Karl Barth

See also: Barth (homonymy)

Karl Barth (Basle, May 10th 1886 - Basle, December 10th 1968) is a theologist protesting Suisse.

Wire of a professor of theology, it continues its studies with Bern, then with Berlin, Tübingen and Marbourg. At the end of 1904, it becomes Pasteur of a reformed parish of Geneva. Then he becomes Pasteur with Safenwil (Argovie) He adheres to the social-democratic Party and militates for social reforms. Disappointed by the rallying of the German liberal theologists its Masters with Germanic warmongering, it then calls into question theology that one taught to him and that it had adopted of enthusiasm (in particular that of Herrmann) and moves away little by little from Christian socialism.

It publishes Der Römerbrief , an interpretation of the Epistle to the Romans, works which causes many reactions and whose audience is far from being limited to the Church reformed in 1919 and entirely rewritten its comment in 1922, being posed as a leader of the movement of the " theology dialectique" or " Theology of the Word of Dieu". Only God speaks well about God. Any authentic theology is an act of audacity (Overbeck) which agrees to let occur the Word of God like a breach in the theological speech.

In 1921, he becomes professor of theology reformed with Göttingen. and undertakes a systematic theological reflection which will become a major reference for its century. In 1931, he comments on Anselme de Canterbury, Fides quaerens intellectum, and passes from dialectical to the analogy: to large Yes of God, known as as a Jesus-Christ, corresponds analogically, in echo the word preached by the Church and criticized by the theologist to purify it unceasingly. Its refusal of any human starting point to the knowledge of God, to found the knowledge of God in a human provision, and its concern of preserving of it the character of pure gift of the grace, pure produced Revelation as a Christ, the conduit to be broken with some former friends (Gogarten, Brunner, Bultmann) more concerned of the anthropological base of theology.

In 1932, the first volume of the Kirchliche Dogmatik appears (Dogmatic connected with the church), a work - unfinished - of which it will continue the drafting until the end of its life. The continuation of this impressive deliberation does not cut it reality of its time. Barth introduces theology in the middle of the daily life.

In 1934, he is the principal author of the theological Declaration of Barmen, text fundamental of Christian opposition to the ideology Nazi E. Suspended because of its refusal to lend oath to Führer, then expelled of Germany, he becomes systematic professor of theology in Basle. He takes part in the first world assembly of the World Council of Churches with Amsterdam, in 1948: “It is not known as that we must firstly seek the Kingdom of God and his justice”, recalls it at the time of the meeting of opening. For Barth, the Bible is the interpellation that God addresses to the men.

After the end of the Second world war, Karl Barth maintains a long theological debate with the large Swiss catholic theologist Hans the USSR von Balthasar. One can note that one and the other was deeply marked by the music. Well later, Hans the USSR von Balthasar will publish an immense amount of dogmatic theology where the music plays a big role ( dramatic divine the and its “summary” the truth is symphonic ) and Karl Barth a marvellous little book on Mozart. At the end of its life, it takes part in the fight against the proliferation of the atomic armaments. There remained always close to the German and Swiss socialist left, and even was criticized for its position, considered to be accommodating, with respect to Stalinism.

Karl Barth was certainly the most prolix theologist protesting of its time, and one of most influential with Bultmann and Tillich. Nevertheless the repercussion of its work was very moderate as of the Sixties, except perhaps and paradoxically in catholic theology. Protesting side, neither evangelic nor the historical Churches acquired with political theologies (it is true partially resulting from Barth) or néo-liberal grant a credit worthy of him to him.

It goes from there thus probably because Barth brought theology to the height of its possibilities for immediately challenging it in its intention of " to speak on Dieu* thus to explain it. The theologist is then seized vis-a-vis the work of Barth of a deep malaise because it is seen there called into question in its legitimacy at the time when it achieves his mission with the most direction of his duty.

Reference

Karl Barth , Denis Müller, Paris, the Stag, 2006 (Initiation with the theologists).

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