The Epistle to the Philippians

by Karl Barth

Dr Barth's exposition of Philippians, first published in German in 1927, was not available inBnglish before this translation by Dr James Leitch. It has important differences in procedure from the famous Romans, and should not be missed by any student of Dr Barth's development. The commentary is also of interest as having been written primarily for the non-theologian. It is intelligible without a knowledge of Greek, although it has insights for the New Testament specialist. Like the Epistle of joy itself, Dr Barth's Philippians reflects the concern of a pastor that ordinary Christians should set their priorities right.

Genres: Theology, New Testament, Christian, Biblical Studies

130 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2002

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

[Matt Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a relatively short amount of space, Barth takes the short Pauline Epistle, line by line. First, he offers a commentary on what is being said. Then he shows how this fits into the unifying theme of the letter. Lastly, he shows how it fits Paul's overarching theme noticeable in all of The Apostle's writings. Philippians is often overlooked, with much more attention usually given to Romans, Galatians, and 1 Corinthians. Barth shows why Philippians should not be overlooked. Given the parallels between Barth's own time and our own, perhaps study of this Epistle is necessary now more than ever!

[Ron Pendley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short commentary, but it is excellent and packed full of important insights about the Christian textbook on joy, the book of Philippians. It is well worth spending the time to read this short commentary from one of the 20th centuries great theologians.

[Brent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barth is a fantastic linguist and approachs Philippians not as an exegete, and not as a historical scholar (although he utilizes critical exegesis and historical theology) but as a systematic theologian, and a profound one at that. This is not a companion to "go to" for exegetical insight, but rather one to be read all the way through.

My great friend and I decided to go through this together before he leaves for Princeton Theological Seminary, and together we tarried patiently throughout Barth's commentary, feeling the theological tension, "minding the one thing", and revolving our dialectical thought around the axiom that is Christ and Him crucified, sharing in His death and sufferings. We learned that we suffer because God is merciful, and that there are common denominator issues that are core, and yet there are issues that are often times petty that needed to be crucified as we put others, literally mind them before ourselves.

Through Barth, I have learned the importance of patient theology, and being contented in sometimes admitting when we don't have the answer (Barth admits a couple times he doesn't have a good answer for a verse or two in his exegesis about what Paul was really talking about). The point nevertheless always points back to Christ, and in this we must rejoice, and I will say it again, χαίρετε!

These are the gems we need to find the time to work through; they have time and time again proven to be fruitful.

-b

[James Korsmo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This interesting little commentary is one of the few examples of Barth's theological exegesis as it is applied to an entire book systematically. It doesn't rival other more traditional-style commentaries as far as exegetical insight (I especially love Gordon Fee's commentary in the NICNT series) but it contains a number of gems, and reflects a deep and sustained engagement with the text. Barth illumines a number of theological themes in the letter in his own distinctive way, and, as is reflected by citations of this book in many modern commentaries, certainly makes a contribution to the understanding of Philippians. I most thoroughly enjoyed his discussion of Phil 3:8-9 and the subject of faith and righteousness. This brief discussion alone is worth the price of the book. While I won't be consulting this little commentary first or most frequently in future studies of Philippians, I certainly won't neglect it either, especially when looking at those more theologically dense passages.

[Edward Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

A first! This little book marks the first time I've ever read, from cover-to-cover, a commentary for strictly devotional purposes. Unlike his unprecedented "Romans," this work is far more digestible. It truly nourishes the heart & soul, as well as the mind.

[Dougald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Barth's wedding of pastoral care and scholarship in this work. A lot of the exegesis is stout throughout the work. It was a good work to read.