Barth, Derrida and the Language of Theology

This study offers a new and original analysis of the problem of religious language. Taking as its starting point Karl Barth’s doctrine of analogy, the author draws parallels between Barth’s insights into the language of theology and the work of Emmanuel Levinas and Jacques Derrida, and concludes that Barth’s doctrine of analogy is a theological reading of Derrida’s economy of differance. This important interpretation reveals Barth’s closeness to postmodern thinking and underlines his relevance to current debates on the language of theology.