As in a Mirror: John Calvin and Karl Barth On Knowing God (Studies in the History of Christian Traditions)

Acknowledgements......Page 11
List of Abbreviations......Page 13
1.1. Knowing God and the way of history......Page 15
1.2. Calvin and Barth......Page 17
1.3. Faith as knowing?......Page 20
1.4. Bipolarity and conflict......Page 28
1.5. The mirror as an invitation......Page 29
Part One. John Calvin......Page 33
2.1.1. Knowledge of God and piety......Page 35
2.1.2. Rootage in society......Page 44
2.1.3. Knowledge of God and conscience......Page 49
2.2.1. Accommodation as the basic form of all revelation......Page 55
2.2.2. Accommodation as the key concept in sacred history......Page 62
2.2.3. Accommodation and language......Page 66
2.2.4. The metaphor of the mirror: knowledge as imitation......Page 71
2.3.1. The soul as bridgehead: mental capacities......Page 77
2.3.2. Sensus divinitatis......Page 84
2.3.3. Sensus conscientiae......Page 87
2.4.1. Stirring the senses......Page 89
2.4.2. A splendid theatre......Page 91
2.4.3. Excursus: the discussion between Dowey and Parker......Page 99
2.5. Appreciation of culture......Page 101
2.6. Scripture as accommodation......Page 103
2.7. Knowledge of God as result of Word and Spirit......Page 109
2.8.1. A qualified concept of faith......Page 118
2.8.2. Unio mystica......Page 120
2.8.3. Faith and certainty......Page 122
2.9. The limits and benefit of knowledge of God......Page 129
3.1. Utility and the doctrine of God......Page 131
3.2. The anti-speculative tenor......Page 135
3.3. Partial knowability......Page 138
3.4. Unceasing activity......Page 141
3.5. Core concepts: loving-kindness, judgement and righteousness......Page 144
3.6. Lord of the world: God's care and goodness in the order of the world......Page 146
3.7. The judgement of the judge and the discipline of the father......Page 150
3.8. The absurdity of life......Page 152
3.9. The anchor of God's unchanging will......Page 157
3.10. Predestination and responsibility......Page 162
3.11. Father and Lord: love and fear......Page 165
3.12.1. A center or the core?......Page 172
3.12.2. Handling of the doctrine of predestination......Page 181
3.12.3. The benefit of the knowledge of predestination......Page 184
3.12.4. God's will as the farthest horizon......Page 188
3.12.5. God as absolute power?......Page 190
3.12.6. Excursus: potentia absoluta et ordinata. A brief historical overview......Page 191
3.12.7. Where faith must look......Page 198
3.13. Once again: God as father......Page 199
4.1. Introduction......Page 203
4.2.1. Only a cognitive advantage?......Page 209
4.2.2. Sign and thing......Page 213
4.3. Sacrament as a form of accommodation......Page 214
4.4.1. The family......Page 216
4.4.2. The body of Christ after Ascension. The discussion with the Lutherans......Page 218
4.4.3. Flesh and blood......Page 222
4.5.1. The Supper as instrument......Page 227
4.5.2. The incomprehensibility of the work of the Spirit......Page 230
4.5.3. The way of knowledge of God......Page 232
4.5.4. Experience and tasting......Page 233
The Hinge......Page 237
5.1. A watershed......Page 239
5.2. The tradition-critical attitude......Page 242
5.3. For the sake of humanity......Page 244
5.4. The turn to the subject......Page 247
5.5. The conditions of knowing. Metaphysics as methodological investigation into the conditions of knowing......Page 250
5.6. Knowledge as human construction......Page 252
5.7. The limitation of metaphysics and the place of faith in God......Page 255
5.8. After Kant......Page 260
Part Two. Karl Barth......Page 263
6.1. Introduction: theology and society......Page 265
6.2. 'Not without audacity': the primacy of revelation......Page 272
6.3. Human knowing of God as theological datum......Page 276
6.4. Knowledge of God as event......Page 277
6.5. Knowledge of God as participation in God's self-knowledge......Page 279
6.6. God as the object of knowledge......Page 280
6.8. The place of the human subject......Page 282
6.9. Mediation and sacramentality......Page 285
6.10. The way of knowing God. Between mystery and truth......Page 288
6.11. A look back. From impossibility to reality......Page 292
6.12. Dogmatics as a grammar for speaking about God?......Page 295
6.13. Human capacities and knowledge of God: the heritage of Marburg......Page 303
6.14. The reality of knowledge of God. The analogia fidei......Page 307
6.15. Faith and certainty......Page 322
6.16. Natural theology......Page 325
7.1. Knowledge of God as knowledge of God's being. The anti-agnostic thrust of a theological decision......Page 331
7.2. God's reality: being and act......Page 336
7.3. Love......Page 338
7.4. Freedom......Page 340
7.6. Revelation as self-revelation?......Page 343
7.7. Two series......Page 349
7.8.1. Grace and holiness......Page 351
7.8.2. Mercy and righteousness......Page 353
7.8.3. Patience and wisdom......Page 359
7.9.1. Unity and omnipresence......Page 362
7.9.2. Constancy and omnipotence......Page 367
7.9.3. Eternity and glory......Page 372
7.10. Election as a component of the doctrine of God......Page 377
7.11. Election as the basic decision of God......Page 379
7.12. Election as the core issue......Page 382
7.13. The decretum concretum......Page 385
7.14. The critique of Calvin......Page 395
7.15. Eternity, time and God's acting today......Page 398
8.1. Doctrine of baptism as mirror......Page 401
8.2.1. Regard for the humanity of Jesus......Page 406
8.2.2. The one sacrament......Page 407
8.2.3. The living Christ......Page 409
8.2.4. The assistance of the Enlightenment......Page 411
8.3. Baptism with the Spirit......Page 412
8.4. Baptism with water......Page 418
8.5. Directness......Page 419
8.6. Baptism with water as answer......Page 421
8.7. The norm for humanity......Page 425
8.8. The meaning of the term 'noetic'......Page 426
Evaluation......Page 429
9.1. Christian theology as a counterproposal......Page 431
9.2. Knowledge of God and theology......Page 433
9.3. From cosmological rootage to self-sufficiency......Page 440
9.4. The systematic function of the concept of revelation: guarantee for knowledge of God......Page 442
9.5. The place of the faculties of knowing......Page 444
9.6. The theological element......Page 447
9.7. Word and Spirit......Page 449
9.8. Lights, lamps and their fuel......Page 452
9.9. The content of knowledge of God: saving proximity......Page 456
9.10.The role of man in knowing God......Page 460
9.11. Sacrament: the same thing, in a different way......Page 464
9.12. As in a mirror .........Page 467
Bibliography......Page 469
Index of Names......Page 481
Index of Terms......Page 487