KARL BARTH AND THE FUTURE OF THE GOD OF ISRAEL R. Kendall Soulen Few features of Barth's theology are as fraught with promise and peril as his doctrine of Israel. Rightly credited with almost singlehandedly recovering Israel's election as a central theme for Christian theology, Barth is also often chastised for reiterating and even exacerbating some of the most troubling features of Christian polemic against the Jews. Fortunately several monographs now exist that trace the development and contours of Barth's doctrine of Israel in detail. The aim of this essay is to sketch a broad systematic framework that will permit an evaluation of Barth's doctrine of Israel in the context of the larger Christian tradition. The result, I hope, will clarify not only the greatness and the limitations of Barth's doctrine of Israel, but also the enduring challenge that Israel poses to basic issues of Christian theological reflection. Barth is often chastisedfor reiterating and even exacerbating some of the most troubling features of Christian polemic against the Jews. I Barth's doctrine of Israel is best evaluated in light of what might be boldly called the classical account of the canon's unity. The classical account can also be called Irenaean, since Irenaeus first traced its main contours in the course of his battle with the Gnostics, and in doing so taught subsequent generations of Christians how to read the canon as R Kendall Soulen, Wesley Theological Seminary, 4500 Mass. Ave NW, Washington DC 20016-5690 1 Katherine Sonderegger, That Jesus Christ was Born a Jew Karl Barth's "Doctrine of Israel" (University Park, PA The Pennsylvania University Press, 1992), Berthold Klappert Israel und die Kirche Erwägungen zur Israellehre Karl Barths, Theologische Existenz Heute, 207 (München Christian Kaiser, 1980), and Friedrich-Wilhelm Marquardt Die Entdeckung des Judentums fur die christliche Theologie Israel im Denkens Karl Barth (München Christian Kaiser, 1967) PRO ECCLESIA Vol. VI, No. 4 413