Faith Seeking Understanding
Karl Barth wrote this penetrating study of Anselm's theological method during his early years as professor at Bonn, as he was developing his distinctive approach to dogmatic theology. The work emerged from Barth's conviction that modern theology had fundamentally misunderstood the relationship between faith and reason, and that Anselm of Canterbury offered a crucial corrective to both liberal rationalism and fideistic anti-intellectualism.
Barth argues that Anselm's famous phrase "faith seeking understanding" represents not an attempt to prove God's existence to unbelievers, but rather the believer's joyful exploration of what faith already knows to be true. The ontological argument, Barth contends, is not a philosophical proof but a prayer—an act of worship that thinks through the implications of God's self-revelation. Anselm begins with the concrete reality of God known in faith and seeks to understand this reality more deeply, not to establish it rationally. Barth traces this method through Anselm's major works, showing how theological thinking properly proceeds from revelation to understanding, never the reverse. This represents a fundamental critique of natural theology and autonomous reason in theological work.
The book profoundly influenced twentieth-century theology by providing theological warrant for rejecting natural theology while maintaining intellectual rigor. Barth's reading of Anselm became central to his own Church Dogmatics and influenced generations of theologians grappling with the proper relationship between faith and reason. The work remains essential reading for understanding Barth's later development and the broader neo-orthodox rejection of liberal theology's accommodation to secular thought.
Who should read this: Theologians and advanced students interested in theological method, the relationship between faith and reason, or Barth's theological development will find this indispensable. Those seeking popular devotional material or introductory theology should look elsewhere.