Product Overview
The Early Barth series spotlights the theological restlessness of a thinker on the cusp of reshaping twentieth-century Christian thought.
Karl Barth was the most influential theologian of the twentieth century, and his work continues to inspire both fresh theological thinking and critical debate. The period covered by the volumes in the Early Barth series—1905 to 1933—saw Barth emerge from his training under such theological giants as Adolf von Harnack and Wilhelm Herrmann; assert his rejection of liberal Protestant theology in his towering commentary on Romans; and work through an earlier uncertainty to become a critic on theological grounds of the rise of Nazism. These volumes contain English translations of essays, lectures, academic papers, correspondences, editorials, and other writings that were not previously translated into English, and they provide insight into the development of Barth’s theology during this crucial period of his life.
Volume 2 of The Early Barth—Lectures and Shorter Works covers the period in Barth’s career when he served as a pastor, first in Geneva and then in Safenwil, Swizerland, and up through the point where his theology takes a decisive turn in response to the outbreak of the First World War. It includes substantive footnotes offering historical context and comparative documents, as well as annotations at the beginning of each writing, providing background information that contextualizes the Barth piece, Barth’s purpose for writing it, his approach and sources, its reception, and more.
The works by Barth in this volume include:
- Reformation (1909)
- Review of E. Schrenk, Seelsorgerliche Briefe für allerlei Leute (1909)
- Did Jesus Live? A Retrospective Easter Meditation (1910)
- Survey of Protestant Mission (1910)
- Biographical Sketches from the History of the Christian Religion (1910)
- Ideas and Thoughts on Philosophy of Religion (1910)
- Spittler, Christian Friedrich (1910)
- Stockmeyer, Immanuel (1910)
- The Christian Faith and History (1910)
- Something about the Church: Especially about the German Reformed Church in Geneva and What to Make of It (1910)
- Monsieur Tout le Monde (1910/11)
- Modern Pastoral Care and Its Psychological and Religious Foundations (1910/11)
- Gerhard Tersteegen [Essay] (1910)
- God Disposes, but Humans Should Still Propose! From Calvin’s Institutes (1559) (1911)
- John Mott and the Student Christian Movement (1911)
- Novalis [Essay] (1911)
- The Reemergence of Metaphysics in Theology (1911)
- Human Rights and Civic Duty (1911)
- Jesus Christ and the Social Movement (1911)
- Answer to the Open Letter of Mr. W. Hüssy in Aarburg, W. Hüssy, Open Letter to Mr. Karl Barth, Pastor in Safenwil
- Religion and Science (1912)
- Review of Karl Heim, Das Gewissheitsproblem in der systematischen Theologie bis zu Schleiermacher (1912)
- Objection regarding Military Aircraft (1913)
- Socrates (1913)
- The Workers’ Question (1913/1914)
- Reformation in Bern (1913/14)
- Aargau Reformed Church Synod [I] (1913)
- The Blessing of a Christian Home (1913)
- Gospel and Socialism (1914)
Reviews
"The latest fruit of the collective labor of an
industrious and committed group of skilled translators, this volume will
provide English-language readers with new and direct insight into the
very beginnings of Karl Barth's theological existence. This is another
fine and welcome contribution to theological scholarship from
Westminster John Knox Press." —Philip G. Ziegler, Professor in Christian
Dogmatics, University of Aberdeen
"This translation of Barth's earliest works is to be
welcomed. These lectures and essays provide, for the first time in
English, a window into Barth’s earliest academic labors and theological
formation. In light of all that would come, they bear witness not only
to the beginning of his theological travels, but reveal how very far
those travels would take him from the religious reflections and nascent
convictions of these early years." —Kimlyn J. Bender, Professor of
Christian Theology, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor
University
"The English translation of the Gesamtausgabe is the most significant
development in the study of Karl Barth’s theology since the English
translation of the Church Dogmatics. These works from the earliest
period of Barth’s theological formation are invaluable. They add texture
to what we already know and reveal new insights into the development of
his theological thought. We encounter the student Barth tackling–in
essays, reviews, short lectures, seminar papers, and journal articles–a
fascinatingly rich range of theological topics: from St Francis'
stigmata to the Lord’s Prayer to proofs for the existence of God."
—Ashley Cocksworth, Senior Lecturer in Theology and Practice at the
University of Roehampton
"Even as a student Barth wrote lengthy texts which show his
theologically-pugnacious nature. It will be of great importance for
English-speaking Barth-scholarship that these earliest documents of his
theological development are now available in English translation."—Christiane Tietz, Professor of Systematic Theology and Co-Director
of the Institute for Hermeneutics and Philosophy of Religion, University
of Zurich