In this seminal text, Webster brings together four studies of what he saw as a neglected yet extremely important period of Barth's theological work. In Barth's earlier writings, Webster finds an affirmation of some of his deepest and most enduring conviction about God, humankind and the character of their fellowship. Webster suggests that the traditional accounts of Barth's development were inadequate: they tended to emphasize his cultural and philosophical context, to focus on the same limited selection of his writings and to misjudge his theological intentions, regarding him as a purely transcendental thinker or as a postmodernist.

It is here that Webster intends to set the record straight, providing detailed interpretations of early texts that had received little attention, such as Barth's work on 1 Corinthians, on the Reformed Confessions, and on modern Protestant theology. Webster draws out the significance of Barth's early biblical exegesis and historical theology, and shows how his work in both fields was conceived from the beginning as important preparation for his future dogmatic work.