ABSTRACT
Karl Barth argues that theology has no other basis than God’s self-revelation as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Since the doctrine of revelation is materially already a doctrine of the Trinity, one might wonder if an explicit ‘doctrine of God’ is really needed. A reason for the doctrine is the inherited agenda of questions Barth received from his predecessors. Barth’s basic move in the doctrine of God is thus to affirm God’s utter, sovereign priority over human beings – a sovereignty concretely determined as grace or covenant fellowship. Barth’s identification of the triune God with the God of Israel, is among his most important legacies for contemporary Christian theology. The problem that confronts Barth as he reflects on the knowledge of God is this: how can we affirm the reality of such knowledge, while still ensuring that God remains the acting subject, always free in the relation he establishes with us?
