Dialectic in Karl Barth's Doctrine of God

by Cross, Terry L.

• ISBN13: 9780820450193
• ISBN10: 0820450197
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-07-01
• Publisher: Peter Lang Pub Inc

Summary

Early in his theological development, the Swiss theologian, Karl Barth, used a philosophical method called dialectic to organize his theological framework. In recent years, rather intense discussion has arisen over the source of Barth's dialectic and whether it remained in effect during the later period of the writing of Church Dogmatics or it diminished in importance under the new rubric of analogy. Terry L. Cross examines the sources of Barth's dialectic and investigates how it continues to operate alongside analogy within Barth's doctrine of God in Church Dogmatics. The conclusion is that Barth's doctrine of God will not work without his special dialectic and analogy - a dialectica fidei as well as an analogia fidei.

Author Biography

Terry L. Cross is Associate Professor of Theology and Philosophy and Associate Dean of the School of Religion at Lee University (Tennessee).

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
Dialectic and the Current State of Barth Studies	p. 1
An Historical Overview of Dialectic	p. 11
Introduction	p. 11
Definitions of Dialectic	p. 12
Plato and Dialectic	p. 13
Aristotle and Dialectic	p. 17
Kant and Dialectic	p. 19
Hegel and Dialectic	p. 22
Kierkegaard and Dialectic	p. 32
Reaction to Hegel	p. 32
Kierkegaard's Use of Paradox	p. 35
Kierkegaard's Use of Dialectic	p. 41
The Use of the Denkform of Dialectic in the Early Barth: 1909-1931	p. 45
Introduction	p. 45
Barth's Early Writings (1909-1914)	p. 45
1909 Essay: "Modern Theology and Work in the Kingdom of God"	p. 47
1912 Essay: "The Christian Faith and History"	p. 50
1914 Essay: "Belief in a Personal God"	p. 53
Summary: 1909-1914	p. 60
Barth's Break with Modern Theology (1915-1922)	p. 62
Events Leading to the Break	p. 62
The Nature of Barth's Change	p. 64
Romerbrief I	p. 64
The Interim between Romerbrief I and II	p. 70
Romerbrief II	p. 82
Dialectic in Romerbrief II	p. 86
Years of Movement towards Dogma: 1923-1925	p. 95
The Gottingen Dogmatics	p. 95
"Menschenwort und Gotteswort in der christlichen Predigt"	p. 98
"Das Schriftprinzip der reformierten Kirche"	p. 99
"Was ist Theologie?"	p. 100
Dialectic in Die christliche Dogmatik im Entwurf (1927)	p. 107
The Word of God and Dogma	p. 108
The Dialectical Nature of Dogma	p. 113
"Fate and Idea in Theology" (1929)	p. 121
Barth's Work on Anselm: Fides Quaerens Intellectum	p. 124
Dialectic in the Knowledge of the Triune God	p. 131
Preliminary Considerations	p. 131
Barth's Revised Prolegomena (1932)	p. 141
Dogmatics and the Word of God	p. 142
The Trinity	p. 143
Dialectic in the Church Dogmatics I/I	p. 145
The Dialectic of Revelation	p. 145
Dialectic and the Trinity	p. 152
Summary	p. 155
The Use of Dialectic in the Knowledge of God (CD II/1)	p. 156
The Knowledge and Knowability of God	p. 156
The Limits of the Knowledge of God	p. 164
The Use of Dialectic in the Reality of God	p. 173
The Being of God	p. 173
God's Being in Action	p. 173
Transcendence and Immanence	p. 174
Absoluteness and Personalness	p. 175
The Perfections of God	p. 178
Introduction	p. 178
The Perfections of the Divine Loving	p. 185
The Perfections of the Divine Freedom	p. 189
Concluding Remarks on the Perfections	p. 193
The Legacy of Barth's Dialectic	p. 195
Dialectic in the Later Church Dogmatics	p. 195
Church Dogmatics II/2	p. 195
Church Dogmatics III: The Doctrine of Creation	p. 196
Church Dogmatics IV: The Doctrine of Reconciliation	p. 200
Summary Conclusions on Barth's Use of Dialectic	p. 201
Barth's Dialectical Heritage	p. 201
Barth's Special Dialectic	p. 204
The Relation of Dialectic to Analogy	p. 208
The Thesis of This Study	p. 210
Bibliography	p. 213
Index	p. 225
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