration of Mary. Aware of the common dogmatic tradition of the early Church, Barth fully accepted the dogma of Mary as the Mother of God, seeing a rejection of that title equivalent to rejecting the doctrine that Christ's human and divine natures are inseparable (contra the Nestorian heresy). Through Mary, Jesus belongs to the human race. Through Jesus, Mary is Mother of God.


Examples of Karl Barth's contributions to theology

Some theologians have suggested that Karl Barth's greatest contributions to theology may be summarized on one sheet of paper, but others have argued that is impossible to reduce his published works in such a way. Some of Karl Barth's best ideas include the following loci: * Threefold Word of God (cf. CD I/1, CD I/2 19–21) * Doctrine of Election: The Electing and Elected Jesus Christ (c.f CD II/2, 33) * No to Natural Revelation (cf. Doctrine of God, CD II/1, CD IV/3.1, and the Barmen Declaration). * Creation as the exterior basis of the covenant and Covenant as the interior basis of creation (cf. CD III/1) * Christian Anthropology: Soul of my Body (cf. CD III/2) * The Judge Judged in our Place. (cf. CD IV/1)


Charlotte von Kirschbaum

Charlotte von Kirschbaum was Barth's theological academic colleague for more than three decades. George Hunsinger summarizes the influence of von Kirschbaum on Barth's work: "As his unique student, critic, researcher, adviser, collaborator, companion, assistant, spokesperson, and confidante, Charlotte von Kirschbaum was indispensable to him. He could not have been what he was, or have done what he did, without her." In 2017 Christiane Tietz examined intimate letters written by Barth, Charlotte von Kirschbaum, and Nelly Barth, which discuss the complicated relationship between all three individuals that occurred over the span of 40 years. The letters between von Kirschbaum and Barth from 1925 to 1935 made public "the deep, intense, and overwhelming love between these two human beings," through the lengthy period in which Barth lived in the same house as both his wife and von Kirschbaum. In them, Barth describes a permanent conflict between his marriage and his affections for von Kirschbaum: "The way I am, I never could and still cannot deny either the reality of my marriage or the reality of my love. It is true that I am married, that I am a father and a grandfather. It is also true that I love. And it is true, that these two facts don’t match. This is why we after some hesitation at the beginning decided not to solve the problem with a separation on one or the other side." When Charlotte von Kirschbaum died in 1975, Karl Barth's wife Nelly buried Charlotte in the family tomb. Nelly died the following year.


In literature

In John Updike's ''
Roger's Version ''Roger's Version'' is a 1986 novel by American writer John Updike. Plot summary The novel is about Roger Lambert, a theology professor in his fifties, whose rather complacent faith is challenged by Dale, an evangelical graduate student who beli ...
'', Roger Lambert is a professor of religion. Lambert is influenced by the works of Karl Barth. That is the primary reason that he rejects his student's attempt to use computational methods to understand God.
Harry Mulisch Harry Kurt Victor Mulisch ( ; 29 July 1927 – 30 October 2010) was a Dutch writer. He wrote more than 80 novels, plays, essays, poems, and philosophical reflections. Mulisch's works have been translated into over thirty languages. Along with Wi ...
's ''The Discovery of Heaven'' makes mentions of Barth's ''Church Dogmatics'', as does David Markson's ''The Last Novel''. In the case of Mulisch and Markson, it is the ambitious nature of the ''Church Dogmatics'' that seems to be of significance. In the case of Updike, it is the emphasis on the idea of God as "Wholly Other" that is emphasized. In
Marilynne Robinson Marilynne Summers Robinson (born November 26, 1943) is an American novelist and essayist. Across her writing career, Robinson has received numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005, National Humanities Medal in 2012, and t ...
's ''Gilead'', the preacher John Ames reveres Barth's "Epistle to the Romans" and refers to it as his favorite book other than the Bible.
Whittaker Chambers Whittaker Chambers (born Jay Vivian Chambers; April 1, 1901 – July 9, 1961) was an American writer-editor, who, after early years as a Communist Party member (1925) and Soviet spy (1932–1938), defected from the Soviet underground (1938) ...
cites Barth in nearly all his books: ''
Witness In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...
'' (p. 507), ''Cold Friday'' (p. 194), and ''Odyssey of a Friend'' (pp. 201, 231). In
Flannery O'Connor Mary Flannery O'Connor (March 25, 1925August 3, 1964) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. She wrote two novels and 31 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries. She was a Southern literature, Southe ...
's letter to Brainard Cheney, she said "I distrust folks who have ugly things to say about Karl Barth. I like old Barth. He throws the furniture around."


Center for Barth Studies

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of t ...
, where Barth lectured in 1962, houses the Center for Barth Studies, which is dedicated to supporting scholarship related to the life and theology of Karl Barth. The Barth Center was established in 1997 and sponsors seminars, conferences, and other events. It also holds the Karl Barth Research Collection, the largest in the world, which contains nearly all of Barth's works in English and German, several first editions of his works, and an original handwritten manuscript by Barth.Center for Barth Studies website – http://barth.ptsem.edu


Writings

* ''The Epistle to the Romans'' (, 1st ed., 1919) *
The Epistle to the Romans
'

1922). E. C. Hoskyns, trans. London: Oxford University Press, 1933, 1968 * ''The Word of God and The Word of Man'' (, 1928). New York: Harper & Bros, 1957. ;
The Word of God and Theology
'. Amy Marga, trans. New York: T & T Clark, 2011. * ''Preaching Through the Christian Year''. H. Wells and J. McTavish, eds. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1978. * ''God Here and Now''. London: Routledge, 1964. * ''Fides Quaerens Intellectum: Anselm's Proof of the Existence of God in the Context of His Theological Scheme'' (written in 1931). I. W. Robertson, trans. London: SCM, 1960; reprinted by Pickwick Publications (1985) *
Church and State
'. G.R. Howe, trans. London: SCM, 1939. *
The Church and the War
'. A. H. Froendt, trans. New York: Macmillan, 1944. *
Prayer according to the Catechisms of the Reformation
'. S.F. Terrien, trans. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1952 (Also published as:

'. London: SCM, 1964). *
The Humanity of God
', J.N. Thomas and T. Wieser, trans. Richmond, VA: John Knox Press, 1960. *''Evangelical Theology: An Introduction.'' Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1963. * ''The Christian Life. Church Dogmatics IV/4: Lecture Fragments''. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1981. , *''The Word in this World: Two Sermons by Karl Barth''. Edited by Kurt I. Johanson. Regent Publishing (Vancouver, BC, Canada): 2007 * "No Angels of Darkness and Light," ''The Christian Century'', 20 January 1960, p. 72 (reprinted in
Contemporary Moral Issues
'. H. K. Girvetz, ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1963. pp. 6–8). * ''The Göttingen Dogmatics: Instruction in the Christian Religion'', vol. 1. G.W. Bromiley, trans. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1991. *''Dogmatics in Outline'' (1947 lectures), Harper Perennial, 1959, *''A Unique Time of God: Karl Barth's WWI Sermons,'' William Klempa, editor. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press. *''On Religion.'' Edited and translated by Garrett Green. London: T & T Clark, 2006.


''The Church Dogmatics'' in English translation

*Volume I Part 1: ''Doctrine of the Word of God: Prolegomena to Church Dogmatics'', hardcover: , softcover: (German: 1932) *Volume I Part 2: ''Doctrine of the Word of God'', hardcover: , softcover: (German: 1938) *Volume II Part 1: ''The Doctrine of God: The Knowledge of God; The Reality of God'', hardcover: , softcover: (German: 1940) *Volume II Part 2: ''The Doctrine of God: The Election of God; The Command of God'', hardcover: , softcover: (German: 1942) *Volume III Part 1: ''The Doctrine of Creation: The Work of Creation'', hardcover: , softcover: (German: 1945) *Volume III Part 2: ''The Doctrine of Creation: The Creature'', hardcover: , softcover: (German: 1948) *Volume III Part 3: ''The Doctrine of Creation: The Creator and His Creature'', hardcover: , softcover: (German: 1950) *Volume III Part 4: ''The Doctrine of Creation: The Command of God the Creator'', hardcover: , softcover: (German: 1951) *Volume IV Part 1: ''The Doctrine of Reconciliation'', hardcover: , softcover: (German: 1953) *Volume IV Part 2: ''Doctrine of Reconciliation: Jesus Christ the Servant As Lord'', hardcover: , softcover: (German: 1955) *Volume IV Part 3, first half: ''Doctrine of Reconciliation: Jesus Christ the True Witness'', hardcover: , softcover: (German: 1959) *Volume IV Part 3, second half: ''Doctrine of Reconciliation: Jesus Christ the True Witness'', hardcover: , softcover: (German: 1959) *Volume IV Part 4 (unfinished): ''Doctrine of Reconciliation: The Foundation of the Christian Life (Baptism)'', hardcover: , softcover: (German: 1967) *Volume V: ''Church Dogmatics: Contents and Indexes'', hardcover: , softcover: *''Church Dogmatics'', 14 volume set, softcover, *''Church Dogmatics: A Selection'', with intro. by H. Gollwitzer, 1961, Westminster John Knox Press 1994, *''Church Dogmatics'', dual language German and English, books with CD-ROM, *''Church Dogmatics'', dual language German and English, CD-ROM only,


Audio

* ''Evangelical Theology, American lectures 1962'' – given by Barth in
Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
and
Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...
, and


See also

* First they came ... *
Frederick Herzog Frederick Ludwig Herzog (1925–1995) was an American systematic theologian at Duke University and minister of the United Church of Christ. An impassioned champion of civil rights, his academic focus was liberation theology. Life Herzog wa ...
*
Neo-orthodoxy In Christianity, Neo-orthodoxy or Neoorthodoxy, also known as theology of crisis and dialectical theology, was a theological movement developed in the aftermath of the First World War. The movement was largely a reaction against doctrines of ...


References


Sources

* * Bradshaw, Timothy. 1988. ''Trinity and Ontology: A Comparative Study of the Theologies of Karl Barth and
Wolfhart Pannenberg Wolfhart Pannenberg (2 October 1928 – 4 September 2014) was a German Lutheran theologian. He made a number of significant contributions to modern theology, including his concept of history as a form of revelation centered on the resurre ...
''.
Rutherford House Rutherford House is a historic building and museum in the Strathcona area of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The structure was the home of the first Premier of Alberta, Alexander Cameron Rutherford, from 1911 to 1941, and has subsequently been desig ...
Books, reprint, Lewiston; Lampeter: Edwin Mellen Press for Rutherford House, Edinburgh, 1992. * * Bromiley, Geoffrey William. ''An introduction to the theology of Karl Barth''. Grand Rapids, Mich. : William B. Eerdmans, 1979. * Buclin, Hadrien, Entre culture du consensus et critique sociale. Les intellectuels de gauche dans la Suisse de l'après-guerre, Thèse de doctorat, Université de Lausanne, 2015. * Busch, Eberhard. ''Karl Barth: His Life from Letters and Autobiographical Texts''. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1976. * . * Chung, Paul S
''Karl Barth: God's Word in Action''
James Clarke & Co, Cambridge (2008), . * Chung, Sung Wook. ''Admiration and Challenge: Karl Barth's Theological Relationship with John Calvin.'' New York: Peter Lang, 2002. . * Chung, Sung Wook, ed. ''Karl Barth and Evangelical Theology: Convergences and Divergences.'' Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008.. * Clark, Gordon. ''Karl Barth's Theological Method''. Trinity Foundation (1997, 2nd ed.), 1963. . * Fiddes, Paul. 'The status of women in the thought of Karl Barth', in Janet Martin Soskice, ed., ''After Eve'' lternative title ''After Eve: women, theology and the Christian tradition'' 1990, pp. 138–55. Marshall Pickering * Fink, Heinrich. "Karl Barth und die Bewegung Freies Deutschland in der Schweiz." octoral dissertation."Karl Barth und die Bewegung Freies Deutschland in der Schweiz : Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades doctor scientiae theologiae (Dr.sc.theol.), vorgelegt dem Senat des Wissenschaftlichen Rates der Humboldt-Universitaaet zu Berlin." Berlin, H. Fink elfpublisher 1978. * Galli, Mark (2000)
"Neo-Orthodoxy: Karl Barth"
'' Christianity Today''. * Gherardini, Brunero
"A domanda risponde. In dialogo con Karl Barth sulle sue 'Domande a Roma' (A Question Answered. In Dialogue with Karl Barth on His 'Questions in Rome')"
Frigento (Italy): Casa Mariana Editrice, 2011. . * * Gorringe, Timothy. ''Karl Barth: Against Hegemony''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. * Hunsinger, George. ''How to Read Karl Barth: The Shape of His Theology''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993. * Jae Jin Kim. , Lit Verlag, 1992. * Mangina, Joseph L. ''Karl Barth: Theologian of Christian Witness.'' Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2004. * McCormack, Bruce. ''Karl Barth's Critically Realistic Dialectical Theology: Its Genesis and Development, 1909–1936''. Oxford University Press, USA (27 March 1997), * McKenny, Gerald
"The Analogy of Grace: Karl Barth's Moral Theology."
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010. . * Oakes, Kenneth. ''Karl Barth on Theology and Philosophy''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. * Oakes, Kenneth. ''Reading Karl Barth: A Companion to Karl Barth's Epistle to the Romans''. Eugene: Cascade, 2011. * Webster, John. ''Barth''. 2nd ed., London: Continuum, 2004. * Webster, John, ed. ''The Cambridge Companion to Karl Barth''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000.


External links

* * * * . Complete bibliography of literature by and about Karl Barth. * *
Karl Barth-Archiv

Primer on Karl Barth's ''Church Dogmatics''

One Year With Karl Barth
A year-long project promoting discussion and application of Barth's Church Dogmatics.



article from Christianity Today
Karl Barth
Hub to organizations and resources associated with Karl Barth * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barth, Karl 1886 births 1968 deaths People from Basel-Stadt University of Göttingen faculty University of Bonn faculty University of Münster faculty Duke University faculty Swiss Christian socialists Christian ethicists Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Existentialist theologians Calvinist and Reformed Christian socialists Swiss Protestants Christian socialist theologians Filioque 20th-century Protestant theologians Protestants in the German Resistance Systematic theologians