Karl Barth: His Life from Letters and Autobiographical Texts

'Karl Barth' is an unparalleled accomplishment. An authentic church father of the Post-Reformation era, the Basel professor's contributions to theology, the life of the church, and the world of culture and politics have been frequently noted. This work, however, presents extraordinary new information and insight based on his own correspondence and notes. What one finds in this work is Barth's own running commentary on events and people - from 1886 to 1968. Everything is depicted from his perspective and chiefly in his own words, and this is precisely what makes the volume so fascinating and valuable. The brilliance, wit, and humanity of Barth shine through everywhere as he is seen as son, brother, student, editor, friend, pastor, husband, father, soldier, teacher, theologian, church leader, political critic, polemicist, ecumenist, author, preacher, music lover, senior citizen. The gigantic theologian is here, but - even more - the man shines through. An abundance of pictures accompanies the text - most of them to be seen for the first time. The contents of this book are new and of utmost interest and importance. Readers not familiar with the accomplishment of Karl Barth will learn to know both the man and his thought. Specialists will for the first time discern the figure behind the intellect. All who propose to understand the story of the twentieth century will be illumined by this book.

Eberhard Busch is professor of systematic theology at the University of Goettingen in Germany.

John Stephen Bowden (1935-2010) was an English Anglican cleric, theologian and publisher. He was born in Halifax, Yorkshire, and was educated in St Paul's School, London, and Corpus Christi College, Oxford.



He translated a number of theological works, including Martin Noth's Exodus, Aloys Grillmeier's Christ in Christian Tradition, Martin Hengel's Judaism and Hellenism (1975), and Henning Graf Reventlow's The Authority of the Bible and the Rise of the Modern World (1985). He won the Schlegel-Tieck Prize twice, for the Hengel and Graf Reventlow translations. In total, he translated more than 200 books. He also wrote a number of books himself.

He ran the religious publisher SCM Press, which published works by leading continental theologians such as Martin Hengel, Gerd Theissen, Edward Schillebeeckx, Hans Küng, and Jürgen Moltmann.