Recherche – Detailansicht
Ausgabe: | Mai/2023 |
Spalte: | 485- |
Kategorie: | Dogmen- und Theologiegeschichte |
Autor/Hrsg.: | Frick, Tyler J. |
Titel/Untertitel: | Karl Barth’s Onthology of Divine Grace. God’s Decision in God’s Being. |
Verlag: | Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck 2021. X, 223 S. = Religion in Philosophy and Theology, 113. Kart. EUR 79,00. ISBN 9783161595585. |
Rezensent: | Brandon K. Watson |
The world of Barth studies has been fraught with discord surrounding how one correctly interprets the constitution of God’s triunity. Or, more precisely, how one interprets how Barth understands the constitution of God’s triune identity in election. The number of publications dedicated to this notion are plenty; the number of helpful resources few (see the three footnotes spanning five pages recounting the publications, 2–6). Tyler J. Frick sets out to read Barth critically (and charitably) along the lines of a »thoroughgoing textual analysis« (12). Broadly speaking, F.’s implicit argument throughout is that in Kirchliche Dogmatik I/1 Barth lacked the conceptual clarity to cohere with his mature dogmatics laid out in the later volumes of the KD and a revision to God’s »irreducibly triune divine essence« became necessary (189). Barth’s revision, according to F., is making God’s act of creation a necessity while preserving God as a gracious being, particularly given the covenantal requirements for God’s electing activity (147–154). F. lays out the argument in six main chapters.
The first chapter sets up the constructive reading of the book. As F. notes in the introduction, Bruce McCormack’s so-called revisionist project (what F. calls »maximalist«) is not new; it has its roots in a debate in German scholarship between Herbert Braun and Helmut Gollwitzer in the 1960s and Eberhard Jüngel’s contribution via Barth. Thus, McCormack’s interlocutors must also contend with Jüngel’s approach to Barth’s identification of triune God with God’s self-revelation (fn. 2, 16). The next three chapters focus on volume two (II/1 and II/2) of Barth’s KD. Chapter two excavates what has become known as God’s »being in act,« ultimately expanding the notion of divine aseity to include a concrete motivation in God (41–73). God’s outward-moving and loving motivation is the focus of chapter three, wherein F. makes progress in affirming grace as an essential divine attribute (74–100). Chapter four deals with the doctrine of election (101–141), further illuminating the consequences of Barth’s affirmation of Jesus as the electing God.
Chapter five centers around the notion of covenant in KD III/1. Since the obedience of the Son provides the ground for creation, God must then create (indeed, according to F. in fn. 23, 151, creation belongs necessarily to the divine being itself) (148–154). In chapter six, with a focus on KD IV/1, F. attempts to »reconceive« God’s trinitarian being by discussing obedience within the framework of a gracious giving-receiving relationship. The trinitarian character of the argument is filled out in this chapter. Concluding the work, F. deals with God’s relation to history (189–191), social relations (191–192), and God’s relation to time (192–195). This concluding chapter shows the import and systematic relevance of another book on Barth’s ontology.
If time has been any indicator (or maybe the sheer number of articles and books surrounding the debate), the readings of Barth on the table, mainly within anglophone Barth scholarship, are incompatible. The theological convictions are set in stone. Thus, a bridge is no longer necessary; a wrecking ball is. F.’s work is an effort in the right direction. One important aspect of F.’s work is the inclusion and treatment of the original German text. This book ensures the English rendering of German texts is supported through including the original included in most of the cited sections. Moreover, the work engages extensively with German scholarship little known to the anglophone world, such as Wilfried Härle’s Sein und Gnade (90–100 and 143–154). The structure of the book also enhances the argument. The reader can see a decisive connection between the texts chosen in each chapter and the development of the argument. F. provides a roadmap for where each chapter is headed as well as a summary section at the end of each chapter, both of which include areas where Barth remained either inconsistent or lacked the tools necessary at the time to carry out his argumentation. Including these aspects allows the reader to think with and after Barth along the way.
There are three conceptual ideas in need of further exploration in the work: necessity, otherness, and person language. A question often posed from the »minimalist« camp has been: if creation is necessary to God, then how can God be gracious? F. provides a good case for how the two claims are noncontradictory. However, a strong account of God’s contingency (and possibility!) is also needed, which F. does not adequately address. The latter two issues mentioned are related. How can there be ontological »otherness« in God when ascribing an »other« presupposes a subject, person, or at the very least, a relation? F. does not engage with the Munich school of Barth interpretation (save a brief reference to Friedrich Wilhelm Graf, fn. 50, 60), which could have proven fruitful since use of Barth’s Christology as providing such »otherness« is a much-disputed claim, especially from Falk Wagner. Similarly, Barth’s use of Isaak Dorner’s »modes of being« (Seinsweisen) is simply taken over without explanation. There needs to be justification regarding how using »modes« over »persons« allows one to affirm one divine subject who has a command-obedience and a giving-receiving relationship structure. More clarification regarding how »modes« are capable of love, grace, relational or personal characteristics is needed.
The book is recommended for Barth specialists and those who are interested in staying up to date on the latest contributions to the debate surrounding divine election God’s self-constitution. If the reader does not meet either of these two qualifications, the book will either pique one’s interest or provide a solid foundation for further research into various topics.