Revelation and Reason: The Christian Doctrine of Faith and Knowledge

by Emil Brunner, Olive Wyon (Translator)

In this book, Dr. Brunner sets the claim of the Christian Church to the truth over against the widespread intellectual relativism of contemporary culture. He seeks to show that both Catholic and secular thought misunderstood the revelations between reason and revelation because revelation is always subordinated to reason. Brunner reverses the position. He goes back to the Bible and the Reformers and maintains that when reason is subordinated to revelation the preaching of the gospel is at once true to itself and intelligible. Here is a forceful and thorough volume which helps both believers and unbelievers to understand themselves.

Genres: Theology

440 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1946

About the author

Heinrich Emil Brunner was a Protestant theologian and Professor of Systematic and Practical Theology at the University of Zurich.

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heavy reading for non-theology types, but wonderful. Clear-headed and brilliant, Brunner offers a provocative example of the Neo-Orthodox movement at its best. Although this book has been around for a lot of years, it is still important.

[Benjamin Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, this is the best book I have ever read.

[Steve Irby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quarantine-Book #15:

I just finished "Revelation and Reason," by Emil Brunner.

Intimidatingly it sat on my bookshelf for years until reading Brunner's Dogmatics V1 made me short stack this book. Who, you ask, can write 430 pp on Revelation and Reason?--this Swiss mister: Brunner.

"Thus love is the aim of God in His creation, because it is the deepest origin of His creation and of His revelation," p 34.

Out the gate Brunner is placing good weight on Faith and trust in the one revelation, the pinnacle of revelation: the Word, Jesus; not scripture. The dialectical relationship turns in trust to an I-Thou relationship where man trust in the revelation of the Word and accepts this revelation.

He says that revelation doesnt add to ones sphere of knowledge, revelation changes you. I agree. Elsewhere Brunner simply says profoundly: God (of scripture, not philosophy) wants to reveal Himself to man.

All man stand before God negatively or positively because all man have the imago Dei. Revelation precedes reason; reason when seen points back to revelation.

No kidding, this book has been a slog until p 95 ff. When Brunner touched down on Christ, the Word, the epitome of Revelation things picked up. This begs many questions such as how the Word and the person of Jesus "work." Some of which he dug into. Some of which he said that there is a mystery here. I respect that.

Brunner steals a concept from Chalcedon by saying that scripture has a human part and a Divine part. Scripture shares glory in the Divinity of Christ and the humanity of Christ.

"God does not think on a formal manner. When God thinks, reality comes into being," p 315.

It had strokes of genius/I'm glad I'm done.

#Brunner #EmilBrunner #RevelationAndReason #NeoOrthodox