Barth on free exegesis
...the Church makes a mistake about the Bible, so far as she thinks that in one way or other she can control right exposition and thereby set up a norm over the norm, ad ought to and can seize upon the proper norm for herself. Bible exegesis should rather be left open on all sides, not, as this demand was put by Liberalism, for the sake of free thinking, but for the sake of a free Bible. Self-defence against possible violence to the text must be left here as everywhere to the text itself, which in practice has so far always succeeded, as a merely spiritual-oral tradition simply cannot, in asserting its own life against encroachments by individuals or whole areas and schools in the Church, and in victoriously achieving it in ever-fresh applicatios, and so in creating recognition of itself as the norm.
-Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics I/1
(trans. G. T. Thompson; Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1936), 119.
Ten points for the country. Fifteen for linking to the photo I posted earlier of the building in which this armour is kept.
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22 comments:
I really like this quote.
In listening to people defend their reading of a text as a norm for reading Scripture, I often get the feeling that they value their defense higher than the Scripture they want to safeguard.
Before being tempted to some blog-procrastination I was reading this:
It was in fact Karl Barth who first taught me that the subject is not a centralizing master but rather a disciple or auditor of a language larger than itself. - Paul Ricoeur
Similar point I think, although maybe Ricoeur could have been a closer disciple of the free Bible, rather than free thinking.
Italy?
Doge's Palace: Venice?
How can we break preachers out of teaching people that they (themselves, their church, or tradition) has the one true interpretation of a section of scripture, or worse All of Scripture?
Drew - it's scary when you get this feeling (and scarier when you realise you're doing it yourself (and scariest that you can do it without realising!)).
Christopher - thanks for the quote.
Michael - good try, but no.
Antman - thumbscrews?
Austria
Nope, sorry.
Remember, it will link to another picture (of a building). So far, no Austrian buildings...
It'd have to be in the British Museaum in England.
Christian said...
If Peter J is right about the location of the photo...I think I may have spent an hour tracing that exhibit as a kid. We went on a primary school outing to the British museum: I remember that horse and a whole lot of Egyptian relics.
Sorry Pete, not the BM (and so I don't think it was this horse you traced Christian) - remember, you need to link to the photo for the extra points. Though just getting the country gives you ten. If you've never learned how to link, here's your chance to do a basic tutorial and get some practice.
France???
France indeed. Ten points to Moffitt.
Points still available to linking to the post with the picture of the building it's in.
You mightn't want to give such secrets away... :-)
What secret??? Tee hee...
Here?
Nice work. Have another fifteen my friend.
At this rate, you'll soon catch Anthony. I wonder if he's noticed that you are stealing a march on him?
Oops - I meant to get you to link to the post, not the image. But since I already awarded the points, here is the post.
A march in March. so when you ask us to link to the photo, do you want a link to the post or to the image?
To the post (because part of the point is another way for people to dig back into old posts). I should have been clearer about this from the start. I will try to be so in future.
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