“negative comprehensibility.”^72 Additionally, Barth finds great disagreement with the
“pious egocentricity” of the “quietistic mystical type” that includes “Madame de
Guyon, Pierre Poiret and Gerhard Tersteegen.”^73 He even refers to Tersteegen’s piety
as “reformed mysticism”^74 or “mystical Pietism.”^75 Barth takes a similar negative
opinion of “natural mysticism” that found one popular expression in
Schleiermacher.^76
Practices and Contemplation
While Isaac Ambrose would have had little disagreement with Barth’s
teaching on christocentric mysticism that agreement would have quickly vanished
with his understanding of spiritual practices and contemplation. Barth occasionally
employs contemplation synonymously with to “think” or “reflect” upon something.^77
However, almost universally he has nothing positive to say about contemplation.
Most damaging is his assertion that contemplation has no biblical foundation and “is
not especially Christian” since it is built upon “mystical technique.”^78 One wonders
how Barth would interpret the rich contemplative themes of Psalm 27:4, 42:2, 63:1-5,
73:25, 131:2? Further, he maintains that “[c]ontemplation in itself and as such,
therefore, can be only a cul-de-sac” and that “God withdraws from every kind of
contemplation.” Clearly a significant motivation for Barth’s resistance is his belief
that God could not be the object of contemplation.^79 Instead the individual encounters
(^72) Barth, CD II/1, 193 (^) - 4.
(^73) Barth, CD IV/3, 568.
(^74) Barth, CD II/2, 113.
(^75) Barth, CD IV/3, 553. cf. I/2, 255. Elsewhere Barth asserts that “Christian
mysticism” is a parallel movement to Pietism. 76 CD IV/2,11.
77 Barth, CD III/4, 119-22.^
78 See for example Barth, CD I/2, 730, III/2, 98, III/3, 55.^
79 Barth, Barth, CDCD III/4, 560. III/4, 563.^