B120thand21st

//**The Epistle to the Romans**

The Epistle to the Romans// by Swiss Protestant theologian Karl Barth (1886-1968) is a commentary on the New Testament Book of Romans. Published first in 1919 and then modified in 1922, //The Epistle to the Romans// was the first major work of Barth and marked the beginning of the theological movement he started. Variously called “theology of the Word,” “theology of crisis,” and “neo-orthodoxy,” Barth's theological movement stressed the utter hopelessness of human beings without the grace of God (“Biography: Karl Barth”). Further more, because of their inferiority and debt, humans should not try to “reason out” God, but should instead love and obey him unconditionally (McKay et al 926). These revolutionary ideas were first presented in the //Epistle to the Romans//, and because of this book, the dominant Protestant theological movement of today was started.