Letter from the Karl Barth-Archives
No. 12, December 21, 2010
Christmas Greeting from Japan
– Karl Barth in Today’s Japan –
Best wishes for a blessed Advent and a Merry Christmas to all who take an interest in the works of Karl Barth and the work of the Karl Barth-Archives. This year's letter from the Karl Barth-Archives brings you, first and foremost, a Christmas speech given by Karl Barth in 1960 (see Offene Briefe 1945-1968 [Karl Barth-Gesamtausgabe], Zürich 1984, p. 498-499). Read Keiko Watanabe's article to discover the background to this speech. She has also collected articles from other members of the Karl Barth Society in Japan and sought traces of Karl Barth's influence among laypeople in Japan.
All articles appear in English (with one German exception) and many are followed by their Japanese originals. There are also ten Haikus in Japanese calligraphy together with their English translation.
We heartily thank our Japanese friends who have written papers or otherwise made contributions to this project. Above all, our gratitude is extended to Mrs. Watanabe whose idea and persistance it was that made this Letter possible. Many thanks indeed to all who have contributed to the completion of this newsletter. May God bless you all this Christmastide and in the New Year.
Table of Contents
Download the complete Christmas Letter (pdf)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Christmas Greeting by Karl Barth German (audio)
Deutscher Text / English Translation
Christmas Greeting by Karl Barth with Japanese explanation (audio)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How Karl Barth's Christmas Message Came To Be by Keiko Watanabe (Engl.) / Japanese Version
A Professor of German Literature: Honorary Dr. Takashi Oshio
A Surgeon: Dr. Junichi Wakizaka
A Critic: Mr. Koichiro Tomioka
A Book Publisher: Mr. Katsuyoshi Nishimura
A Faithful Laywoman: Mrs. Yoriko Niiya
Toru Sasaki: Karl Barth und wir. Weihnachtsgruss 2010 / Japanese Version
Tomiyasu Kakegawa: Why do I read Karl Barth works? - From the dark valley to the light of resurrection (Engl.) / Japanese Version
Acceptance by MUKYOKAI with a letter to Karl Barth and an answer by Markus Barth (Engl.) / Japanese Version
Some Thoughts in the Villaz Châlet by Katsuyuki Kumano (Engl.) / Japanese Version
Barth san and Baruch san by Mrs. Yuko Kumano