Divine ‘Pastness’ and the Creation of Hope: The Significance of the <i>Sepultus est…</i>

This article explores Karl Barth’s exegesis of the ‘<i>sepultus est…</i>’ from the Apostles’ Creed, as articulated in his 1935 <i>Credo</i> lectures. I argue that Barth accords the <i>sepultus</i> a degree of theological significance that is against the grain, not...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mark R. Lindsay
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-06-01
Series:Religions
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/6/439
Description
Summary:This article explores Karl Barth’s exegesis of the ‘<i>sepultus est…</i>’ from the Apostles’ Creed, as articulated in his 1935 <i>Credo</i> lectures. I argue that Barth accords the <i>sepultus</i> a degree of theological significance that is against the grain, not only of the majority of western interpretations of Jesus’s burial, but also of his own later interpretation of it within his <i>Kirchliche Dogmatik</i>. Specifically, this article argues that in his 1935 lectures, Barth exegetes the <i>sepultus</i> in terms of a divine self-surrender to the ‘pure pastness’ that is the ‘state and fate’ of all humanity. As a consequence, the <i>sepultus</i> can then be used as the pivot to a different, and more hopeful, future.
ISSN:2077-1444