Harnack and Barth on Revelation

While reading volume three of Baird’s excellent History of New Testament Research, I came across this dialogue between the eminent church historical Adolf von Harnack and Karl Barth:

[Harnack]: “A scientific theological presentation can also inspire and edify, thanks to its object, but the scientific theologian who is bent on inspiration and edification brings strange fire upon his altar, for as there is only one scientific method, so there is also only one scientific task—the pure knowledge of its object.” To this Barth responds, “The concept of revelation is not a scientific concept.”
Baird, 67.

Barth exposes Harnack’s flawed understanding of revelation as well as the impossibility of knowing all of who God is through purely objective and critical reason. Well done Karl!

QOTD: Karl Barth Edition

We thus regard it as legitimate to understand by the baptism of the Holy Ghost, without prejudice to its special meaning and scope, the divine preparation of man for the Christian life in its totality.
Karl Barth. Church Dogmatics, 4:4:31

A Blog Worth Noting

My grad school friend and buddy Matt Wilcoxen has a blog worth reading: Scribo ut Intelligam. He is a PhD student, studying under Ben Myers in Australia. He is a smart chap, with a love for Barth. Right now he is posting somethings on the nature of time. In all honesty, I do not understand his obsession with time; while is obsessed with it, I just wish we had more if it at times. Nevertheless, do check out his post. And tell him I sent you. You will not be disappointed.