A theology of the Third Article : Karl Barth and the spirit of the word

Toward the end of his career, Karl Barth made the provocative statement that perhaps what Schleiermacher was up to was a theology of the third article and that he anticipated in the future that a true third-article theology would appear. Many interpreters, of course, took that to indicate not only a change in Barths perception of Schleiermacher but also as a self-referential critique. The author investigates this claim, contesting the standard interpretations, and argues for a Barthian pneumatologya doctrine of the Holy Spirit grounded in the scriptural witness and connected to the vital Christological and dialectical theology found in Barths project. Toward the end of his career, Karl Barth made the provocative statement that perhaps what Schleiermacher was up to was a "theology of the third-article" and that he anticipated in the future that a true third-article theology would appear. Many interpreters, of course, took that to indicate not only a change in Barth's perception of Schleiermacher but also as a self-referential critique. Aaron Smith investigates this claim, contesting the standard interpretations, and argues for a Barthian pneumatology-a doctrine of the Holy Spirit grounded in the scriptural witness and connected to the vital christological and dialectical theology found in Barth's project. Book jacket Toward the end of his career, Karl Barth made the provocative statement that perhaps what Schleiermacher was up to was a "theology of the third-article" and that he anticipated in the future that a true third-article theology would appear. Many interpreters took that to indicate not only a change in Barth's perception of Schleiermacher but also as a self-referential critique. The author investigates this claim and argues for a Barthian pneumatology--a doctrine of the Holy Spirit grounded in the scriptural witness and connected to Barth's vital Christological and dialectical theology 1. The spirit of objectivity and subjectivity 2. The spirit of reality and possibility 3. The spirit of truth and time 4. The spirit of being and becoming 5. The spirit of election and obedience.