Barth's ethics of prayer: A study in moral ontology and action (Karl Barth)

This dissertation investigates the moral theology of Karl Barth. It proceeds by way of an examination of the critical reception of Barth's ethics, leading to a study of Barth's early writings and lectures on ethics from the 1920's. Our analysis of the genetic development of Barth's ethics is accompanied by a consideration of Barth's understanding and use of Realdialektik . This dissertation demonstrates the significance of Barth's moral ontology with a view towards understanding the force of divine command within the economy of grace. Creaturely identity, obedience and witness all follow, for Barth, from the constitutive and reconciling movement of God towards us in Christ. The question of baptism and moral witness occupies considerable attention as our examination of the development of Barth's theology leads to an assessment of the positive, moral, content of his non-sacramental understanding of this event.; The subject of prayer is the organizing centre of this study. One of the most significant features of Barth's theology is the belief that prayer is the exemplary and leading moral act of the Christian life. This dissertation concludes with an examination of the importance of prayer as a free, moral act. Not only is prayer considered the definitive moral act from which all other acts of obedient faithfulness arise, it is also a formed reference to the divine command. In short, Barth's ethics of prayer constitutes a theological proposal that sustains a vital depiction of the Christian life as a life of concrete moral life witness.; This thesis demonstrates that Barth recovers a fruitful way of speaking about the relationship between the opus Dei and the opus hominum. In contrast to a number of dominant tracts of moral reflection within the modern period, Barth offers a positive depiction of the way in which the history of Jesus elicits, on our side, genuine and free moral action. This dissertation defends the following claim: Barth's ethics of prayer represents a coherent and effective account of the asymmetrical relationship between divine promeity and creaturely moral life as formed reference and witness to the command of God.