Theology of Karl Barth  

This guide was created for students of Dr. Andrea White's course on the Theology of Karl Barth.  Resources include books, journal articles, and electronic resources.

The personal subject heading for materials about Karl Barth is "Barth, Karl, 1886-1968"

To find materials specific to Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics, use the subject heading "Barth, Karl, 1886-1968. Kirchliche Dogmatik"  However, please note that earlier materials about the Church Dogmatics may not have this subject heading in the catalog, so a keyword search for the phrase "church dogmatic$" would also be helpful to find related English-language material.

The Library of Congress Subject Authority Files list all of the authorized subject headings for Karl Barth--this can be helpful when seeking a precise subject heading.  Tips on using the authority files are available.

The Library of Congress subject heading for systematic theology is Theology, Doctrinal.  Many of Karl Barth's works and works about him fit within this broad category.  Works about doctrinal theology generally begin with the call letters "BT".

A full guide to Library of Congress call numbers beginning with B can be found here:http://www.loc.gov/aba/cataloging/classification/lcco/lcco_b.pdf

These books provide an overview to Karl Barth's theology and writings.

The Great Passion: An Introduction to Karl Barth's Theology - Eberhard Busch. (Translated by Jeffrey Bromiley and edited by Darrell L. Gruder and Judith J. Gruder)

Call Number: THEOLOGY BOOK STACKS: BX4827 .B3 B8513 2004

ISBN: 0802848931

With primary focus on the Church Dogmatics, this volume provides an overview of key topics of importance for understanding Barth and his theology.

How to Read Karl Barth: The Shape of His Theology. - George Hunsinger

Call Number: THEOLOGY BOOK STACKS: BT75 .B286 H85 1991

ISBN: 0195059743

This book is designed to help novice readers of Barth's Church Dogmatics by pointing out key motifs and themes. The book is intended to be read alongside Barth's work.

The Cambridge Companion to Karl Barth - John B. Webster, ed.

Call Number: THEOLOGY BOOK STACKS: BX4827 .B3 C26 2000

ISBN: 0521585600

This volume is helpful for gaining an understanding of trends in scholarship regarding Barth as well as significant topics in his theology. Topics include: revelation; the Bible; the Trinity; politics; Christian community; modernity and postmodernity.

Regarding Karl Barth: Toward a Reading of His Theology - Trevor Hart

Call Number: THEOLOGY BOOK STACKS: BX4827 .B3 H295 1999

ISBN: 0830815643

Rather than write an introduction to Barth's thought, Hart crafts a series of essays that dialogue with Barth's theology and other notable commentators (particularly Brunner, Kung, Lindbeck, McFague, and Moltmann) on a range of topics in which Barth took interest: revelation; ethics; religious pluralism; the Trinity; and creation included.

For the most comprehensive listing of works by Karl Barth, see the bibliographies listed in the Reference tab of this guide.  Below are a few items not otherwise mentioned in this guide; please check EUCLID or DiscoverE to determine the current availability of these volumes.

Barth, Karl.  The Epistle to the Romans, 6^th  ed.  Translated by Edwyn C. Hoskyns.  London: Oxford University Press, 1993,1968.  Originally published as Der Römerbrief (Munich: Kaiser, 1926).  THEOLOGY BOOK STACKS: BS2665 .B341 1968                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

___.  Theology and Church: Shorter Writings 1920-1928.  Translated by Louise Pettibone Smith.  London: SCM Press, 1962.  Originally published as Die theologie und die kirche  (Zollikon-Zürich: Evangelischer Verlag AG, 1928).  THEOLOGY BOOK STACKS: BT80 .B373

___.  The Word of God and the Word of Man.  Translated by Douglas Horton.  Gloucester, MA: Peter Smith, 1978.  Originally published as Das wort gottes und die theologie (Munich: Christian Kaiser, 1928). THEOLOGY STORAGE LIBRARY: BR121 .B2455 1978

___.  “How My Mind has Changed in This Decade: Part Two.”  Christian Century 101, no. 22 (1984): 684-686.  (Originally published in 1939).  Available as a PDF in the ATLA Religion Database (Accession number: ATLA0000942469)

___.  The Epistle to the Philippians.  Translated by James W. Leitch. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002.  Originally published as Erklärung des philipperbriefs, 6^th ed.  (Zürich, Switzerland: Evangelischer Verlag A. G., 1947). THEOLOGY BOOK STACKS: BS2705 .B253 2002

___.  “No Christian Marshall Plan.”  Christian Century 65, no. 49 (1948): 1330-1333.  Available as a PDF in the ATLA Religion Database (Accession number: ATLA0001432039)

___.  “New Humanism and the Humanism of God.”  Theology Today 8, no. 2 (1951): 157-166.  Available as a PDF in the ATLA Religion Database (Accession number: ATLA0000651492) 

___.  Protestant Theology in the Nineteenth Century: Its Background & History.  London: SCM Press, 2001.  Originally published as Die protestantische theologie im 19. jahrhundert (Zollikon, Zürich: Evangelischer Verlag, 1952).  THEOLOGY BOOK STACKS: BT30 .G3 B32

___.  The Humanity of God.  Translated by John Newton Thomas and Thomas Wieser.  Richmond, VA: John Knox Press, 1960.  Originally published as Die Menschlichkeit Gottes (Zollikon-Zürich: Evangelischer Verlag A. G., 1956).  THEOLOGY BOOK STACKS: BT28 .B373

___.  Ethics.  Edited by Dietrich Braun.  Translated by Geoffrey W. Bromiley.  New York: Seabury Press, 1981.  Originally published as Ethik I, II (Zürich: Theologischer Verlag, 1973, 1978). THEOLOGY BOOK STACKS: BJ1253 .B3513

___.  Karl Barth Letters: 1961-1968.  Edited by Jürgen Fangmeier and Hinrich Stoevesandt.  Translated and edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley.  Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1981.  Originally published as Karl Barth: Briefe, 1961-1968, V, Vol. 6 of the Karl Barth Gesamtausgabe (Zürich: Theologischer Verlag, 1975). THEOLOGY BOOKSTACKS: BX4827 .B3 A4 1980

___.  The Gottingen Dogmatics: Instruction in the Christian Religion.  Translated by G.W. Bromiley and edited by Hannelotte Reiffen.  Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2007.  Originally published as Unterricht in der christlichen religion (Zurich: Theologischer Verlag, 1991).  THEOLOGY BOOKSTACKS: BT75.2 .B3413 1991 V.1

___ and Rudolf Bultmann.  Karl Barth-Rudolf Bultmann Letters, 1922-1966.  Edited by Bernd Jaspert and Geoffrey W. Bromiley and translated by Geoffrey W. Bromiley.  Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1981.  THEOLOGY BOOKSTACKS: BX4827 .B3 A4 1981

It has been observed by John Webster and other scholars that in order to understand Barth's theology, one must understand Barth's life.  The books in this section aim to acquaint the reader with Barth as a person, while also discussing his theological writings in context.

Journals which address systematic theology in a broader sense will publish articles in conversation with Barth's writings.  To find more specific references, check the Online Bibliography of Karl Barth or an article database like ATLA Religion Database or Index Theologicus.