Karl Barth Quotes

A collection of quotes by Karl Barth.

Karl Barth (1886-1968) was a Swiss theologian and one of the most influential figures in 20th-century Protestant theology. Born in Basel, Switzerland, Barth studied at various universities across Europe, including Berlin, Tübingen, and Marburg. He began his career as a pastor, but it was his writing and teaching that propelled him to international prominence.

Barth is best known for his magnum opus, "Church Dogmatics," a colossal work comprising thirteen volumes that lay out his theological beliefs. He revolutionized theological thought by emphasizing the primacy of God's revelation in the person of Jesus Christ and challenged prevailing liberal theology of the time. Barth rejected any attempt to make God conform to human concepts, stressing that God is utterly transcendent and beyond human comprehension.

He played a significant role in the Confessing Church movement in Germany during the Nazi era, resisting Hitler's attempts to subordinate the church to the state. His involvement in the resistance led to his dismissal from his teaching position in Germany, and he returned to Switzerland where he continued to write and teach.

Barth's theology had a lasting impact on Protestant theology worldwide, and his ideas continue to be studied and debated by theologians and scholars today. His emphasis on the radical nature of God's revelation and the centrality of Christ had a profound effect on the development of contemporary Christian thought. Karl Barth's legacy lives on as one of the most influential theological minds of the 20th century.