This book offers a critical analysis of the views of Ernst Troeltsch and Karl Barth regarding Christian faith and history. Troeltsch and Barth approached theology from seemingly antithetical vantage points. Troeltsch was basically a philosopher of history who sought religious understanding in the social and cultural manifestations of Christianity. Karl Barth was a dogmatic theologian who rigorously shielded his deliberations from all but strictly theological considerations. Ogletree seeks to identify overlapping interests in the writings of these two authors and to suggest a broader framework of understanding that constructively combines the insights of both.
This book will speak meaningfully to the reader in view of the ongoing interest in Barthian theology and the revival of the quest for the historical Jesus. In order to highlight the views of Troeltsch and Barth, Dr. Ogletree gives special consideration to their respective treatments of the historical study of Jesus, thus making a significant contribution to this area of study.
