Church Dogmatics: I.2 The Doctrine of the Word of God §§ 19–21

Church Dogmatics (Study Edition) #5

by Karl Barth

Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics is one of the major theological works of the 20th century. The Swiss-German theologian Karl Barth (1886-1968) was the most original and significant Reformed theologian of the twentieth century. Barth began the Church Dogmatics in 1932 and continued working on its thirteen volumes until the end of his life. Barth's writings continue to guide and instruct the preaching and teaching of pastors and academics worldwide. The English translation was prepared by a team of scholars and edited by G. W. Bromiley and T. F. Torrance and published from 1936. A team of scholars at Princeton Theological Seminary have now provided the translation of Greek, Latin, Hebrew and French passages into English. The original is presented alongside the English translation. This makes the work more reader friendly and accessible to the growing number of students who do not have a working knowledge of the ancient languages. This new edition with translations is now available for the first time in individual volumes.>

320 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1993

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.