Karl Barth's Critically Realistic Dialectical Theology: Its Genesis and Development 1909-1936 [Paperback]

Bruce L. McCormack (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198269560 | ISBN-13: 978-0198269564 | Publication Date: April 24, 1997

This book is a major intellectual biography of perhaps the most influential theologian of the twentieth century, Karl Barth. McCormack offers the first full-scale revision of the well-known theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar's seminal interpretation of Barth, which was first published in 1951. Drawing on a wealth of material, much of it unpublished during Barth's lifetime, as well as a thorough acquaintance with the best of recent German scholarship, McCormack demonstrates that the fundamental decision that would control the whole of Barth's development--the turn to a new, critically realistic form of theological "objectivism"--was already made during the years in which Barth was at work on his first commentary on Romans. He further argues that the most significant decisions--both material and methodological--were made in Barth's G�ttingen Dogmatics of 1924/5, and not later in the 1931 book on Anselm, as has often been alleged. This unique and important work provides not simply a fresh interpretation of Barth's development, but a new paradigm for understanding the whole of Barth's theology.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The best intellectual biography of Barth now available....As brilliant and comprehensive as it is meticulous and unorthodox...McCormack's new [book] will be required reading for every subsequent discussion of Barth."--Choice

"Those who have already engaged in some study of Barth's theology will find McCormack's volume challenging and stimulating. And evangelicals approaching the crux of two centuries and two millennia can learn much from Barth and from critical studies of Barth's theology like McCormack's."--Christianity Today

About the Author

Bruce L. McCormack is a Frederick and Margaret L. Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (April 24, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198269560
• ISBN-13: 978-0198269564
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #799,688 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #77 in Books > History > Europe > Switzerland

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A book Barth would appreciate, March 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Karl Barth's Critically Realistic Dialectical Theology: Its Genesis and Development 1909-1936 (Paperback)

Let's be honest -- Barth would despise most contemporary so-called "Barthians." All sorts of folks who are teaching theologies he abhored and risked his career to battle have tried to appropriate his name. Most "Barthians" are far less orthodox than Barth. Often they have affinities to some small aspect of his approach to theology, while rejecting the rest of this thought that hangs with it.

Bruce McCormack is not one of these pretenders! While perhaps not a "slavish" Barthian, McCormack is a Barthian that Barth would recognize, appreciate, and support.

In general, McCormack wants to present Barth as classically orthodox, not "neo-orthodox." This is a difficult task in many ways, because of Barth's novel appraoch and his departure from the theology of the Reformation on many points (outright rejection of all natural theology, Barth's universal salvation, his rejection of Biblical inspiration opting for an emphasis on illumination instead, etc.)

McCormack is one of the sharpest minds in the mainline church. I studied under him for two degrees at Princeton, where he was clearly the brightest theologian in a brilliant department. Unfortunately, like his hero Barth, he is not often kind to his reader. He makes you work very hard. This is a difficult read. But many will find it worth the effort, not matter what their view of Karl Barth.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the best intellectual autobiography of barth, October 17, 2000

By 

forehandshanker (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Karl Barth's Critically Realistic Dialectical Theology: Its Genesis and Development 1909-1936 (Paperback)

This book won the 1998 Karl Barth prize in Germany, which is awarded to secondary sources on Barth. That is an honorable prize, considering that one of the judges was Eberhard Jungel, who is a great Barth scholar himself. For any interested in Barth, this is a book that must be read in order to understand the current state of discussion.

McCormack manages to trace through the complex world of pre-WW2 Germany to show Barth's influences from the Marburg neo-Kantians, expressionism, socialism, etc. His basic point is that Barth's break with liberalism and his "decisive turn to analogy" were not as radical as one would think. In other words, the Barth of Romans has far more in common with the mature Barth of the Church Dogmatics. This book also proceeds to correct a number of misperceptions about Barth, based on historical work. In the final analysis, McCormack has hoped that his work will press theologians to read the primary sources firsthand, rather than relying on "received interpretations."

I would recommend reading this book, then von Balthsar's _Theology of Karl Barth_ (in that order). The von Balthsar book is interesting, because it tells you how people have understood Barth (up to now), and because of von Balthasar himself. But in the final analysis, I find McCormack's book to be more technically correct.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars But keep in mind..., December 12, 2010

By 

Jordan Saxony "m3812784" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Karl Barth's Critically Realistic Dialectical Theology: Its Genesis and Development 1909-1936 (Paperback)

Hans Urs von Balthasar was Barth's GOOD FRIEND; not only did they attend each other's seminars, and not only was the book the result of NUMEROUS conversations with Barth himself, but BARTH ENTHUSIASTICALLY RECOMMENDED BALTHASAR'S BOOK. Hence Balthasar's understanding is not merely some "intellectual paradigm" that needs to be "overthrown" by yet another interpretation, but a deep and personal organic understanding, not an "outsider's" view, as the author claims. Yes, this is a very good book, but it does not succeed in showing that Balthasar's understanding, approved by Barth, and written from conversations WITH Barth, was wrong, nor that Barth would agree with this one!