Reddit reviews Karl Barth on Theology and Philosophy

In no particular order and without thinking they are all of equal importance:

1. Karl Barth. Whether you love him or hate him, you cannot avoid him and his influence on Protestant thought in the 20th century. I would be remiss if I did not recommend my good friend's book, Kenneth Oakes, Karl Barth on Theology and Philosophy.
   
   
2. G.W.F. Hegel. Again, whether you love him or hate him (and let's be honest, even if you did try to read him, only a fraction of people understand what he's saying), you cannot avoid his influence. To supplement Hegel, I'd recommend Cyril O'Regan's The Heterodox Hegel.
   
   
3. Rowan Williams. Prolific does not even begin to describe Williams' writing career. He is well-regarded by nearly everyone (Catholics and Protestants alike). He writes on such a vast range of topics (from St. Augustine to Arianism to Christian Spirituality to Dostoevsky) and does so well. That's a real gift.
   
   
4. Rudolf Bultmann. He is a crucial figure in 20th century New Testament studies. His commentary on the Gospel of John ought to be read by everyone interested in NT studies.
   
   
5. F.C. Baur. He was instrumental in shaping the field of Patristics and the study of the early Church for Protestants. Heavily reliant upon Hegelianism. He founded what is known as the Tübingen School.
   
   
6. Kevin Vanhoozer. I think he's a big name among Evangelicals and rightly so. Vanhoozer is very bright and his books engage with a wide range of sources and theories. I don't agree with him on much, but he is not someone one can simply disregard. There's real meat in his theology and I think if Evangelicals are looking for someone to help them with their intellectual struggles, Vanhoozer would be a good place to start.
   
   
7. Adolf von Harnack. Another critical figure in my own field. What impresses me most about von Harnack's work is its range. The guy could do it all, from NT studies to Church history. The sort of education he received is that of a bygone era and I'm not sure we'll ever produce people as well-rounded as von Harnack.
   
   
8. N.T. Wright. Wright is sometimes disregarded by New Testament scholars, but I think it's because he is so philosophically adept. He knows what's at stake, what's underpinning certain methodologies, etc. I know his NPP stuff is not always so well-received (he is basically just saying what Catholics have known since St. Paul), but it is not easy to dismiss him. I think the fact that he's trained in Thomism (although of the Lonerganian sort) makes him very interesting as an NT scholar. As a modification of his theories on exile in the New Testament, I highly recommend Brant Pitre's Jesus, The Tribulation, and the End of Exile.

If you're going to read Barth scholarship alongside actually reading Barth, make sure you check out Ken Oakes' book, Karl Barth on Theology and Philosophy.