Description

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""The Heidelberg Catechism does not represent a different theological orientation... here the Reformed Church confesses the good news of Jesus Christ in. a joyful, thankful, free, personal way . . . Barth has caught this spirit in his commentary. To read it is to become acquainted with a side of Reformed Protestantism which all too often has remained hidden."" - from the Preface The two short studies by renowned theologian Karl Barth included here were first published in 1964, the 400th anniversary of the Heidelberg Catechism--a classical document of the Reformation Period. Students, ministers, laypersons, and theologians continue to find these essays helpful, for they provide not only an introduction to the Heidelberg Catechism, but also a brief, systematic presentation of Reformed theology in the 16th century and a glimpse of Barth's own theology on the 20th century. The first essay, ""Christian Doctrine According to the Heidelberg Catechism,"" is a question by question interpretation, commentary, and evaluation of the catechism. ""Introduction to the Heidelberg Catechism,"" the second essay, examines the three basic questions of the document: Who is the Comforter? Who is comforted? and How is comfort given and in what does it consist?

About the Author

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Karl Barth (1886-1968), the Swiss Reformed professor and pastor, was once described by Pope Pius XII as the most important theologian since Thomas Aquinas. As principal author of 'The Barmen Declaration', he was the intellectual leader of the German Confessing Church - the Protestant group that resisted the Third Reich. Barth's teaching career spanned nearly five decades. Removed from his post at Bonn by the Nazis in late 1934, Barth moved to Basel where he taught until 1962. Among Barth's many books, sermons, and essays are The Epistle to the Romans, Humanity of God, Evangelical Theology, and Church Dogmatics.