A theological bombshell in the liberals' camp
By Donner C. S. Tan - September 29, 2014
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Karl Barth's Romans commentary was an important book that helped reverse the tide of liberal Protestantism in the 20th century. I read it partly out of historical curiosity and partly to get a handle on Barthian theology, which I learned was nearly as pivotal to modern (progressive) evangelical scholarship as Aquinas was to Catholic theology.
As with most of the reviewers here, I found the reading tough and had to make a few attempts to really get into it. Barth in his preface to the 2nd edition actually spent nearly one whole page defending the abstruseness of his writing against critics who charged him for being overly bombastic! Somehow I felt strangely comforted by both the critique and his defense : while simplicity is good, oversimplification falsifies.
I found that one of the keys to understanding Barth is his 'theology from above' approach. He repeatedly invokes the Kierkegaardian insight of the 'infinite qualitative distinction' between God and man as a lens to understanding spiritual perception. It is by faith and faith alone that one can properly apprehend spiritual reality. One does not work his way up the mountain of theology by his (unaided)intellectual effort or religious piety. Instead, it is through a supernatural encounter with God that the gospel can be grasped in all its mystery (think of the paradox of the Incarnation for example or the mystery of the atonement)
Barth does not seem to condescend to unbelievers by appealing to reason or experience since human will and perceptions are essentially fallen but bases his epistemology almost exclusively on divine election/revelation. In this regard, he stands squarely within the Reformed tradition which holds a high view of divine grace, leaving no ground for human boasting.
The letter to the Romans had been used historically as a revolutionary tool against the pelagian heresy and medieval Catholicism. It is amazing to see how Barth uses it against liberal Christianity, which basically reduces the gospel to anthropology and a civil religion. Barth's 'theology from above' approach basically calls us back to the transcendent nature of the Christian faith, 'which no eyes have seen or the ears heard'.
Barth writes with great passion and unapologetic fervor. One does not read this commentary with a cool head as one would read an exegetical work replete with lexical treatment and historical reconstruction. Rather Barth writes as if he is preaching, bringing the letter of Paul alive to his readers with great urgency. One has to keep pace with the rhetoric to get it, like riding a bicycle (keep pedaling to avoid falling off !), even when one is tempted to pause to consider a ponderous turn of phrase.
I finished it in a couple of days and will likely go back again and again, to soak in this theological tour de force for a deeper grasp of Barth's ideas and passion. Not your average devotional reading but one that can deepen and enrich our reading of Romans as well as Barthian theology.
As with most of the reviewers here, I found the reading tough and had to make a few attempts to really get into it. Barth in his preface to the 2nd edition actually spent nearly one whole page defending the abstruseness of his writing against critics who charged him for being overly bombastic! Somehow I felt strangely comforted by both the critique and his defense : while simplicity is good, oversimplification falsifies.
I found that one of the keys to understanding Barth is his 'theology from above' approach. He repeatedly invokes the Kierkegaardian insight of the 'infinite qualitative distinction' between God and man as a lens to understanding spiritual perception. It is by faith and faith alone that one can properly apprehend spiritual reality. One does not work his way up the mountain of theology by his (unaided)intellectual effort or religious piety. Instead, it is through a supernatural encounter with God that the gospel can be grasped in all its mystery (think of the paradox of the Incarnation for example or the mystery of the atonement)
Barth does not seem to condescend to unbelievers by appealing to reason or experience since human will and perceptions are essentially fallen but bases his epistemology almost exclusively on divine election/revelation. In this regard, he stands squarely within the Reformed tradition which holds a high view of divine grace, leaving no ground for human boasting.
The letter to the Romans had been used historically as a revolutionary tool against the pelagian heresy and medieval Catholicism. It is amazing to see how Barth uses it against liberal Christianity, which basically reduces the gospel to anthropology and a civil religion. Barth's 'theology from above' approach basically calls us back to the transcendent nature of the Christian faith, 'which no eyes have seen or the ears heard'.
Barth writes with great passion and unapologetic fervor. One does not read this commentary with a cool head as one would read an exegetical work replete with lexical treatment and historical reconstruction. Rather Barth writes as if he is preaching, bringing the letter of Paul alive to his readers with great urgency. One has to keep pace with the rhetoric to get it, like riding a bicycle (keep pedaling to avoid falling off !), even when one is tempted to pause to consider a ponderous turn of phrase.
I finished it in a couple of days and will likely go back again and again, to soak in this theological tour de force for a deeper grasp of Barth's ideas and passion. Not your average devotional reading but one that can deepen and enrich our reading of Romans as well as Barthian theology.
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