Brunner, Emil

Brunner, Emil (ā`mēl brn`ər), 1889–1966, Swiss Protestant theologian. A clear and systematic thinker from the school of dialectical theology, he was a professor of theology at the Univ. of Zürich (1924–53) and Christian Univ., Tokyo (1953–55). He several times visited and lectured in the United States. Like Karl Barth he challenged the leaders of modern rational and liberal Christian theology and proclaimed a theology of revelation. The Christian faith, he maintained, arises from the encounter between individuals and God as He is revealed in the Bible. Brunner, in attempting later to leave a place for natural theology in his system, came into conflict with Barth over the question of natural revelation. Brunner refused to accept the radical divorce between grace and human consciousness that Barth proposed. His more important works include Die Mystik und das Wort (1924), Der Mittler (1927, tr. The Mediator, 1934), Das Gebot und die Ordnungen (1932, tr. The Divine Imperative, 1937), Der Mensch in Widerspruch (1937, tr. Man in Revolt, 1939), Wahrheit als Begegung (1938, tr. The Divine-Human Encounter, 1943), and Christianity and Civilization (2 vol., 1948–49).

Bibliography

See study by J. Edward Humphrey (1984).

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Brunner, (Heinrich) Emil

(born Dec. 23, 1889, Winterthur, Switz.—died April 6, 1966, Zürich) Swiss Reformed theologian. After serving as a pastor at Obstalden (1916–24), he taught for many years at the University of Zürich (1924–53); he lectured widely during this time and was a delegate to the founding session of the World Council of Churches in 1948. His theology was influenced by Martin Buber's view of the relationship between God and man. Like Karl Barth, he rejected 19th-century liberal theology in favour of reaffirming the central tenets of the Reformation, but his assertion that God was revealed in creation led to a dispute with Barth. His works include The Theology of Crisis (1929), Man in Revolt (1937), and Justice and the Social Order (1945).