Bayer contra Barth, part 1

Since my inclusion of Karl Barth in my last post is generating some disagreement, and I am not knowledgeable enough to defend Bayer's critiques sufficiently, I am going to try and let Bayer speak for himself.  In reviewing where Bayer discusses Barth in his book, I have seen three primary criticisms.  The first is the program of "faith seeking understanding," the second is the classic scheme of theory and practice, and the third (by far the most in-depth) is Barth's "rehabilitation" of natural theology and its "unity of meaning."  Since the passages (particularly in the third critique) are long, I am dividing these up into three posts.

(Unless otherwise noted, quotes are from Oswald Bayer's Theology the Lutheran Way.)

On Fides Quaerens Intellectum:

       “What do we pray for as we journey along the pathway of theology?  What are we seeking when we pray it?  Assuming that we already have faith, are we asking for insight, along the lines of Anselm’s program of “faith seeking understanding” (fides quaerens intellectum)?  Luther emphasizes that the author of the psalm (the pray-er) asks to be instructed and taught, even though he would have been well acquainted with the text of Moses and the other books, and would have heard and read them daily.  Here we come to a difference which is crucial for Luther’s understanding of theology.  The theologian should try to understand through prayer what he or she already knows.
       What the theologian does not yet know and is still seeking is not knowledge and insights into texts.  Therefore, it is not a matter of discovering what a text is saying with the aid of grammar, rhetoric, and dialectics (logic and philosophy in the wider sense) in order to be able to teach it in the school or academy.  For that, of course, "knowledge of the liberal arts" is necessary, and Luther stresses its importance for the study of theology as much as the "grace of the Spirit."  Although the work of the Holy Spirit, and therefore of the triune God to whom we pray, does not depend on human achievement and education, it does not exclude “knowledge of the liberal arts.”  The “grace of the Spirit” does not replace “knowledge of the liberal arts”; it sets it free.  In this way, prayer and work, God’s work and human work, find their proper relationship.  Theology as a human project is relieved of the need to reach above, to go in search of timeless pure principles, the absolute first and last, and to be enraptured by it in a pure vision.  Humans do not have to justify themselves by their knowledge any more than by their actions… What this learning receives and attains beyond what it knows is the certainty of what it knows, a certainty that cannot be given by knowledge and science.  This certainty is not within our power to create or possess.  We can only seek it and wait for it from him alone through prayer.” (p. 48-49) 

“Theology, then, is a way of life that is stamped by prayer, the study of scripture, and spiritual attack (oratio, meditatio, tentatio).  And to this we can also add death.  By the same token, the theologian – and every Christian is a theologian – is a person under attack seeking certainty (tentatus quaerens certitudinem).  This formula, which picks up Anselm’s programmatic formula and turns it inside out, illustrates the difference between Luther and Anselm in their understanding of theology.”  (p. 212)  

“Despite some points of contact, this formula represents a clear alternative to the program of ‘faith seeking understanding’ (fides quaerens intellectum) that has dominated theology from Augustine through Anselm to Hegel…and Karl Barth.  In contrast to the program of ‘faith seeking understanding,’ Luther’s formula takes into account the historical nature of theological existence, and gives due recognition to the fundamental importance of temptation (tentatio)….  Luther’s approach does not arbitrarily impose a general, a priori condition that makes possible the understanding of the gospel.  Rather it teaches us how meditation, and the use of the inexhaustible treasures of the Bible, can be a source of new experiences.”  (p. 34)

These three quotes illustrate a fundamental difference between Bayer (and Luther) and perhaps the majority of theological thinking throughout the history of the church, including Barth.  Fides quaerens intellectum (faith seeking understanding) sees the Christian life in more-or-less this way:  first, the Holy Spirit gives faith to the sinner, who then uses this grace to find out more about this faith.  In this picture, which is purely intellectual and lacking in emotion, the christian is seen as the do-er of theology.  Theology is a somewhat neutral enterprise, insofar as its effects on the christian are concerned.  Bayer's formula of tentatus quaerens certitudinem (a person under attack seeking certainty) paints a very different picture.  While both view faith as the gift of the Holy Spirit, Bayer's formula does not show understanding as the goal of theology, but rather a strong faith.  The christian finds her faith under attack by life events, the challenges of skeptics and the seeming absence of God, and laments, reaching to God for salvation: "How long will you hide your face from me?" (Psalm 13).  Bayer takes into account that God uses suffering to kill the old self and raise the new and that this is by no means an emotionally-neutral enterprise.  In this formula, God is the do-er of theology, not the christian.