Table Of ContentOUPCORRECTEDAUTOPAGEPROOFS–FINAL,1/2/2021,SPi
Karl Barth
OUPCORRECTEDAUTOPAGEPROOFS–FINAL,1/2/2021,SPi
OUPCORRECTEDAUTOPAGEPROOFS–FINAL,1/2/2021,SPi
Karl Barth
fl
A Life in Con ict
CHRISTIANE TIETZ
Translated by
VICTORIA J. BARNETT
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OUPCORRECTEDAUTOPAGEPROOFS–FINAL,1/2/2021,SPi
ForEberhardJüngel
OUPCORRECTEDAUTOPAGEPROOFS–FINAL,1/2/2021,SPi
OUPCORRECTEDAUTOPAGEPROOFS–FINAL,1/2/2021,SPi
Preface
“Compared with Karl Barth we are all mere dwarfs.”¹ This verdict, coming not
fromafriendbutfromanenemy,goestotheheartoftheepochalsignificanceof
the theologian Karl Barth. For decades he dominated the debates far beyond his
owndiscipline.Hedisagreedwiththedominanttheologicalconvictions,opposed
societal trends,and battled against political developments. Invariablyhe didthis
withcourageandwithoutmincingwords.
Barth’slastingsignificance,whichisalsohislastingdisruptivepotential,restsin
thefactthatheemphaticallyclarifiedtheabsoluteothernessofGodoveragainst
the “world.” In an era in which God and religion had become understood
culturally, interpreted psychologically, and instrumentalized politically, the
impact of this insight on theology was similar to that of Heidegger’s stress on
the fundamental difference between “Being” (Sein) and “Beings” (Seiendes) on
philosophy,ortheExpressionistprotestinartagainstNaturalism.
KarlBarthwasSwiss,butformanyyearswasaprofessorinGermany.Hewas
criticalofNationalSocialismandtheGermanchurch’sconformitytoit.Evenafter
his dismissal from the university by the National Socialists and his return to
Switzerland he remained tied to Germany as a critical contemporary. After the
Second World War he summoned the Germans to confess their guilt and the
SwisstofriendshipwiththeGermans.HefoughtagainstGermanrearmamentas
againstnucleararmamentduringtheColdWar.HisSwissheritagegavehimthe
freedom to take political positions while at the same time bringing him under
attackasanoutsider.
Barthalwaysstoodupforhisconvictionsclearly.Evenoutsidethetheological
worldmanyadmiredhisincorruptibility.Othersweresharplycriticalofthestands
hetook.Hiswritingswerecensoredandhehimselfwasundersurveillance.
Similarly,hisprivatesituationwasdifficult.Foralmostfortyyearshelivedwith
hiswifeandhismistressunderoneroof.Allofthemsufferedunderthisarrange-
mentbutfoundnowayout.
IntheearlydecadesfollowinghisdeathBarth’sapproachremainedinfluential.
In more recent years however many have put aside his theology as static and
outdated,anddescribedhispersonalityasauthoritarian.
Barth’s personal and professional life, and the times in which he lived, were
markedbyconflict.Itisnowtime,fromagreaterhistoricaldistance,totakeanew
¹ Paul AlthausaccordingtoLoewenich,ErlebteTheologie,60.
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lookatBarth’scentralconcerntospeakofGodentirelydifferentlyfromwhatwas
customary, and to reconstruct how his life, so filled with contradictions, and his
thought, which sought to make contradictions and conflicts fruitful, influenced
eachother.Barthwasunwavering,yethealsoexperiencedself-doubtandloneli-
ness.Hewasaharshjudgeofothers,butcouldalsosurprise,withhishumorand
twinklingeyes.Andhewasafriendtohumanbeings.
KarlBarth:HisLifefromLettersandAutobiographicalTexts,thebiographyby
EberhardBusch,Barth’spersonalassistantinthefinalyearsofhislife,isfounda-
tional for any biographical treatmentof Barth.This book owes much to Busch’s
work.
I dedicate this work to Eberhard Jüngel, a critical student of Barth and my
professor,whotaughtmehowinspiringBarth’stheologyis.
InHorgen,atownnearthe“Bergli,”May10,2018.
ChristianeTietz
OUPCORRECTEDAUTOPAGEPROOFS–FINAL,1/2/2021,SPi
Acknowledgments
Workonthisbiographywouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutthesupportofthe
KarlBarth-ArchiveinBaselanditsdirector,Dr.PeterZocher.Iamdeeplygrateful
tohimforhispromptattentioninprovidingmewithmaterialsandinformation.
Dr.Hans-AntonDrewes,thepreviousdirectoroftheKarlBarth-Archive,and
Dr.NiklausPeter,boardmemberoftheKarlBarth-FoundationBasel,tookonthe
workofreadingthemanuscriptandofferingcriticalsuggestionsthatimprovedit.
In the past few years Niklaus Peter has been an important conversation partner
aboutBarth’scontemporarysignificance.
Pastor Dieter Zellweger, president of the commission that oversees Barth’s
literary estate, followed and supported my project with sympathetic interest,
permittingthecitationsfromNellyBarth’sletters.
Jakob and Thomas Lindt agreed to the publication of previously unpublished
passagesfromaletterfromBarthtotheirmotherGertrudLindt.
IwouldliketoexpressmydeepthankstotheBertaHess-CohnFoundationof
BaselforapublicationstipendfortheGermanedition.
I would not have been able to complete this book without my colleagues
Johanna Breidenbach, Liliane Frei, Michael Pfenninger, and Dominik Weyl.
They helped me collect the literature and in the final months of work spent
their evenings, weekends, and holidays reading and correcting the manuscript.
Throughtheir encouragingfeedback they—as well asnumerousfriends—helped
meperseverethroughoutthearduousperiodsofwritingthisbook.
I am deeply grateful to C. H. Beck publishers who published the original
GermaneditionofthisbookandtoitseditorDr.UlrichNolteforhisencourage-
mentofthisprojectandhisvaluablesupport.IamfilledwithjoythattheEnglish
editionofthisbookisnowbeingpublishedbyOxfordUniversityPress.
Finally, my sincere thanks go to Victoria J. Barnett, who so wonderfully
translatedthisbook,withallherscholarlyexpertiseandlinguisticsensitivity.
