Revelation and theopolitics : Barth, Rosenzweig and the politics of praise / Randi Rashkover.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rashkover, Randi.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Barth, Karl, 1886-1968.

Barth, Karl.

Rosenzweig, Franz, 1886-1929.

Rosenzweig, Franz.

Physical Description:

viii, 215 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : T&T Clark International, [2005]

Summary:

Revelation and Theopolitics: Barth, Rosenzweig and the Politics of Praise overcomes false dichotomies between reason and faith spawned by modernity's emphasis on rationalism, arguing that such errors are overcome by a 'theology of testimony' exemplified in the thought of Karl Barth and Franz Rosenzweig.

Rejecting the neo-Kantian emphasis on moral self-reliance, Barth and Rosenzweig present what Rashkover terms a 'theology of testimony' to the God who loves through the event of divine election. Moreover, determined by their scriptural theologies of testimony, Barth and Rosenzweig present a parallel reinterpretation of the Word of God that re-enlivens the meaningful and non-dogmatic character of Jewish and Christian religious life and strengthens them to provide a voice of cultural criticism and faithful witness in the context of the challenges posed by contemporary society.

Finally, Rashkover demonstrates how Rosenzweig and Barth's theologies of testimony reorient the character of Jewish and Christian political engagement. Liturgical praise to the loving God who elects translates into political action that works both to preserve justice and to critique expressions of human self-interest. This shared politics of praise helps Jews and Christians rethink the relationship between the Church and Israel. Breaking fresh ground through mutually critical conversations, Revelation and Theopolitics rigorously renews political theology in a postmodern age.

Contents:

Introduction: Grounding a Politics of Praise 1

A Re-asserting the Labor of Reason 1

B Rosenzweig-Barth 2

C The Theology of Testimony 3

D Theology of Testimony: The Word of God: Ritual, Sacrament and Community 5

E The Politics of Praise 6

Chapter 1 Practical Theology and the Love of God: Hermann Cohen's Influence on Rosenzweig and Barth 9

A Cohen's Theology of Acknowledgment and the Move Beyond Kant 11

B Cohen's Practical Theology: From Love to Forgiveness 30

Chapter 2 Theology and the Language of Love 55

A Revelation: Divine Love, Divine Command 57

B Obedience and Testimony 60

C A New Rosenzweig-Buber Comparison 68

Chapter 3 Publicizing the Miracle: Philosophy and the Word of God in Rosenzweig's New Thinking 77

A The Miraculous Defense of Revealed Religion 78

B Theology's Share in the New Thinking: Re-Thinking the Word of God 87

C Re-Claiming the Center: Rosenzweig's Philosolphical and Theological Renewal of Revealed Religion 106

Chapter 4 Barth's Epistle to the Romans and the Theology of Practical Witness 119

B Epistle to the Romans and the Theology of Witness 122

C Revelation as the Act of God's Righteousness 122

D The Subjective Reality of Revelation 127

E Nach-Denken and the Ethic of Witness 131

Chapter 5 Beyond Revelation: The Life of the Children of God 137

A Positive Testimony and the Word of God in Romans II 138

B The Word of God and Election in the Church Dogmatics 146

C The Word of God and the Church in the Church Dogmatics 154

Chapter 6 The Politics of Praise 171

A Glorification of the Name and the Prophetic Community 171

B The Call for Justice 182

C Where To From Here? 193.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 201-205) and index.

ISBN:

0567041220

0567041328

OCLC:

60311911