Karl Barth and Friedrich Schleiermacher undoubtedly rank among the most important Protestant theologians of the modern era. Both offer an outstanding richness of original and creative reflection and show a high degree of alertness for the ecclesial and social realities of their time. Yet, notwithstanding a few publications over the last two decades, the striking similarities in their thinking not received adequate scholarly attention, especially in German-speaking contexts.The essays of this volume, by internationally recognized experts from Germany, the US, and the Netherlands, provide new trajectories for a lively debate. They offer an in-depth analysis of central themes (God, Jesus Christ, Anthropology, Soteriology, Ecclesiology, Pneumatology, Political Ethics, and Eschatology) and shed new light on Barth's relationship with Schleiermacher. A lively dialogue begins that also leaves room for critical questions and constructive theological deliberation. Despite remaining differences, the two approaches are in many ways complementary and certainly not mutually exclusive, as many interpreters have assumed for too long.
Matthias Gockel, Ph.D., ist wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Lehrstuhl für Systematische Theologie an der Friedrich-Schiller-Universität.
