THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD

by

KARL BARTH

Translated by

H. J. STENNING

With a new Introduction by

R. Dale Dawson

Wipf and Stock Publishers

199 West 8th Avenue, Suite 3

Eugene, Oregon 97401

The Resurrection of the Dead

By Barth, Karl

Copyright©1933 Theologischer Verlag Zurich

ISBN: 1-59244-383-4

Publication date 10/7/2003

Previously published by Fleming H. Revell, 1933

INTRODUCTION

If the publication of Karl Barth’s second edition of the commentary on Romans1 had something like the effect of someone stumbling in the dark of the church’s tower, grabbing hold of the bell-rope and unwittingly stirring the local ecclesial community,2 the effect of his commentary on 1 Corinthians 15 was rather like the discovery of a lost classic that was quietly dusted off and reinserted inconspicuously into the church archives. The 1924 publication of Die Auferstehung Der Toten, quite unlike that of the Römerbrief of 1921, did not explode “like a bombshell on the playground of the theologians”3 but rather was buried like a landmine, where it has remained relatively undisturbed for more than eighty years. The fact that this work has garnered little attention is by no means an accurate indicator of its importance, however. Quite to the contrary, The Resurrection of the Dead is a work of exceptional insight and exegetical power, not only as a penetrating look into Pauline eschatology, not even as a fresh and illuminating interpretation of Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians (though it surely is this too), but also as a compelling manner of coming to grips with the germ of Paul’s theology as a whole.

Historical and Genetic Context

The occasion for Barth’s extended engagement with 1 Corinthians was an exegetical lecture series in Göttingen. While in his post as Professor of Reformed Dogmatics, it had been Barth’s custom to offer courses in Reformation theology and New Testament exposition, usually featuring an epistle. The course on 1 Corinthians was offered in the summer of 1923. Barth’s preparation for the concurrent course on the Reformed confessions had so preoccupied him that little time was left for the exposition of 1 Corinthians, forcing him to write the greater part of his lecture notes during the summer session. Yet, unlike the rest of his Göttingen lecture series, Barth was pleased enough with the material to edit it for publishing in 19244—a telling decision as regards Barth’s own evaluation of the significance of the work.

In addition to the political landscape of Germany, the vocational and theological contours of Barth’s own life had changed dramatically in the few years that had passed since the publication of his revised Romans. The severe disillusionment of the German people that had followed the First World War (further intensified by near runaway inflation) was being rapidly supplanted by a new and dangerous nationalism. Though a matter of great concern for Barth, his sense of being a foreigner on German soil together with the immense weight of ...