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Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss
Reformed theologian Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...
. Barth is best known for his commentary '' The Epistle to the Romans'', his involvement in the Confessing Church, including his authorship (except for a single phrase) of the Barmen Declaration, and especially his unfinished multi-volume theological summa the '' Church Dogmatics'' (published between 1932 and 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 continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' on 20 April 1962. Like many
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
theologians of his generation, Barth was educated in a liberal theology influenced by
Adolf von Harnack Carl Gustav Adolf von Harnack (born Harnack; 7 May 1851 – 10 June 1930) was a Baltic German Lutheran theologian and prominent Church historian. He produced many religious publications from 1873 to 1912 (in which he is sometimes credited ...
,
Friedrich Schleiermacher Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher (; ; 21 November 1768 – 12 February 1834) was a German Reformed Church, Reformed theology, theologian, philosopher, and biblical scholar known for his attempt to reconcile the criticisms of the Age o ...
and others. His pastoral career began in the rural
Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...
town of Safenwil, 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 who supported the Confessing Church, and
Jürgen Moltmann Jürgen Moltmann (; 8 April 1926 – 3 June 2024) was a German Reformed theologian who was a professor of systematic theology at the University of Tübingen and was known for his books such as the ''Theology of Hope'', ''The Crucified God'', ''G ...
, Helmut Gollwitzer, James H. Cone, Wolfhart Pannenberg,
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 c ...
, Thomas F. Torrance, Hans Küng, 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, and novelists such as Flannery O'Connor,
John Updike John Hoyer Updike (March 18, 1932 – January 27, 2009) was an American novelist, poet, short-story writer, art critic, and literary critic. One of only four writers to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once (the others being Booth Tar ...
, and Miklós Szentkuthy. 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 Protestant theologian, ethicist, and public intellectual. Hauerwas originally taught at the University of Notre Dame before moving to Duke University. Hauerwas was a longtime professo ...
, John Howard Yoder, Jacques Ellul and Oliver O'Donovan.


Early life and education

Karl Barth was born on 10 May 1886, in
Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
, 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 (, , ) is a public university, public research university in the Switzerland, Swiss capital of Bern. It was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the canton of Bern. It is a comprehensive university offering a br ...
, and then transferred to the
University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...
to study under
Adolf von Harnack Carl Gustav Adolf von Harnack (born Harnack; 7 May 1851 – 10 June 1930) was a Baltic German Lutheran theologian and prominent Church historian. He produced many religious publications from 1873 to 1912 (in which he is sometimes credited ...
, later transferring briefly to the
University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (; ), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The University of Tübingen is one of eleven German Excellenc ...
before finally settling in Marburg to study under Wilhelm Herrmann (1846–1922). From 1911 to 1921, Barth served as a Reformed pastor in the village of Safenwil in the canton of
Aargau Aargau ( ; ), more formally the Canton of Aargau (; ; ; ), is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven districts and its capital is Aarau. Aargau is one of the most nort ...
. In 1913 he married Nelly Hoffmann, a violinist. They had a daughter and four sons, two of whom were Biblical scholars and theologians; Markus (6 October 1915 – 1 July 1994) and (29 September 1917 – 21 August 1986). Karl Barth went on to become a professor of theology in
Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...
(1921–1925),
Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, 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 ...
(1925–1930) and
Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...
(1930–1935) in Germany. While serving at Göttingen he met Charlotte von Kirschbaum, who became his long-time secretary, assistant and lover; she lived in the family home for 37 years and played a large role in the writing of his epic, the '' Church Dogmatics''. 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 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
, going back to Switzerland and becoming a professor in Basel (1935–1962).


Break from liberal theology

Liberal theology (German: ''moderne Theologie'') was a trend in nineteenth and early twentieth-century Protestant theology to reinterpret traditional beliefs in two ways. First, it adopted an historical-critical approach to the sources of Christianity. Second, it engaged with the questions that science, philosophy and other disciplines raised for the Christian faith. Barth's striking out on a different theological course from that of his Liberal university teachers
Adolf von Harnack Carl Gustav Adolf von Harnack (born Harnack; 7 May 1851 – 10 June 1930) was a Baltic German Lutheran theologian and prominent Church historian. He produced many religious publications from 1873 to 1912 (in which he is sometimes credited ...
and Wilhelm Herrmann was due to several significant influences and events. While Pastor at Safenwil, Barth had an influential friendship with neighbouring pastor Eduard Thurneysen. Troubled that their theological educations had left them ill-equipped to preach God's message effectively, they together engaged in an intensive quest to find a "wholly other" theological foundation than that which Schleiermacher had proposed. In August 1914, Barth was dismayed to learn that his venerated teachers including
Adolf von Harnack Carl Gustav Adolf von Harnack (born Harnack; 7 May 1851 – 10 June 1930) was a Baltic German Lutheran theologian and prominent Church historian. He produced many religious publications from 1873 to 1912 (in which he is sometimes credited ...
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. In 1915, Barth and Thurneysen visited Christoph Blumhardt, Leader of the Bad Boll Christian Community and Social Democratic politician. Their conversation made a deep impression on Barth. He later commented that "Blumhardt always begins with God's presence, power, and purpose," which indicates a likely influence in shaping his own theocentric starting-point. Barth also found in Blumhardt's pro-Socialist politics an inspiring encouragement for his own advocacy for the rights and unionization of Safenwil textile workers and alignment with Social Democratic values. These activities, and a public disagreement with a local factory owner, earned him local notoriety as the 'Red Pastor'. Barth's theological response was to adopt a Dialectical approach in which he deliberately sought to interrupt and destabilize the assumptions of Liberal theology by a method of negation and affirmation. In a lecture delivered in Arau in 1916, Barth argued that "God's righteousness is revealed like a trumpet blast from another world that interrupts one's obligation to nation, and also interrupts the nurturing of religious thoughts and feelings. A 'No' to these assumptions knocks one to the floor, but a 'Yes' to God's righteousness and glory sets one on one's feet again." Although in one sense it is accurate to say that Barth's Dialectical approach sought deliberately to destabilize the assumptions of Liberal theology; in another sense it is important to acknowledge that Barth never totally repudiated the historical-critical approach to the Scriptures. In addition, he continued to engage with the questions that other disciplines raised for the Christian faith, typically responding with a robust theological and Christ-centered approach.


''The Epistle to the Romans''

Barth first began his commentary '' The Epistle to the Romans'' () 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 (, commonly referred to as Georgia Augusta), is a Public university, public research university in the city of Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1734 ...
. 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, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
, Barth was largely responsible for the writing of the Barmen Declaration (). This declaration rejected the influence of
Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...
on German Christianity by arguing that the
Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...
'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 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
. 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 University of Bonn, officially the Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (), is a public research university in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the () on 18 October 1818 by Frederick Willi ...
in 1935 for refusing to swear an oath to Hitler. 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 public research university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest univ ...
. 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 defence. His answer was, "Yes, especially on the northern border!" The newspaper
Neue Zürcher Zeitung The (''NZZ''; "New Newspaper of Zurich") is German language daily newspaper, published by NZZ Mediengruppe in Zurich. The paper was founded in 1780. It has a reputation as a high-quality newspaper, as the German Swiss newspaper of record ...
carried his 1936 criticism of the philosopher
Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; 26 September 1889 – 26 May 1976) was a German philosopher known for contributions to Phenomenology (philosophy), phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. His work covers a range of topics including metaphysics, art ...
for his support of the Nazis. In 1938 he wrote a letter to a Czech colleague
Josef Hromádka Josef Lukl Hromádka (8 June 1889 in Hodslavice – 26 December 1969 in Prague) was a Czech Protestant theologian. He was a founder of the Christian Peace Conference. Born into a Lutheran peasant family in a village in Moravia in the Austro-Hun ...
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'' (). 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Barth became an important voice in support both of German penitence and of reconciliation with churches abroad. Together with Hans Iwand, he authored the 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. In it, he made the point that the Church's willingness to side with anti-socialist and conservative forces had led to its susceptibility to Nazi ideology. In the context of the developing
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
, that controversial statement was rejected by anti-Communists in the West who supported the
Christian Democratic Union of Germany The Christian Democratic Union of Germany ( , CDU ) is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is the major party of the centre-right in German politics. Friedrich Merz has been federal chairman of the CDU since 31 ...
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 (The Academy) 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, and other ...
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 pe ...
and opposed West German rearmament. Barth was exempted from a regulation that limited the tenure of a professorship at the University of Basel to the year they were 70 years of age, which he would have reached in 1956. Barth wrote a 1960 article for '' The Christian Century'' 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 university, private seminary, school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Establish ...
, the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
, Union Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. 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 and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...
. 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 continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine, an indication that his influence had reached out of academic and ecclesiastical circles and into mainstream American religious culture.
Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...
is sometimes claimed to have called Barth "the greatest theologian since
Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas ( ; ; – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican Order, Dominican friar and Catholic priest, priest, the foremost Scholasticism, Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the W ...
", though Fergus Kerr observes that "there is never chapter and verse for the quotation" and it is sometimes attributed to
Pope Paul VI Pope Paul 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 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...
instead. Barth died on 10 December 1968, at his home in
Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
, 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'', 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.


Trinitarian focus

One major objective of Barth is to recover the doctrine of the
Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...
in theology from its putative loss in
liberalism Liberalism is a Political philosophy, political and moral philosophy based on the Individual rights, rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, the right to private property, and equality before the law. ...
. His argument follows from the idea that God is the object of God's own self-knowledge, and
revelation Revelation, or divine revelation, is the disclosing of some form of Religious views on truth, truth or Knowledge#Religion, knowledge through communication with a deity (god) or other supernatural entity or entities in the view of religion and t ...
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 whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...
(''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 religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of the deities. 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 ...
. While some regard this revision of the doctrine of election as an improvement on the Augustinian-Calvinist doctrine of the predestination of individuals, critics, namely Emil Brunner,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 within Christianity that some ideas have universal application or applicability. A belief in one fundamental truth is another important tenet in universalism. The living truth is se ...
, thereby departing from Augustinian-Calvinism. Barth's doctrine of objective atonement develops as he distances himself from
Anselm of Canterbury Anselm of Canterbury OSB (; 1033/4–1109), also known as (, ) after his birthplace and () after his monastery, was an Italian Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher, and theologian of the Catholic Church, who served as Archbishop of Canterb ...
'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 Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...
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 Go ...
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 uni ...
; 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 uni ...
is central.Richard Bauckham
"Universalism: a historical survey"
'' Themelios'' 4.2 (September 1978): 47–54.


Understanding of Mary

Unlike many Protestant theologians, Barth wrote on the topic of
Mariology Mariology is the Christian theological study of Mary, 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 g ...
(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.


Criticism by reformed conservatives

Barth's doctrine of scripture was criticised by reformed theologians such as Cornelius Van Til, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones and others in the confessional reformed tradition. Chapter VIII of Van Til's, Christianity and Barthianism (1962), critiques Barth's view of revelation and das Wort Gottes ('the Word of God').


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, released by Barth's children. 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 von Kirschbaum lived in the same house as Barth and his wife Nelly. 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, Barth's wife Nelly buried Charlotte in the family tomb. Nelly died the following year. The publication of the letters in English caused a considerable crisis in English-speaking followers of Barth, who largely were not aware of the love triangle and the extent to which Barth and von Kirschbaum may not have been able to fully live according to their theological statements on marriage. Von Kirschbaum's early financial dependence on Barth has been posed as a moral problem.


Center for Barth Studies

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a Private university, private seminary, school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Establish ...
, 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 and
Princeton, New Jersey The Municipality of Princeton is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, Borough of Princeton and Pri ...
, and


See also

* " First they came ..." * Frederick Herzog


References


Sources

* * Bradshaw, Timothy. 1988. ''Trinity and Ontology: A Comparative Study of the Theologies of Karl Barth and Wolfhart Pannenberg''. Rutherford House 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 ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "eva ...
''. * Gherardini, Brunero. . 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
* Karl Barth Foundation, Basel (German
Karl Barth-Stiftung
, directed by Bernhard Christ from 1984 to 2024
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 ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "eva ...

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