Christology in conflict : the identity of a Saviour in Rahner and Barth /

Marshall (St. Olaf's College) addresses the central issue in Christology since the Enlightenment--namely, how universal and ultimate significance can be ascribed to Jesus of Nazareth, a particular person. The author selects two major figures in 20th-century theology, Karl Rahner (Roman Catholic) and Karl Barth (Protestant) to focus and clarify the issue. Rahner's approach appeals to the Enlightenment principle that what is "ultimately significant" must be perspicuous through its relation to other accounts of general human experience. Barth, on the other hand, claims that Jesus Christ uniquely has the function of "that which is ultimately significant," a conviction that does not depend upon an appeal to general, universal criteria. Marshall, fair to Rahner, leans toward Barth in his own view. This book, a revised doctoral dissertation, is written with clarity and cogency, but is not a popular work aimed at the uninitiated. Recommended for university and theological libraries. -D. S. Ferguson, Alaska Pacific University