The Essential Karl Barth: A Reader and Commentary

by Keith L. Johnson

Karl Barth is one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century. His work is considered essential reading for nearly every student of theology. Reading Barth's theology poses a challenge, however, because of the sheer size of his corpus, the complexity of his claims, and the distance between his context and the context of his readers. In this accessible introduction, a respected scholar in Barthian studies offers a one-stop resource on Barth's thought, providing a selection of his most important writings, critical commentary, and detailed introductory and concluding chapters.

Genres: Theology, Christian

384 pages, Paperback

Published April 2, 2019

About the author

Keith L. Johnson (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) is Associate Professor of Theology at Wheaton College, IL.

Reviews

[Nathaniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Dogmatics is the self-examination of the Christian church in respect of the content of its distinctive talk about God... To the finally and adequately given divine answer there corresponds a human question which can maintain its faithfulness only in unwearied and honest persistence. There corresponds even at the highest point of attainment the open: 'Not as though I had already attained' (Phil. 3:12). Dogmatics receives even the standard by which it measures in an act of human appropriation. Hence it has to be enquiry. It knows the light which is intrinsically perfect and reveals everything in a flash. Yet it knows it only in the prism of this act, which, however radically or existentially it may be understood, is still a human act, which in itself is no kind of surety for the correctness of the appropriation in question, which is by nature fallible and therefore stands in need of criticism, of correction, of critical amendment and repetition. For this reason the creaturely form which the revealing action of God assumes in dogmatics is never that of knowledge attained in a flash, which it would have to be to correspond to the divine gift, but a laborious movement from one partial human insight to another with the intention though with no guarantee of advance. 'For now we see in a mirror, dimly... now I know only in part' (1 Cor. 13:12). And with a similar application, we may also recall 2 Corinthians 4:7: 'But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.”

[Alexander Proudfoot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genuinely lives up to its title. Johnson's collection of excepts is an excellent broad introduction to the highlights of Barth's thought. His footnoted commentary throughout, and especially his introductions, are also very helpful. Well worth picking up.

[Chris MacLeavy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Johnson's scholarship of Barth's work is accessible; which is impressive given the subject matter. He provides not only an interesting overview of Barth's life and legacy, but a valuable resource (part 2) in his summaries of the main areas of theology that formed Barth's life's work, Church Dogmatics. Part of what makes The Essential Karl Barth simultaneously stimulating, entertaining, and educational is the frequent insertion of Barth's correspondence with others, his lecture notes, or other chosen writings. In these, we see Barth's brilliance, but also his dry wit and deep desire to have people to see God as revealed to humanity in Jesus Christ. Johnson has done an exceptional job of distilling a difficult read (if you've ever attempted to read a volume of Church Dogmatics cover-to-cover, you'll know) and presenting Barth as a real person who has true theological flourish but also is not without human flaws. This book is a valuable primer for those who are not yet familiar with Barth, and a worthwhile resource that has captured the essence of all Barth's major arguments into short helpful chapters.

[Christopher Gow · Rating 5 out of 5]

So so helpful. This is like taking a class on Barth rather than trying to wade into his work alone. The editorial work, the intros and especially the periodic explanatory footnotes make this pretty accessible while maintaining Barth's own personality, innovation, and punchiness.

I recommend it for anyone trying to understand Barth's thinking, seeking personal encouragement in Christ, and/or wanting to be friends with Glenn Wishnew.

[Evan]

cool story bro

[Joelendil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not quite sure how to rate this book. As a detailed introduction to Karl Barth's theology, it is superb. However, I find parts of Karl Barth's theology itself problematic (e.g. the Bible becomes a means of God personally revealing himself to us but is not itself revelation, the vague answers on the origin/nature of evil and possibility of universalism, taking as a starting point God as "wholly other" who cannot be known through any "creaturely" means, etc.). I have neither the desire nor skill to engage in a detailed critique of Barth's theology, but suffice it to say that an overall positive rating on this book is by no means an endorsement of his theology.

That said, I think that you can learn more about someone's views on life, the universe, and everything by reading their writings rather than by reading someone else's criticism of their writings. The format of this book allows you to dip into significant excerpts from Barth's massive body of writings and see how his theology grew and changed over time (as well as how it led him to interact with German politics up to and during World War II). Copious endnotes provide a running commentary on the text. I would strongly recommend the electronic version of this over the print version as it is much more convenient for toggling back and forth between text and explanatory notes.

In summary: if you are interested in Karl Barth and his "Neo-Orthodox" theology this works beautifully as an introduction. I would also recommend reading critical responses to his theology, but start with the man himself if you want to know what he actually believed and taught.

[Chandler Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic collection of primary sources from Karl Barth. Johnson puts together sources in the first part of the book that show Barth’s theological development across his life, and the difficulty of summarizing Barth due to the constantly developing nature of his theology. The second section of the book is the real meat as it includes the most fundamental sections as deemed by Johnson from Barth’s Church Dogmatics. If you’re like me and deeply intimidates by the “Big White Whale” (the crude name for the multi-volume work), then this is an excellent source to get the key points from Barth’s dogmatic vision. The final part of the book is very compelling and contains Barth’s writings on the relationship between church and state as well as the Christian’s political responsibilities. Barth himself was one who lived in a time and setting marked by major political strife with the rise of the Nazi regime. Johnson also provides an intro and conclusion to the book, as well as footnotes along the way that function as commentary to certain dense passages in Barth’s writing. These footnotes are necessary at times as there were things I genuinely did not understand from Barth. Some of Johnson’s commentary could be a little repetitive or even unnecessary at times as he would just restate almost word for word what Barth said. I also like the footnote format because it did not interfere with the flow of the text and I didn’t feel the pressure to read every footnote. This was a helpful formatting decision!

Barth could be so dense in his writing style—even to a fault. Reading this primary source collection requires patience as you slowly and carefully move through Barth’s Christologically rich writing. If there is one theme that sticks out to me above all from his writing, it is that we are fully dependent upon God’s revelation of himself in Christ for any true knowledge of God’s being and acts. Here is an excellent and rich passage from Barth on the significance of the humanity of Christ in the Christ-event:

“The truth is that this human history, ‘the earthly life of Jesus,’ belongs with the act of God to that which is revealed. It is manifest with it in time (‘in these last days,’ as 1 Pet. 1:20 puts it), but it is also with it as the content of the eternal decree and will of God. It was foreordained with it before the foundation of the world. There is no divine, eternal, spiritual level at which the Christ-event is not also ‘worldly’ and therefore this human history. The concept of the true humanity of Jesus Christ is therefore primarily and finally basic—an absolutely necessary concept—in exactly the same and not a lesser sense than that of His true deity. The humanity of Jesus Christ is not a secondary moment in the Christ-event. It is not something which happens later, and later again will pass and disappear. It is not merely for the purpose of mediation. Like His deity, it is integral to the whole event (p. 269).

Jesus is the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. God’s plan for atonement and reconciliation is not a reaction to man’s sin. Rather, creation is the theater where God’s reconciling work can take place. There are few theologians besides Barth and T. F. Torrance who so clearly magnify Christ and center their dogmatic work around Christ. Take up and read this work if you are interested in modern theology or Barth’s theology more specifically.

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was my introduction to Barth. The selections in this collection show not only the changes in his theology, but also his takes on many topics as well. I was very impressed by how many topics he tackled and even surprised by some I didn't expect to see like: monism vs dualism, the common definitions, origins, and roles of good and evil, mysticism, divine attribute theology, and his own way of wording the Trinity. I can't imagine the total breadth he has covered in all his works. The overall theme of his work is being self-aware and critical of our theology in regards to how it's constructed, used, and tested. Theology needs to be continually revised and tested by revelation and is highly susceptible to human error, misleading abstractions, influence, and distractions. For Barth, Jesus is the ultimate standard, start, and end of Christian theology. Nobody's safe from human error, including dogma and church tradition, which he believes can become idols. Yet he still highly values the inherited knowledge from church tradition. Moreover the sciences can equally warp our understanding of God with dire consequences in the case of the German Christian faction that supported the Nazi cause. The selection also includes some statements on how Christians and the Church should interact with politics and his reaction to the rise of Nazi ideology and his critique of Christian Nazi sympathizers. I was thrilled to encounter new approaches to the same old questions and fundamentals of Christianity as well as critiques of my own way of thinking! What more could I ask for?

You can tell Barth was heavily influenced by the Reformed tradition, Martin Luther, Aquinas, and Anselm, but he takes them and goes on his own direction. I liked his humble attitude towards theology and other traditions. His theology was always susceptible to change as he learned and he positioned himself as just another path among many in theology. I personally did not like his writing style since it wanders and repeats a lot which made it harder to read. Definitely one of those people that gives an answer in many paragraphs when it could be a few sentences. It's like reading a lecture or speech. Thankfully the introduction warns you about this. This is a book that you can reread and chew on again whenever you're struggling with a theological puzzle.

[Mark Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great excerpts. Read critically.

I think if I have one takeaway from this it’s that God does not exist to serve your current agenda and program - political, family, job etc. The Triune God is “wholly other” and so you serve Him. The Lord’s army is not fighting for you or your adversaries - it’s a totally different battle. I like that constant transcendent element in Barth’s thinking.

But...you know...it’s Barth and so there are lots of other issues which many have articulated already - a lot of them are correct in their assessment and many are just unable to comprehend his dense, more-orthodox-than-it-appears-initially, thought.

[Jim Schuessler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been curious to learn the distinctives of not only Barth's life but his theology and I really enjoyed the selections KLJ picked. Not having read Barth before, I was sensative about being carried along by a possible agenda, but I'm as confident as I can be that Johnson presented a fair picture of him as a young and older theologian, pointing out how his views were refined with age. A very enjoyable introduction to Barth!