Church Dogmatics, 14 Vols

by Karl Barth, Thomas F. Torrance, Geoffrey William Bromiley (Editor)

Described by Pope Pius XII as the most important theologian since Thomas Aquinas, the Swiss pastor and theologian, Karl Barth, continues to be a major influence on students, scholars and preachers today. Barth's theology found its expression mainly through his closely reasoned fourteen-part magnum opus, Die Kirchliche Dogmatik. Having taken over 30 years to write, the Church Dogmatics is regarded as one of the most important theological works of all time, and represents the pinnacle of Barth's achievement as a theologian. T&T Clark International is now proud to be publishing the only complete English translation of the Church Dogmatics in paperback.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity, Religion, Church History, Philosophy, Nonfiction

8936 pages, Paperback

First published July 28, 1984

About the author

Protestant theologian Karl Barth, a Swiss, advocated a return to the principles of the Reformation and the teachings of the Bible; his published works include Church Dogmatics from 1932.

Critics hold Karl Barth among the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th century; Pope Pius XII described him as the most important since Saint Thomas Aquinas. Beginning with his experience as a pastor, he rejected his typical predominant liberal, especially German training of 19th century.

Instead, he embarked on a new path, initially called dialectical, due to its stress on the paradoxical nature of divine truth—for instance, God is both grace and judgment), but more accurately called a of the Word. Critics referred to this father of new orthodoxy, a pejorative term that he emphatically rejected. His thought emphasized the sovereignty of God, particularly through his innovative doctrine of election. His enormously influenced throughout Europe and America.

Reviews

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Might be 'Currently Reading It' for a little while.

[G Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yummm.... Take the time to read this set - it WILL pay dividends in the end. Many people hate Barth... I get that, his "affair" with his secretary, his "liberalism" (whatever that really wound up meaning), yada yada yada... but usually, they have only superficially engaged him, by reading books about him or only reading "scandalous" selections from his work. Even if the guy was a jerk (and I am not sure that he was, at least not any more so than you or I), have you read him? Really? He's written a lot, have you read enough to be able to somewhat fairly evaluate his broader corpus? Much of what he writes is indeed scandalous... other parts of it are even "silly"... Yet, overall, when I read Barth, I find someone who was enamored with the perichoretic Trinitarian life and who deeply loved Christ and his church. When I read him, even when I disagree with him (which s quite often) I still find myself drawn to praising our Creator God. Which is more, much more, than I can say for his conservative critics. Most of the (not all of them) are sterile, self-righteous and lack a genuine display of love for their fellow sheep.

[Kara Slade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most important work of theology since...hmm...when? Volume IV.1 (Reconciliation) is theologically crucial (no pun intended), and is fantastic for devotional reading too - especially in Lent. Try it! And, I'll repeat what many others have probably said or heard others say: don't 'cheat' by reading Dogmatics in Outline. It is not the same. The way that Barth circles around to the same core ideas, with variations or expansions each time, is part of the method - like listening to Mozart, it is familiar but always new and stunning.

[Stephen Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics has been a monumental event for me. Nearly three years ago I began reading out of curiosity, and that curiosity quickly became complete fascination. It will take a lifetime to fully understand everything in these dense pages, but what I have grasped I have found simply brilliant. I did not agree with every word, but I can say I'll never be the same, either in my faith or my theology, after finishing this masterpiece. I'm convinced Barth is one of the most important theologians for the Church today, someone every Christian should read with at least some level of interest.

My favorite volume remains the first volume I read (and have since re-read a few times over!), volume IV/1. I'd also include II/2, II/1, I/1, and IV/2-3 as the other life-changing volumes for me. I know I'll be returning to them often!

[Josh Shelton]

I hope this series gets easier! On page 60, and this joker is all work.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read 1994-1997 while in college. At the time I was flirting with Barth's theology. There is so much that could be said about these 14 volumes but I want to keep this susinct. I don't agree with some of Barth's conclusions, but his place in history and his influence in modern theology is huge... so it must be read by those like myself who are not Barthian. Carve out a few years for this one.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very difficult book for me to read. It was a long book in which almost every sentence challenged my comprehension. I did not enjoy reading it, but learned a lot of historical theology and theological viewpoints from it.

[Richard George · Rating 5 out of 5]

No I haven't read this really! Well, I've studied carefully BITS of it. Try it if you dare. A War and Peace of the theological world. Barth: the first post-modern theologian.

[Andrew Attaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost done with Vol.1:1.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theology all the way. Intense, challenging reading, but very insightful. Am reading in pieces as topics arise.

[Travis Armes]

IV/1, 79-154, IV/2, 20-378