What is Theological Exegesis? Interpretation and Use of Scripture in Barth's Doctrine of Election

Anglican Theological Review, Fall 1997 by Malcolm, Lois

What is Theological Exegesis? Interpretation and Use of Scripture in Barth's Doctrine of Election. By Mary Kathleen Cunningham. Valley Forge, PA: Trinity Press International, 1995. 95 pp. $10.00 (paper).

Instead of focusing on Barth's theoretical remarks about his hermeneutics, this book takes a more practical approach to his use of Scripture. It analyses a chief theme in the Church Dogmatics-the doctrine of election-from the standpoint of Barth's actual exegesis of a single verse: Eph. 1:4 (which states that God chose us in Christ "before the foundation of the world, that we shall be holy and blameless before him"). The book examines how Barth makes an argument for why this verse should not be read, as it usually is, in relation to a concept of Logos asarkos (that is, a pre-existent Logos who only later assumed the flesh of Jesus of Nazareth), but in relation to an understanding of Jesus Christ "in the beginning, with God" as both the Subject and object of election, and hence as both God and human, and not merely a fleshless Logos (p. 12). Specifically, Mary Kathleen Cunningham analyzes how Barth's exegesis of this passage-and a cluster of related Johannine texts-is intrinsically related to his core theological beliefs (in, e.g., the Trinity, Christ, grace), and how these beliefs, in turn, are only given proof in his very exegesis of Scripture. Although she compares this mode of exegesis with standard historical-critical approaches to the same passages, her intent is not to reject historical criticism-or even evaluate which approach is superior-but to bring to the fore the distinctive nature of Barth's own internal logic. In this analysis, Cunningham presupposes Hans Frei's reading of "biblical narratives as realistic narratives that mean what they say rather than as historical sources or as symbols or mythical expressions of truth" (p. 9); further, she self-consciously situates her study within the broader context of "postliberal" theology, a movement deeply influenced by Frei.

The book is clearly written and well-argued. It makes a solid contribution to the growing number of recent studies on Barth, who has been receiving much attention lately. But, there is little consensus in these new studies of Barth's work over which reading truly represents his position; hence, Cunningham will have to make her case in relation to, for example, "critical realist" and post-Heideggerian readings of Barth. In my view, her chief contribution is that she not only asserts the intrinsic connection between exegetical practice and theological belief-and vice versa-but elucidates both the analytical rigor and the necessity for Christian theology of establishing such a connection by means of the very concrete practice of exegeting biblical texts themselves. This, in my view, is one of Frei's (if not Barth's) chief contributions to contemporary theology, and by exemplifying such practice, Cunningham makes her own distinctive contribution. And, by exemplifying such practice, this book opens up the possibility for comparable readings in the legacy of biblical interpretation within Christian theology (in, e.g., Origen, Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and so on), and suggests how such readings could make a potentially rich contribution to contemporary theology.

LOTS MALCOLM

Luther Seminary

St. Paul, Minnesota