Synopses & Reviews
Drawing on the best English and German language scholarship to date, this book offers a novel interpretation of Barth's mature Christology. Examining the entirety of the Dogmatics, it provides a nuanced analysis of Barth's treatment of the Chalcedonian Definition, the enhypostasis/anhypostasis pairing, and various Protestant scholastic Christological distinctions; an examination of the co-inherence of Barth's doctrines of God and Christ, which contributes to current debates about Barth's doctrine of election; and a lengthy account of the Christology of Church Dogmatics IV that foregrounds Barth's understanding of Christ's human involvement in the drama of reconciliation. Throughout the text, the author shows convincingly that Barth's emphasis on Christ's divinity goes hand-in-hand with a dogmatically rich and often startling account of Christ's humanity. The text does not confine itself to the Church Dogmatics. It also situates Barth in the context of the wider Christian tradition and modern western philosophy of religion. Thus Barth is set in conversation with a wide range of thinkers, including Anselm of Canterbury, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Friedrich Schleiermacher, G. W. F. Hegel, Gottfried Thomasius, and Harry Frankfurt. In addition, the text makes a number of constructive gestures, showing a particular interest in feminist and liberationist trajectories of thought. The final chapter considers the standing of Barth's Christology today and its pertinence for theological ethics and political theology.
Synopsis
Drawing on the best English and German language scholarship to date, this book offers a novel interpretation of Barth's mature Christology. Examining the entirety of the Dogmatics, it provides a nuanced analysis of Barth's treatment of the Chalcedonian Definition, the enhypostasis/anhypostasis pairing, and various Protestant scholastic Christological distinctions; an examination of the co-inherence of Barth's doctrines of God and Christ, which contributes to current debates about Barth's doctrine of election; and a lengthy account of the Christology of Church Dogmatics IV that foregrounds Barth's understanding of Christ's human involvement in the drama of reconciliation. Throughout the text, the author shows convincingly that Barth's emphasis on Christ's divinity goes hand-in-hand with a dogmatically rich and often startling account of Christ's humanity. The text does not confine itself to the Church Dogmatics. It also situates Barth in the context of the wider Christian tradition and modern western philosophy of religion. Thus Barth is set in conversation with a wide range of thinkers, including Anselm of Canterbury, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Friedrich Schleiermacher, G. W. F. Hegel, Gottfried Thomasius, and Harry Frankfurt. In addition, the text makes a number of constructive gestures, showing a particular interest in feminist and liberationist trajectories of thought. The final chapter considers the standing of Barth's Christology today and its pertinence for theological ethics and political theology.
Table of Contents
Contents
IntroductionChapter One: Approaching Barth's Christology I: The anhypostasis/enhypostasis pairing II: Barth and the Definition of Chalcedon III: Early moves IV: Christology and the "historical Jesus"
Chapter Two: Election and ChristologyI: Divine self-determination(a) The relationship between Church Dogmatics I and II(b) "God is," means, "God loves"(c) Jesus Christ, "electing God" and "elected human"II: Jesus' covenantal humanity(a) Encounter(b) Decision(c) History III: Summary remarks
Chapter Three: Jesus Christ, Embodiment of GraceI: Christology after Church Dogmatics II.2II: Christology in critical conversation with Protestant Orthodoxy(a) Election reprised(b) The unio hypostatica; anhypostasis/enhypostasis revisited; the communio naturarum(c) Permutations of the communicatio idiomatum(d) Summary remarks; the genus tapeinoticum III: Jesus Christ, the "königliche Mensch"(a) "Correspondence": the form of Jesus' life(b) "Correspondence" as wholeheartedness, sovereignty, love, and deliverance(c) Agency and freedom; Jesus and revolution IV: Exaltation and Exinanition
Chapter Four: Obedience unto Death: Achieving the Salvation of the WorldI: HistoryII: The obedience of Christ: Christology in light of the passion(a) The obedience of the Son of God(b) The obedience of Jesus of NazarethIII: Gethsemane(a) Jesus' history: a movement towards crisis(b) The achievement of justificatory responsibility (c) The consequences of Jesus' struggle (d) Justification enacted IV: Beyond tragedy Chapter Five: Looking back, looking forwardI: Summary remarks(a) Reviewing the argument(b) Unanswered questions(c) Potential problemsII: Barth's Christology todayAppendix One: The Organization of Church Dogmatics IVAppendix Two: Barth and the genus maiestaticum Bibliography