Contents

Acknowledgements -- ix

Abbreviations -- xi

Introduction -- pg. 1

Section 1: Temporal and Atemporal God Debate -- pg. 1

Section 2: The Development of the Conception of Eternity in Barth -- pg. 5

Section 3: Structure and Literature Review -- pg. 8

Chapter 1 -- pg. 15

Preliminary Studies Section 1: Time and Eternity: Historical Theological Views -- pg. 15

Section 2: Time and Eternity: Modern Physical Views -- pg. 36

Section 3: Time and Eternity: Modern Philosophical Views -- pg. 46

Chapter 2 -- pg. 73

The Eternal Concrete Father Section 1: Eternal Trinity and Three One-sidednesses -- pg. 73

Section 2: The Eternal Creator Revealed -- pg. 84

Section 3: The Fathers Eternal Preservation -- pg. 97

Section 4: The Eschatological Creator -- pg. 106

Chapter 3 -- pg. 123

The Eternal Concrete Son Section 1: Eternity before Time - The Preexistence of the Son -- pg. 123

Section 2: Eternity in Time - The Incarnation of the Son -- pg. 134

Section 3: Eternity after Time - The Resurrection of the Son -- pg. 150

Chapter 4 -- pg. 163 The Eternal Concrete Holy Spirit

Section 2: Holy Spirit the Eternal Creator -- pg. 173

Section 3: Holy Spirit the Reconciler in “Time Between” -- pg. 180

Section 4: Holy Spirit the Eschatological Redeemer -- pg. 187

Chapter 5 -- pg. 201 Conclusion

Section 1: A Concrete Trinitarian Understanding of Time and Eternity -- pg. 201

Section 2: The Significance of Barth’s Contribution -- pg. 207

Bibliography -- pg. 215

Primary Sources -- pg. 215

Secondary Sources -- pg. 215

This publication investigates how Karl Barth's doctrine of time and eternity can contribute to the continued understanding of the relationship of divine eternity to time or temporality. Examining from a theological, philosophical and physical perspective, with deep emphasis on the Trinity, as well as Barth's Christology and pneumatology, the author helps us to understand his theory on time and eternity. Barth's contribution to the subject is significant, with his doctrine of time and eternity being relational in ontology, Trinitarian in background and concrete in character.