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As In a Mirror. John Calvin and Karl Barth on Knowing God

As In a Mirror. John Calvin and Karl Barth on Knowing God 196 Book Reviews / Journal of Reformed Th eology 2 (2008) 189-207 Cornelis van der Kooi, As In a Mirror. John Calvin and Karl Barth on Knowing God , Brill, Leiden 2005, xii + 478pp. (ISBN900413817X). As the subtitle indicates, the focus of this study is the respective epistemologies of Calvin and Barth. How do we know God, and to what extent can God be known? Van der Kooi refers to this study as a diptych, i.e., two panels which are connected by a hinge, viz., the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. Th e reason for interjecting Kant’s philosophy into this pic- ture is that it represents a watershed in Western theology. Calvin is, of course, pre-modern, whereas Barth had to reckon with modernism’s preoccupation with man as subject in con- trast to the theocentric focus of pre-modern theology. As suggested by the title, the metaphor of a mirror plays a prominent role in how the author develops his subject. He begins with its use in 1 Corinthians 13:12, which points to the limits of our knowledge of God. In the ancient world, this metaphor had a broader meaning, “Th e mirror invites, makes known” (16). In Calvin’s theology, http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Reformed Theology Brill

As In a Mirror. John Calvin and Karl Barth on Knowing God

Hesselink, John
Journal of Reformed Theology , Volume 2 (2): 196 – Jan 1, 2008
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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 2008 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
1872-5163
eISSN
1569-7312
DOI
10.1163/156973108X306290
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

196 Book Reviews / Journal of Reformed Th eology 2 (2008) 189-207 Cornelis van der Kooi, As In a Mirror. John Calvin and Karl Barth on Knowing God , Brill, Leiden 2005, xii + 478pp. (ISBN900413817X). As the subtitle indicates, the focus of this study is the respective epistemologies of Calvin and Barth. How do we know God, and to what extent can God be known? Van der Kooi refers to this study as a diptych, i.e., two panels which are connected by a hinge, viz., the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. Th e reason for interjecting Kant’s philosophy into this pic- ture is that it represents a watershed in Western theology. Calvin is, of course, pre-modern, whereas Barth had to reckon with modernism’s preoccupation with man as subject in con- trast to the theocentric focus of pre-modern theology. As suggested by the title, the metaphor of a mirror plays a prominent role in how the author develops his subject. He begins with its use in 1 Corinthians 13:12, which points to the limits of our knowledge of God. In the ancient world, this metaphor had a broader meaning, “Th e mirror invites, makes known” (16). In Calvin’s theology,

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Journal of Reformed Theology – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 2008

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