A Theology of the Third Article: Karl Barth and the Spirit of the Word

Toward the end of his career Karl Barth made the provocative statement that perhaps what Schleiermacher was up to was a theology of the third article and that he anticipated in the future that a true third-article theology would appear. Many interpreters of course took that to indicate not only a change in Barths perception of Schleiermacher but also as a self-referential critique. The author investigates this claim contesting the standard interpretations and argues for a Barthian pneumatologya doctrine of the Holy Spirit grounded in the scriptural witness and connected to the vital Christological and dialectical theology found in Barths project.