Barth\u27s Conception of the Authority of the Bible

The Barthian theology has often been defined as a theology of the Word of God. The Word of God is indeed central in Barth\u27s theological system, and to understand his conception of the Word of God is to hold the key which opens the door to all his theological thinking. Is this conception something new in the realm of Christian thought, or is it merely a rcpristination of the Reformation doctrine? Does the Barthian doctrine remain within the mainstream of the Christian tradition, or does it meander off into the slough of a new and disguised rationalism and empty itself at last in the morass of an utter subjectivism? Specifically, how does the Bible fit into the pattern of Barth\u27s doctrine of the Word of God? What authority does he ascribe to the Biblical word? In how far does he lay himself open to the charge of Biblicism ? These are some of the issues to which we wish to address ourselves, and in the process we hope to gain a better understanding of what the Bible means to Barth