This book is a major intellectual biography of perhaps the most influential theologian of the twentieth century, Karl Barth. The author focuses on the formative years of Barth's theological activity, discussing the social, political, philosophical, and theological influences which helped shape his theology, and offering a new paradigm for interpreting his theology as a whole.

This book is a new, major intellectual biography of perhaps the most influential theologian of the twentieth century, Karl Barth. It offers the first full-scale revision of the well-known theologian Hans Urs Balthasar's seminal interpretation of Barth, which was first published in 1951.

A deep and substantial interpretation of Barth's theological development up to the early volumes of the Church Dogmatics... new interpretative insight... McCormack introduces a real advance in understanding in Barth here, and in particular his modernity... McCormack's book undoubtedly becomes the major English speaking text for Barth interpretation... The book is well written and will interest not only Barth scholars but will hold the attention of those with a great interest in the twentieth century's greatest theologian.