Letters of the Divine Word
The Perfections of God in Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics
Letters of the Divine Word
The Perfections of God in Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics
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Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN: 9780567075437
Number of Pages: 224
Published: 26/05/2011
Width: 15.6 cm
Height: 23.4 cm
The Christian doctrine of God has traditionally been presented in two parts: an account of the existence and attributes of God on the one hand, and an account of God's triunity on the other. The present study is an analysis of Karl Barth's doctrine of the divine attributes (or 'perfections'), as it appears in his "Church Dogmatics II/1". Barth's doctrine of the divine perfections has received comparatively little attention, and what attention it has received is typically very selective. Authors unaware of larger, structural themes in Barth's account often misconstrue significant details of Barth's text. Others wrongly discount the implications of Barth's doctrine of the perfections for his theology as a whole. The aim of this study is primarily to clarify what Barth says about the perfections and secondarily to relate this to broader themes in Barth's theology. "T&T Clark Studies in Systematic Theology" is a series of monographs in the field of Christian doctrine, with a particular focus on constructive engagement with major topics through historical analysis or contemporary restatement.
Chapter 1 locates Barth's doctrine of the divine perfections within the unfolding logic of the Church Dogmatics and then surveys the state of Barth scholarship on this doctrine.; Chapter 2 provides historical and systematic context for Barth's doctrine, tracing significant threads of development in this doctrine within the Christian theological tradition and describing the theological function of the doctrine of the divine perfections.; Chapter 3 through 6 provide focused analysis each of the four sections of Barth's doctrine of the perfections, pausing at various points to address relevant debates within broader Barth scholarship.; Chapter 7 identifies some of the key theological decisions which shape Barth's account of God's perfections.; Chapter 8 argues that Barth's doctrine of the divine perfections represents his mature thought on this aspect of the doctrine of God - an aspect that is refined, but not dispensed with, in Church Dogmatics IV.
'Price has given us a great gift: a careful and charitable guided tour through one of the most complex sections of Barth's Church Dogmatics. His close exposition of Barth's text unveils the inner logic of Barth's argument by highlighting important connections and insights that often go unnoticed. Chapter by chapter, he opens up new vistas from which we can view the contours of Barth's entire theology more clearly, and the result is a better grasp of Barth's ongoing relevance for contemporary thought. This book stands in the best tradition of theological commentary, and it will be valuable to any theologian engaged in a serious study of Barth's theology or the doctrine of God.' - Keith L. Johnson, Assistant Professor of Theology, Wheaton College, IL, USA.--Sanford Lakoff
