The divide between liberal and postliberal theology is one of the most important and far-reaching methodological disputes in twentieth-century theology. Their divergence in method brought related differences in their approaches to hermeneutics and religious language. The split between liberals and postliberals in their understanding of religious language is widely acknowledged, but rigorous philosophical analysis and assessment of these divergent understandings is seldom seen. Liberalism vs. Postliberalism provides just such analyses, using remarkable developments in analytic philosophy of language over the past forty years. The book provides an original analysis of the “theology and falsification” debates of the 1950s and 60s, placing them in the context of developments in analytic philosophy of language out of which they arose. These debates then supply the philosophical lens that brings into focus the centrality of the issue of religious language in the methodological dispute between liberal and postliberal theologians in the latter part of the twentieth century. Knight argues that recent developments in analytic philosophy of language reveal serious problems with both positions. In the course of the argument, the author makes important recent work in analytic philosophy accessible to theologians, religious studies scholars and their students. This philosophical work clears the ground for a more inclusive method that takes seriously the aspirations of both liberal and postliberal theologians. The book thus makes an important contribution to contemporary theological method, to the understanding of liberal and postliberal theologies in their similarities and differences, and to our understanding of the role of analytic philosophy in contemporary theology and religious studies.
This chapter analyzes Hans Frei’s two major works, The Eclipse of Biblical Narrative and The Identity of Jesus Christ, which shaped the postliberal movement. It describes his attempt to use the later Wittgenstein to carry forward the Barthian program in theology. In doing so, he enlists literary assistance from Erich Auerbach’s Mimesis. The chapter thus describes Auerbach’s identification of the most important aspects of biblical narratives. In The Eclipse, Frei argues that liberal theology distorts these aspects of biblical narratives by taking their meaning to be their reference to some extratextual reality. Frei’s critique is thus sustained by his reliance on Wittgenstein and ordinary language philosophy. The chapter then turns to The Identity of Jesus Christ, Frei’s constructive attempt to remain faithful to the central insights of his mentors. Following Barth, he prioritizes ontology over epistemology, seeking an interpretation of Jesus’ identity that is faithful to Auerbach’s understanding that the biblical texts seek to overcome our reality with their own. This effort utilizes both Wittgenstein and Ryle in an attempt to carry out to the Barthian project described in chapter five.
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