Barth, Derrida and the Language of Theology - Hardcover

Ward, Graham

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521472903 ISBN 13: 9780521472906

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1995

Synopsis

This study offers a new and original analysis of the problem of religious language. Taking as its starting point Karl Barth's doctrine of analogy, the author draws parallels between Barth's insights into the language of theology and the work of Emmanuel Levinas and Jacques Derrida, and concludes that Barth's doctrine of analogy is a theological reading of Derrida's economy of différance. This important interpretation reveals Barth's closeness to postmodern thinking and underlines his relevance to current debates on the language of theology.

About this title

Review:

"...the first disciplined and lucid account of Derrida's significance in the interpretation of Scripture and theology. This examination of 'postmodern' problems is written with sophistication and an ear for what theologians find accessible. Its reading of the question of analogy in the traditional theology of Karl Barth, and of its historical and conceptual relation to Derrida's 'economy of différance' is convincing and thought-provoking." Benjamin Hutchens, Times Literary Supplement

"Ward's tesis, summarized bery simply here, is highly nuanced. He shows an impressive command of 20th-century theology and philosophy. Those looking for informative interpretations of workds by Buber, Heidegger, Levinas and of course, Barth and Derrida will not be disappointed. Ward offers a compelling case for the continued conversation between postmodern thought and Christian theology." Christian Century

"This is an excellent piece of work and deserves much careful reading..." Mark A. McIntosh, Anglican Theological Review

"It is a brilliant and complex analysis of Barth's way of responding to the post-Kantian crisis of representation in the form of a theology of the Word of God." Religious Studies Review

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0521472903
• ISBN 13: 9780521472906
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 274