Neo-orthodoxy

The dialectical theology (also: word -of-God theology ) denotes a theological direction within Protestantism, which is often set synonymous with the early phase of Barth'schen thinking how they reproduced his commentary on Romans.

In the dialectical theology was a theology pointedly operated "from above" that strictly rejected a human knowledge of God, and so can any child approach of the faithful of the preceding revelation of God. This position of the "impossible possibility " knowledge of God is in the tradition of religious philosophy, although not fluctuated in the radicalized brand of fideism, but had the re-establishment of the Faith skill against a theological rationalism in mind, as it mainly the Liberal theology of the time, still Barth's teacher Harnack represented, had.

This theological rethinking was triggered by Karl Barth's commentary on Romans of 1919 and ( in a completely modified 2nd edition ) 1922. Their dogmatic opinion published the representatives of dialectical theology, of which besides Karl Barth, Emil Brunner, in particular, Rudolf Bultmann, and Friedrich Gogarten Eduard Thurneysen also Dietrich Bonhoeffer, among others be mentioned, especially in the Christian Emperor publishing in the journal Between the times (from 1923). In 1924 was added Barth's essay collection The Word of God and theology.

A concise critique formulated Johannes Hoffmeister, when he described the dialectical theology than those of theology,

The theological never a counter-position to spread liberal theology consistent attitude of the representatives of dialectical theology can be understood primarily as an expression of the uncertain period between the wars. Then led from 1933 in the ( sometimes more, sometimes less clearly visible ) resistance to National Socialism (see Barmen Declaration ), after its demise, the people involved then went theologically quite different ways.