An Ecumenical theological anthropology
Hans Küng and the Dialogue with Karl Barth
This paper examines Hans Küng’s (1928 -) dissertation Justification: The Doctrine of Karl Barth and a Catholic Reflection (1957). In his first work Küng compared the doctrine of justification, as understood by the Protestant theologian Karl Barth (1886-1968) to the classic Catholic theology affirmed by the Council of Trent (1545-1563), which remained the Church's doctrine for the next four hundred years. Küng expressed the idea that there is a fundamental agreement between Trent and Barth's doctrine and that the divergent viewpoints "would not warrant a division in the Church."
The book has become a classic work and «marked the dawn of a new era of positive ecumenical discussion of a doctrine which had hitherto been seen largerly as an insuperable obstacle to such dialogue» (A. E. McGrath).
The main purpose of this essay is to clarify the anthropological-theological structure of Küng’s book. It is intended as a critical analysis and a contribution to our current discussions.
Keywords:
Hans Küng, Karl Barth, Theological Anthropology, Ecumenical Dialogue, Justification
