Letters of the Divine Word

Robert B. Price received his PhD from the University of Aberdeen and is Assistant Professor of Theology at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California.

Literate, articulate, a model of expositional clarity and care, this fine essay sets before us Barth's doctrine of the divine perfections in all its complexity, resonance, and power. It is an important contribution to a growing literature on a central dogmatic theme-and a welcome reminder of the abiding importance of the practice of theological commentary on the formative texts of the tradition. In the contested world of contemporary Barth scholarship, we can never be recalled too often to close reading of the sources themselves; it is the great merit of this exemplary study of Church Dogmatics II/1 to do just that.

• Chapter 1 locates Barth's doctrine of the divine perfections within the unfolding logic of the Church Dogmatics and then surveys the state of Barth scholarship on this doctrine.; Chapter 2 provides historical and systematic context for Barth's doctrine, tracing significant threads of development in this doctrine within the Christian theological tradition and describing the theological function of the doctrine of the divine perfections.; Chapter 3 through 6 provide focused analysis each of the four sections of Barth's doctrine of the perfections, pausing at various points to address relevant debates within broader Barth scholarship.; Chapter 7 identifies some of the key theological decisions which shape Barth's account of God's perfections.; Chapter 8 argues that Barth's doctrine of the divine perfections represents his mature thought on this aspect of the doctrine of God - an aspect that is refined, but not dispensed with, in Church Dogmatics IV.