JUSTIFICATION

In this unusual and engaging experiment in exegesis, Markus Barth explores the concept and vocabulary of Justification as revealed so prominently in Paul's formulation of the message of Christ. According to Dr. Barth, when Paul speaks about justification, he is speaking about a single juridical event. The methodology Barth uses to explore this thesis is one that takes full account of the Old Testament background of Paul's thought--a key Barth finds too frequently ignored.

Recognizing the inherent limitations in trying to say what is unspeakable and describe what no eye has seen, Barth turns to drama as the best medium for talking about this article of faith, on which the church stands or falls, as Luther said. Setting his argument in a scheme of five days of judgment, he presents the miracle of justification in narrative and dramatic terms that will appeal to all readers, not just to those versed in traditional theological language. The more traditional theological terminology is relegated to the copiously documented footnotes.