History of religion Books

Book SynopsisIn this timely collection of essays, twenty-two widely respected writers, historians, theologians, and feminists thoughtfully reflect on their own personal experiences with the Catholic Church. The essayists movingly describe how they have, or in some cases have not, come to terms with a church that does not permit them full participation. In so doing, they offer practical suggestions for ways in which the church can become more open to the concerns of its progressive members.Among the essayists and essays featured in this collection are Rosemary Radford Ruether, who provides a brief history of twentieth-century reform movements; internationally-known Irish journalist Mary Kenny, who writes on the abortion debate in Ireland; Pulitzer Prizewinner Madeleine Blais, who discusses her youth in parochial schools; short-story writer and New Yorker contributor Jean McGarry, who describes the clash of Catholic and secular cultures; and Grail co-founder Janet Kalven, who depicts the hiTrade Review"I know of nothing in print that offers this engaging mix of voices rational and exalted, meliorative and audacious, troubled, pugnacious, quizzical, and sane."

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Book SynopsisRandall explores the link between philosophical and theological discussions of the nature and status of animals vis-à-vis the rest of existence, particularly humans.Trade Review"Here is a book that breathes and inspires: terse and compelling, every page written with flair and force, The Wisdom of Animals reaches into the past to remind us that we are animals and that we must commit our faith to the world that, by no casual miracle, it is a gift for us to inhabit. Randall’s informed and sustained readings of a panoply of early modern writers tell us, in both their words and hers, why the intricate webbings of our ecosphere must be nurtured and cherished. Weaving together literature, theology and philosophy, she affirms over and again how and why animal wisdom is vital for the present and future of our imperiled planet." —Tom Conley, Abbot Lawrence Lowell Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University"Catharine Randall has written an informative, erudite, and convincing study of the complexity of thought concerning animals in the early modern period, and the importance of theological perspectives for that thought. The Wisdom of Animals: Creatureliness in Early Modern French Spirituality is an original contribution to the field, and is of potential interest not only to scholars of early modern French history and literature, but also to readers interested in religious studies, the history of animality, and the antecedents to current discussions of the status and rights of animals." —Kathleen Perry Long, Cornell University“. . . an engaging and lively piece of scholarly exposition. Randall’s writing is fluent, the theological background is accessibly incorporated into the argument, and the succinct conclusion is compelling, uniting as it does a range of ‘creatures . . . who [open] up new, vibrant ways of experiencing both this world and that beyond it.’” —French Studies“This book is not without merits: the study of the swallow as an emblem and figure of Montaigne’s hermeneutics, for example, is a highly sophisticated reading of the literary uses of animals.” —Renaissance Quarterly“Randall’s book is an amazing testimony of the fact that early modernity did not only bring us René Descartes and his animal-despising philosophy but also has to offer animal-friendly philosophers, theologians, and poets. The book made me ponder how much human animals can learn from non-human animals and how much wisdom and ingenuity animals possess.” —Journal of Animal Ethics“In this book, Randall has offered the reader multiple avenues for entry: as a historian of animals, as one of early modern spirituality or of currents in the proto-scientific movement, and as an individual on a personal spiritual journey. Randall leaves the reader with many directions for further research . . . . Randall has produced a book provocative in its methodological apparatus, valuable in its textual analysis, and stimulating less for its conclusions than for its inspiration toward further research.” —H-France Review“Catharine Randall has written a welcome contribution to the growing scholarship on animals and early modern cultures . . . . It is a testament to the interest of Randall’s analysis that the reader might be left wanting more.” —Modern Language Review“Drawing on a broad interdisciplinary context, Randall eruditely weaves together theology, anthropology, animal studies, and literature. . . She does a first-rate job exploring the significance of animals in each narrative in the context of their relationship to authority and tradition.” —Sixteenth Century Journal “Catharine Randall’s The Wisdom of Animals: Creatureliness in Early Modern French Spirituality argues . . . that religious writings and practices in early modern Europe reveal a shift toward increased compassion for animals that contributed directly to the animal rights movement and contemporary calls for animal liberation. The Wisdom of Animals represents a highly original contribution to the history of thinking about and thinking with animals.” —Modern Philology“Early modern scholars will be grateful to Catherine Randall for bringing Bougeant’s fascinating and little-known work to a wider readership. The Wisdom of Animals does begin, as its author claims, to map the many overlapping fields that comprise the study of early modern theology and the natural world. . .” —Medievalia et Humanistica

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Book SynopsisThis work shows that the collapse of the post-reformation confessional state was more the result of religious dissent from within, much of it orthodox, than attacks of an anti-religious Enlightenment.Trade Review“The editors, Dale Van Kley, a professor of history at Ohio State University, and James E. Bradley, a professor of church history at Fuller Seminary, have produced a remarkably coherent collection that should interest serious students of the Enlightenment. It is a carefully crafted book and will reward thoughtful reading” —History: Reviews of New Books“These essays are united by the idea that notions of civic rights and representative government so dear to us and so central to our social and political life are not derived from heretical and enlightened sources that challenged orthodox Christianity and polity, but rather from debates within both religious orthodoxy and political status quo. While the Reformation era religious conflicts tended to pit Protest and Catholic confessions and states against each other, the 18th-century religious conflicts took place within various individual confessional establishments and states that founded and maintained them. In their focal coherence, these essays provide us with a model of the comparative study of religion during the Enlightenment.” —Virginia Quarterly Review“Bradley and Van Kley’s splendid introduction provides a fascinating overview of the earlier literature on the subject and draws credible connections between the diverse accounts that follow. Each of the chapters is a substantial piece of work, written by seasoned scholars who command a broad array of primary sources in making their arguments.” —The Journal of Religion“... fascinatingly clear. The whole collection therefore constitutes a landmark in the recent rehabilitation of religion into our understanding of the eighteenth century and how it worked.” —French History“These timely essays focus on conflicts within confessions and the way in which they could become the seedbed of enhanced religious freedom. . . . This invaluable publication affords abundant evidence of what a cockpit for debate the Churches were, very much primary centres of intellectual life in eighteenth-century Europe.” —European History Quarterly

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Book SynopsisSt. Jerome (347-420) was undoubtedly one of the most learned of the Latin Church Fathers. He mastered nearly the entirety of the antecedent Christian exegetical and theological tradition, both Greek and Latin, and he knew Hebrew and Aramaic. We have the fruit of that knowledge in his most famous editorial achievement, the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible. Declared the greatest doctor in explaining the Scriptures by the Council of Trent, Jerome has been regarded by the Latin Church as its preeminent scriptural commentator. Much of Jerome''s prodigious exegetical output, however, has never been translated into English. In this volume, Thomas P. Scheck presents the first English translation of St. Jerome''s commentaries on Galatians, Titus, and Philemon. Jerome followed the Greek exegesis of Origen of Alexandria, proceeding step by step and producing the most valuable of all of the patristic commentaries on these three epistles of St. Paul. Jerome''s exegesis is characteriTrade Review“Scheck’s introduction is clearly written and lucid, containing fine theological observations as well as a clear historical context for Jerome’s commentary. Scheck’s excellent translation comes at a most opportune time given that interest in patristic exegesis is high and Jerome is among the best of the ancient commentators on Galatians.” —Joseph T. Lienhard, S.J., Fordham University“Jerome is best remembered as the translator of the Greek and Hebrew Bible into Latin, the Vulgate, which has profoundly influenced Western thought. Now Scheck has given us the first-ever translation of what may be the most important patristic commentary on these epistles. Exegetes and historians, take note!” —The Religious Book Club“In his 45-page introduction, Scheck . . . discusses Jerome’s biography, his exegetical predecessors (Origen), use of the Septuagint, and commentary on Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Then he presents the first English translations of Jerome’s commentaries on Galatians, Titus, and Philemon, with brief notes . . . . The commentary on Galatians is based on G. Raspanti’s 2006 edition, and those on Titus and Philemon are based on F. Bucchi’s 2003 edition.” —New Testament Abstracts“Scheck’s work represents overall a valiant effort to make three seldom-read and sometimes difficult texts available in translation, two of which are available only here. . . . the commentaries on Titus and Philemon can be found nowhere else in English at present, and the translator is to be commended for the new access he has provided to them, and to have all three in one volume is wonderful. These three commentaries provide a good introduction to Jerome’s views on the Pauline epistles specifically and to his theory and practice of exegesis more generally.” —The Medieval Review“The treasure that is Jerome’s remarkable exegetical output has never completely been unlocked for English-language readers. Thomas Scheck’s translation of the important church father’s commentaries on Galatians, Titus, and Philemon is an important step in that direction. Scheck’s lucid rendering retains the virtuosity of Jerome’s original Latin, while copious annotations serve to place the works within Jerome’s intellectual and social contexts.” —Religious Studies Review“Thomas Scheck has produced very readable translations of Jerome on Galatians, Titus and Philemon, and it seems they are the first English and modern translations. There is an excellent introduction, with good notes and plentiful cross references to NT texts throughout.” —The Heythrop Journal“This book is conceived by its editor not merely as a translation of a hitherto untranslated Latin text but also as an act of reparation to a philologist whose merits are now underrated even by scholars belonging to the Catholic tradition which he did so much to form.” —Theology“Scheck’s translation is fluent and easy to read, with chapters and verses (both nonexistent in Jerome’s day) clearly identified for modern use. . . . This book is a must for any serious scholar of the epistles that it covers, as well as for those more generally interested in the biblical interpretation of the early church. Scheck is to be congratulated on making these texts available to a wider audience, and it must be hoped that he will continue his good work in the future.” —Review of Biblical Literature

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Book SynopsisWhen The Fundamental Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Israel was signed on December 30, 1993, it established diplomatic ties between the Vatican and Israel for the first time. Published during the tenth anniversary year of this historic document, The Vatican-Israel Accords brings together essays that analyze the legal, historical, theological, and political meaning of the Accords.The compelling essays in this collection explore not only the document and events surrounding its signing, but also the past, present, and future of Catholic-Jewish relations. Contributors, who include scholars from Israel, Italy, France, Spain, and the United States, contend that the history and structure of the Accords offer lessons that may be instructive for others involved in seeking peaceful resolutions to conflict, particularly those who work for peace between Palestine and Israel. This book is for anyone interested in law, political science, ecumenism, diplomacy, or peTrade Review“. . . essays are informed and cogent. This volume is a must read for all seriously interested in Middle East politics, Jewish-Christian relations, and international law. Highly recommended.” —Choice“Scholars of Jewish-Christian relations will use The Vatican-Israel Accords: Political, Legal, and Theological Contexts as a useful and detailed reference about an important event in the history of a complex and fascinating political and religious relationship.” —Perspectives on Political Science“…this collection offers a rare, intriguing glance behind the scenes into the visionary policy and hardball negotiations of Vatican diplomacy. The Vatican-Israel Accords: Political, Legal, and Theological Contexts is the proverbial stone that creates pervading rings in the ocean of life and politics.” —Fellowship of Catholic Scholars Quarterly“…this volume, should be of enormous value to specialists in international relations, church-state affairs, or Christian-Jewish dialogue.” —Catholic Library World". . . a serious study of a difficult and sensitive topic. The book should be assigned as a textbook for comparative religion and Jewish studies curriculum." —Journal of Church and State". . . highly recommend it. . . ." —Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter". . . an interesting and useful compendium of analyses dealing with the historical, sociological, religious, and legal dimensions of the Fundamental Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Israel." —Journal of Palestine Studies"This volume could easily be the basis of a course or the focus of a study group. Each essay stimulates the mind, regardless of reader or author perspective. Contains bibliographic notes and index. Highly recommended as an important resource on the Middle East." —Church & Synagogue Libraries, Vol.XXXVII"This excellent collection of essays will be a must read for anyone interested in the Middle East, international politics and law, or Catholic-Jewish relations. It examines the historic 1993 accord between the Holy See and the State of Israel from a variety of scholarly points of view. The authors include participants in the negotiations that led to the agreement, making it the definitive interpreter of the accord and its historical and religious implications." —The Catholic Historical Review

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Book SynopsisW. Jason Wallace examines three antebellum groups and argues that the divisions among them stemmed from disagreements over the role that religious convictions played in a free society.Trade Review“Despite their obvious differences, antebellum American Catholics and pro-slavery Southern evangelicals had one feature in common: their powerful aversion to Northern evangelicals' transformation of the Christian faith into a crusading gospel of ‘progress.’ By exploring their respective critiques of Northern evangelical theology, with its overconfidence in individual and social perfectibility and its tendency to identify Christianity with American nationalism, W. Jason Wallace provides us with keen insight into American evangelicalism's characteristic dilemmas, many of which still bedevil it today.” —Wilfred M. McClay, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga“For those who like their history complicated, Jason Wallace’s book should be at the top of their reading list. In this book Wallace takes the familiar dispute between abolitionist and pro-slavery evangelical Protestants and throws in Roman Catholicism, not only as an intriguing voice in the debates about slavery but also as a related subject of debate, with Roman Catholicism representing to evangelicals another form of slavery. The result is an episode that opens the question of slavery to the larger political and economic context of European and American debates about freedom and tyranny after the eighteenth century revolutions. Wallace argues convincingly that these disputes produced no winners, and suggests just as plausibly that the reputed winners—the northern evangelicals—lost as much as they won.” —D. G. Hart, Westminster Seminary California“In five crisp chapters, Wallace . . . outlines how Catholicism debated the hegemonic discourse of Protestant-based acquisitive capitalism, articulated a traditional accommodation to slavery as a product of human sin, and asserted its own historic and ongoing contribution to the discussion of social morality and the proper sources of the Christian life.” —Choice“In this trim, well-written work, W. Jason Wallace offers a theologically informed account of the important role evangelicals played in the antebellum conflicts over slavery and Catholic immigration.” —Journal of Church and State‘This study contributes to our understanding of the controversy over slavery among American Protestants by adding a crucial third perspective on the problem—that of European and American Catholics. The desire of northern Protestants to create a unified evangelical republic, W. Jason Wallace reminds us, foundered on both southern slavery and Catholicism. The study makes a convincing case that our understanding of the controversies over slavery among American Protestants can be deepened by examining the Catholic context of these arguments.” —Journal of American History“W. Jason Wallace’s fine monograph—drawn from the antebellum religious press, books, and sermon literature—explores the significance of this infusion of Irish, German, and French Catholics in the cauldron of American Protestantism after the Second Awakening. Set against the backdrop of the sectional discord involving slavery and competing visions of nascent nationalism, this increasingly vocal Catholic presence helped shape the antebellum debate over God and country.” —The Catholic Historical Review“Wallace’s excellent Catholics, Slaveholders, and the Dilemma of American Evangelicalism, 1835–1860 examines the interaction among three groups, northern evangelicals, southern evangelicals, and Catholics, during the antebellum period to reveal the failure of American Protestants to transform the United States into ‘an evangelical republic.’” —The Catholic Social Science Review“. . . his study addresses important questions regarding the ways in which antebellum intellectuals and evangelical leaders struggled about what should substitute for a state religion. The power of religious leaders to advance the notion of a Christian or Protestant America and the belief that civic morals depended on religious ideas had, as Wallace makes clear, mixed consequences in the nineteenth century.” —Journal of Interdisciplinary History“. . . a welcome addition to the growing body of scholarship on evangelicals and politics in the antebellum era. By giving equal attention to the Catholic vision of history, Wallace counterbalances the more familiar nativist and evangelical versions of the role that Protestantism and the United States played in historical progress.” —The Journal of Southern History“This is an excellent study that examines the religious tensions within antebellum religious groups . . . Wallace’s work provides a broader understanding of the antebellum religious climate, particularly with the inclusion of Catholics. This volume is highly recommended for students of nineteenth-century American religious history.” —Religious Studies Review

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Book SynopsisWolf’s study of Juan de Segovia deftly weaves together the Castilian’s education, career as a staunch conciliarist, and peaceful approach to Islam.Trade Review“A theologian, translator of the Qur’an and lifelong advocate for forging peaceful relations between Christians and Muslims, Juan de Segovia was a prominent thinker in fifteenth century Europe. The author presents a chronological narrative that follows the thought and career of Segovia, who departed from the dominant views of his day to advance arguments he knew would subject him to criticism.” —Notre Dame Magazine“Wolf’s study of Juan de Segovia deftly weaves together the Castilian’s education, career as a staunch conciliarist, and peaceful approach to Islam . . . . In Wolf’s atmospheric and meticulous study, Segovia remains compelling as a scholar who drew upon his personal experience, biblical study, and conciliarist politics to form a peaceful response to a problem that persists even today. It is certain to become essential reading for scholars of premodern Christian-Muslim relations.” —Renaissance Quarterly“Ann Marie Wolf’s new book is a much-needed study that approaches Juan from a fresh perspective . . . . Juan de Segovia and the Fight for Peace is an engaging and important contribution to intellectual and ecclesiastical history of the fifteenth century. Wolf portrays the Spanish theologian’s struggle for peace between Christians and Muslims vividly and affectionately. Anyone who is interested in interfaith dialogue in the late Middle Ages cannot afford to miss this book.” —Parergon“Wolf’s study has many merits, such as its meticulous presentation of Juan de Segovia’s pivotal experiences as a scholar in Salamanca and as a member of the Council of Basel and its approach to the secular priest’s grounds for his future perspective regarding non-Christian populations.” —Sixteenth Century Journal“Anne Marie Wolf’s analysis of the life and thoughts of fifteenth-century Castilian conciliarist and Church reformer Juan de Segovia is an accessible and engaging intellectual history of a figure that historians have traditionally found difficult to classify. Wolf’s book constitutes an excellent contribution to our growing understanding of the range of Christian perceptions of Islam in the later Middle Ages—a topic which, as she points out, remains far less studied and understood than Christian portrayals of Judaism in that era.” —American Historical Review“There is a great deal to admire about this book as an intellectual biography. Wolf writes in pellucid prose. She carefully navigates between earlier scholarship on Juan de Segovia, the Christian polemical tradition against Islam, and the social history of Christian-Muslim interaction.” —Speculum“Wolf provides new insights in this book, in particular on Segovia’s use of the Bible and his original call for peace between Christianity and Islamic world. Due to its keen interpretation of Segovia’s life and works, it shall remain at the core of this research field for a long time to come.” —The Catholic Historical Review "This is an important book in linking medieval with modern thought and efforts to create understanding between Christianity and Islam. . . . Anne Marie Wolf has mastered Segovia’s writings, and she also presents the reader with recent work not only on Segovia but also on his larger theological context and place in church history. . . . Wolf succeeds in presenting a believable and sympathetic portrait of a European thinker who has either been ignored or slighted in his afterlife." —The Journal of Religion“What makes Wolf’s approach a new and innovative one is her attempt to combine Juan de Segovia’s role as a participant, discussant, and historiographer of the Council of Basel (1431-1449) and as a leading Christian and theologian in fighting Islam, and to explain [his] attitudes towards matters of ecclesiology . . . and interreligious dialogue . . . as two sides of the same coin. This a priori hypothesis is turned into an a posteriori proof by Wolf’s detailed and well-written analysis.” —Medievalia et Humanistica“Wolf deserves credit for tackling with admirable thoroughness and insight this obscure and complex personality, and for shedding further light on the complex currents of religious thought that characterized the Christian West at a time of increasing anxiety and conflict with Muslims, both at home and abroad.” —Renaissance and Reformation

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Book SynopsisThe saints are good company. They are the heroes of the faith who blazed new and creative paths to holiness; they are the witnesses whose testimonies echo throughout the ages in the memory of the Church. Most Christians, and particularly Catholics, are likely to have their own favorite saints, those who inspire and speak to believers as they pray and struggle through the challenges of their own lives. Leonard DeLorenzo's book addresses the idea of the communion of saints, rather than individual saints, with the conviction that what makes the saints holy and what forms them into a communion is one and the same. Work of Love investigates the issue of communication within the communio sanctorum and the fullness of Christian hope in the face of the meaningor meaninglessnessof death. In an effort to revitalize a theological topic that for much of Catholic history has been an indelible part of the Catholic imaginary, DeLorenzo invokes the ideas of not only many theological fTrade Review“DeLorenzo makes a singular contribution to the needed ‘recovery of an eschatological imagination’ for contemporary Christians. He brings new depth and clarity to the issue, both analytically and synthetically. A most impressive piece of scholarship, in which theology and spirituality enrich one another.” —Rev. Robert P. Imbelli, author of Rekindling the Christic Imagination"Work of Love: A Theological Reconstruction of the Communion of Saints is a masterly contribution by a promising young theologian. Building upon and irenically critiquing Thiel and Johnson, DeLorenzo shows why the communion of saints is not a mere pious add-on to Catholic theology, but instead belongs to its very heart. Today we are facing an urgent need to retrieve the theology of the communion of saints, lest our ecclesiology and pastoral practice wither away on a merely sociological vine. This book is a major first step toward revitalizing the core of Christian communio." —Matthew Levering, James N. and Mary D. Perry, Jr. Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary"Leonard DeLorenzo’s Work of Love attends to limitations in our modern ways of thinking and imagining the world. His 'lives of the saints' is no mere gloss over our fragmented world. In his study, the saints are living and active as we begin to see the deep connection between holiness and communion, between our good end in God and God’s ever-active presence to the world." —David M. McCarthy, Fr. James M. Forker Professor of Catholic Social Teaching, Mount St. Mary’s University"For Protestant readers, Work of Love is . . . a chance to experience the doctrine of the communion of saints in its Catholic fullness, to see how the veneration of one’s forebears in the faith might attest to and not distract from a robust belief in Christ’s Godhood. Most of all, though, the book is a work of love because it teaches us how to think about our own dead—that ever-lengthening mental list of people who, in their friendship or antagonism or both, give us bits of ourselves, then leave." —Christian Century“DeLorenzo delves back into the Trinitarian nature of God, the Paschal Mystery, and the ultimate meaning of our own death to imagine a connectedness of holiness transcending time and space. This text is meticulously researched and flawlessly written . . . highly recommended for all theological and academic libraries.” —Catholic Library World“DeLorenzo’s book accomplishes a great deal in this book’s middle chapters by welcoming many voices to the conversation – Karl Rahner, Joseph Ratzinger, Hans Urs von Balthasar, N.T. Wright, Augustine, and others. But his main contribution is to make readers feel the size of the gap between God as creator and God as the creator’s dead child.” —Christian Century“DeLorenzo’s book about the saints shines new light on the whole of the human life within Christ. It will certainly benefit any preacher who wants a better sermon for All Saints, for Holy Week, or for funerals.” —Anglican Theological Review“DeLorenzo has made a substantial contribution to contemporary Roman Catholic theology in this complex volume, one that fruitfully links modern reactions to the ultimate reality of death with traditional and contemporary scriptural and theological perspectives on Jesus Christ’s death and Resurrection." —Reading Religion

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Book SynopsisAn English translation of the two extant accounts of Margherita Colonna's life, this text also presents research and accompanying texts to fill in the life of St. Margherita in Rome during the thirteenth century. Trade Review“This collaborative work is a fine new translation of two unusual hagiographic Lives of the thirteenth-century Roman noblewoman Margherita Colonna (d. 1280) along with a collection of associated texts, and extensive contextualization. . . . This is an excellent resource for teaching the history of Christianity, especially connected with the Franciscan movement.” —Magistra "Visions of Sainthood in Medieval Rome is an outstanding resource for teaching the history of Christianity. Juxtaposing two subtly different 'lives' of the late thirteenth-century Roman noblewoman Margherita Colonna, the authors provide an entrée into a range of fascinating questions about religious identities and visionary experience as well as the influence of authorial gender and status on narrations of holiness. The translations and supporting apparatus are accessible without sacrificing complexity, yielding a rich and stimulating collection for beginners and experts alike." —Maureen C. Miller, University of California, Berkeley"This volume of translations and extensive commentary is the rare publication that manages to make a major contribution both to scholarship and to teaching. The texts and commentary illuminate the religious and institutional aspirations of one of Rome's most powerful families during a crucial period, but also the devotional and spiritual values alive in thirteenth-century Italy." —Patrick J. Geary, Institute for Advanced Study"Visions of Sainthood in Medieval Rome is a product of the intellectual generosity of leading historians of female Franciscanism. Offering accessible English translations of the sources for a remarkable holy woman, Margherita Colonna (d. 1280), Field, Knox, and Field open up fascinating lines of inquiry for students of religion, gender, and late medieval sanctity and for anyone interested in the social world of late medieval Rome." —Frances Andrews, University of St. Andrews“This timely and well-executed volume brings these intriguing texts forth from relative obscurity, and highlights only a few of the rich sources on late medieval Rome of interest to religious and gender historians, Italianists, and literary scholars. Larry Field’s adept translation makes light work of the Latin text’s obfuscations and embellishments, producing an accessible and engaging read.” —Historian "Margherita Colonna, a Roman noblewoman, embraced poverty, founded an open convent, experienced visions, and died in the odor of sanctity at the age of twenty-five. Her family immediately pressed for Margherita’s canonization, but any hopes for papal recognition of her holiness were quashed when Boniface VIII launched a crusade against the Colonna. What survived this assault were two unusual hagiographic Lives. These texts and related documents are here made available in a fluid English translation, prefaced by an excellent introduction and accompanied by helpful notes, making this a most welcome addition to the growing corpus of records of thirteenth-century sanctity available for classroom use." —Daniel Bornstein, Stella K. Darrow Professor of Catholic Studies, Washington University in St. Louis“As an aristocratic, unaffiliated Franciscan holy woman living in the middle of a thirteenth-century baronial war, Margherita Colonna was exceptional. Now that her hagiographic lives are the subject of a new translation, researchers, students, and those interested in religion and gender may discover her surprising biography.” —The English Historical Review

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Book SynopsisMargherita Colonna (12551280) was born into one of the great baronial families that dominated Rome politically and culturally in the thirteenth century. After the death of her father and mother, Margherita was raised by her brothers, including Cardinal Giacomo Colonna. The two extant contemporary accounts of her short life offer a daring model of mystical lay piety forged in imitation of St. Francis but worked out in the vibrant world of medieval Rome.In Visions of Sainthood in Medieval Rome, Larry F. Field, Lezlie S. Knox, and Sean L. Field present the first English translations of Margherita Colonna's two lives and a dossier of associated texts, along with thoroughly researched contextualization and scholarly examination. The first of the two lives was written by a layman, the Roman Senator Giovanni Colonna, one of Margherita Colonna''s brothers. The second was written by a woman named Stefania, who had been a close follower of Margherita Colonna and assumed leadershTrade Review“This collaborative work is a fine new translation of two unusual hagiographic Lives of the thirteenth-century Roman noblewoman Margherita Colonna (d. 1280) along with a collection of associated texts, and extensive contextualization. . . . This is an excellent resource for teaching the history of Christianity, especially connected with the Franciscan movement.” —Magistra "Visions of Sainthood in Medieval Rome is an outstanding resource for teaching the history of Christianity. Juxtaposing two subtly different 'lives' of the late thirteenth-century Roman noblewoman Margherita Colonna, the authors provide an entrée into a range of fascinating questions about religious identities and visionary experience as well as the influence of authorial gender and status on narrations of holiness. The translations and supporting apparatus are accessible without sacrificing complexity, yielding a rich and stimulating collection for beginners and experts alike." —Maureen C. Miller, University of California, Berkeley"This volume of translations and extensive commentary is the rare publication that manages to make a major contribution both to scholarship and to teaching. The texts and commentary illuminate the religious and institutional aspirations of one of Rome's most powerful families during a crucial period, but also the devotional and spiritual values alive in thirteenth-century Italy." —Patrick J. Geary, Institute for Advanced Study"Visions of Sainthood in Medieval Rome is a product of the intellectual generosity of leading historians of female Franciscanism. Offering accessible English translations of the sources for a remarkable holy woman, Margherita Colonna (d. 1280), Field, Knox, and Field open up fascinating lines of inquiry for students of religion, gender, and late medieval sanctity and for anyone interested in the social world of late medieval Rome." —Frances Andrews, University of St. Andrews“This timely and well-executed volume brings these intriguing texts forth from relative obscurity, and highlights only a few of the rich sources on late medieval Rome of interest to religious and gender historians, Italianists, and literary scholars. Larry Field’s adept translation makes light work of the Latin text’s obfuscations and embellishments, producing an accessible and engaging read.” —Historian "Margherita Colonna, a Roman noblewoman, embraced poverty, founded an open convent, experienced visions, and died in the odor of sanctity at the age of twenty-five. Her family immediately pressed for Margherita’s canonization, but any hopes for papal recognition of her holiness were quashed when Boniface VIII launched a crusade against the Colonna. What survived this assault were two unusual hagiographic Lives. These texts and related documents are here made available in a fluid English translation, prefaced by an excellent introduction and accompanied by helpful notes, making this a most welcome addition to the growing corpus of records of thirteenth-century sanctity available for classroom use." —Daniel Bornstein, Stella K. Darrow Professor of Catholic Studies, Washington University in St. Louis“As an aristocratic, unaffiliated Franciscan holy woman living in the middle of a thirteenth-century baronial war, Margherita Colonna was exceptional. Now that her hagiographic lives are the subject of a new translation, researchers, students, and those interested in religion and gender may discover her surprising biography.” —The English Historical Review

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Book SynopsisThe belief that the Virgin Mary was bodily assumed to be crowned as heaven's Queen has been celebrated in the liturgy and literature of England since the fifth century. The upheaval of the Reformation brought radical changes in the beliefs surrounding the assumption and coronation, both of which were eliminated from state-approved liturgy.Queen of Heaven examines canonical as well as obscure images of the Blessed Mother that present fresh evidence of the incompleteness of the English Reformation. Through an analysis of works by writers such as Edmund Spenser, Henry Constable, Sir John Harington, and the writers of the early modern rosary books, which were contraband during the Reformation, Grindlay finds that these images did not simply disappear during this time as lost Catholic symbols, but instead became sources of resistance and controversy, reflecting the anxieties triggered by the religious changes of the era.Grindlay's study of the Queen of Heaven affordsTrade Review"Grindlay writes about an era that was going through a sort of adolescence, as new forms of power emerged in the body politic, in academia, and in the market place. In our own time, we face a similar sort of adolescence as the issues of communication, intelligence, and human identity confront us. This thoughtful study of the Virgin Mary reminds us that it is in beauty rather than function that the heavenly power and attraction of the Mother of Christ resides." —Church Times"Despite being powerfully backed by a reigning monarch, the English Reformation also necessitated the dethronement of a reigning monarch. Dethroned monarchs never go quietly into the dark. Ever fainter echoes? Fading nostalgia? Secular disguise? A vanishing Virgin? Not so, argues Lilla Grindlay in this vigorous and rich book: Mary the Queen of Heaven stubbornly sticks around, taking many forms, some lurid, as she reclaims her throne." —James Simpson, Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker Professor of English, Harvard University"The book makes an original contribution to the fields of gender studies and English religious and literary studies. Lilla Grindlay offers an important corrective to the long-standing claim that the Blessed Virgin Mary disappears from English religious writing at the dawn of the Protestant Reformation. The book is very well written. Grindlay's care for her subject is evident in every sentence. Ultimately, her goal is to persuade the reader that their understanding of the post-Reformation/post-medieval status of the Virgin is incomplete. The book is really lovely to read. Grindlay has taken great care to make her work accessible, interesting, and important."—Patricia Badir, author of The Maudlin Impression: English Literary Images of Mary Magdalene, 1550–1700“This is a thoroughly stimulating volume, clearly written and helpfully sign-posted throughout that demonstrates Grindlay’s erudition as a literary scholar. It makes a helpful contribution to the field of English Reformation Studies and offers interesting insights for those studying gender in the early modern period.” —British Catholic History“Grindlay’s book is timely and valuable, and remedies an important gap in Reformation studies by encouraging its readers to consider more nuanced accounts of cultural loss.” —Renaissance and Reformation“Grindlay explains clearly and concisely why the (extra-scriptural) teachings that Mary was physically taken into heaven after her death and crowned queen of heaven created such a stark dividing line between Protestant and Catholic religious and literary culture.” —The Journal of Theological StudiesTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Notes on the text Introduction: The Vanishing Virgin? 1. The Virgin’s Assumption and Coronation through the Ages Part 1. “Some out of Vanity Will Call Her the Queene of Heaven” 2. The Queen of Heaven in Protestant Religious Discourse 3. Sham Queens of Heaven: Iconoclasm and the Virgin Mary Part 2. Voices from the Shadows 4. The Virgin Mary and the Godly Protestant Woman 5. The Queen of Heaven and the Sonnet Mistress: the Sacred and Secular Poems of Henry Constable 6. A Garland of Aves: The Queen of Heaven and the Rosary 7. The Assumption and Coronation in the Poetry of Robert Southwell Epilogue Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThe belief that the Virgin Mary was bodily assumed to be crowned as heaven's Queen has been celebrated in the liturgy and literature of England since the fifth century. The upheaval of the Reformation brought radical changes in the beliefs surrounding the assumption and coronation, both of which were eliminated from state-approved liturgy.Queen of Heaven examines canonical as well as obscure images of the Blessed Mother that present fresh evidence of the incompleteness of the English Reformation. Through an analysis of works by writers such as Edmund Spenser, Henry Constable, Sir John Harington, and the writers of the early modern rosary books, which were contraband during the Reformation, Grindlay finds that these images did not simply disappear during this time as lost Catholic symbols, but instead became sources of resistance and controversy, reflecting the anxieties triggered by the religious changes of the era.Grindlay's study of the Queen of Heaven affordsTrade Review"Grindlay writes about an era that was going through a sort of adolescence, as new forms of power emerged in the body politic, in academia, and in the market place. In our own time, we face a similar sort of adolescence as the issues of communication, intelligence, and human identity confront us. This thoughtful study of the Virgin Mary reminds us that it is in beauty rather than function that the heavenly power and attraction of the Mother of Christ resides." —Church Times"Despite being powerfully backed by a reigning monarch, the English Reformation also necessitated the dethronement of a reigning monarch. Dethroned monarchs never go quietly into the dark. Ever fainter echoes? Fading nostalgia? Secular disguise? A vanishing Virgin? Not so, argues Lilla Grindlay in this vigorous and rich book: Mary the Queen of Heaven stubbornly sticks around, taking many forms, some lurid, as she reclaims her throne." —James Simpson, Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker Professor of English, Harvard University"The book makes an original contribution to the fields of gender studies and English religious and literary studies. Lilla Grindlay offers an important corrective to the long-standing claim that the Blessed Virgin Mary disappears from English religious writing at the dawn of the Protestant Reformation. The book is very well written. Grindlay's care for her subject is evident in every sentence. Ultimately, her goal is to persuade the reader that their understanding of the post-Reformation/post-medieval status of the Virgin is incomplete. The book is really lovely to read. Grindlay has taken great care to make her work accessible, interesting, and important."—Patricia Badir, author of The Maudlin Impression: English Literary Images of Mary Magdalene, 1550–1700“This is a thoroughly stimulating volume, clearly written and helpfully sign-posted throughout that demonstrates Grindlay’s erudition as a literary scholar. It makes a helpful contribution to the field of English Reformation Studies and offers interesting insights for those studying gender in the early modern period.” —British Catholic History“Grindlay’s book is timely and valuable, and remedies an important gap in Reformation studies by encouraging its readers to consider more nuanced accounts of cultural loss.” —Renaissance and Reformation“Grindlay explains clearly and concisely why the (extra-scriptural) teachings that Mary was physically taken into heaven after her death and crowned queen of heaven created such a stark dividing line between Protestant and Catholic religious and literary culture.” —The Journal of Theological StudiesTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Notes on the text Introduction: The Vanishing Virgin? 1. The Virgin’s Assumption and Coronation through the Ages Part 1. “Some out of Vanity Will Call Her the Queene of Heaven” 2. The Queen of Heaven in Protestant Religious Discourse 3. Sham Queens of Heaven: Iconoclasm and the Virgin Mary Part 2. Voices from the Shadows 4. The Virgin Mary and the Godly Protestant Woman 5. The Queen of Heaven and the Sonnet Mistress: the Sacred and Secular Poems of Henry Constable 6. A Garland of Aves: The Queen of Heaven and the Rosary 7. The Assumption and Coronation in the Poetry of Robert Southwell Epilogue Bibliography

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Book SynopsisIn Performance and Religion in Early Modern England, Matthew J. Smith seeks to expand our view of the theatrical. By revealing the creative and phenomenal ways that performances reshaped religious material in early modern England, he offers a more inclusive and integrative view of performance culture.Smith argues that early modern theatrical and religious practices are better understood through a comparative study of multiple performance types: not only commercial plays but also ballads, jigs, sermons, pageants, ceremonies, and festivals. Our definition of performance culture is augmented by the ways these events looked, sounded, felt, and even tasted to their audiences. This expanded view illustrates how the post-Reformation period utilized new capabilities brought about by religious change and continuity alike. Smith posits that theatrical practice at this time was acutely aware of its power not just to imitate but to work performatively, and to create spaces where aTrade Review"In its exploration of the religious basis of early modern theatrical experience, Matthew Smith’s study recalibrates our understanding of the period’s theater and plays. This is Mankind and Marlowe both, and an argument worth our careful attention." —Douglas Bruster, University of Texas at Austin"This is the only book I know that pays such careful attention to the specific performance conditions of so many modes and the intertheatrical relationships among them. Matthew Smith has gathered a diverse set of performance materials into a project of real magnitude, coherence, and consequence. Every chapter of Smith's book delivers new insights, judicious reframings, and dazzlingly original connections that bring together familiar and unfamiliar texts. This is the kind of book that could well win acclaim for its originality, learning, ambition, and argumentative contribution."—Julia Reinhard Lupton, University of California, Irvine"Matthew Smith's Performance and Religion in Early Modern England ranges widely and imaginatively over the landscape of late medieval and early modern performance, urgently blurring the boundaries between festival and secular theater, and between theater and sermons, ballads, and jigs. What emerges is a crucial imagining of the critical interplay of presence and representation, and of the critical porousness of early modern performance as well." —W. B. Worthen, Alice Brady Pels Professor in the Arts, Barnard College, Columbia University"The central argument is one that many scholars will need to absorb and contemplate, as it reorients how we think of theatricality. This is a book that should be widely read and digested." —Religion and Literature"Performance and Religion in Early Modern England strongly reinforces the interconnectedness of the religion and the theatrical in the Shakespearean era."—Anglican & Episcopal History * Anglican & Episcopal History *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Prelude 1. Early Modern Theatricality across the Reformation 2. The Real Presence/Absence of God in the Chester Cycle Plays 3. Henry V and the Ceremonies of Theater 4. God’s Idioms: Sermon Belief in Donne’s London 5. Performing Religion in Early Modern Ballads 6. The Devils Among Us: Intertheatricality in Doctor Faustus and its Afterlives Postlude: Ending with a Jig Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn Performance and Religion in Early Modern England, Matthew J. Smith seeks to expand our view of the theatrical. By revealing the creative and phenomenal ways that performances reshaped religious material in early modern England, he offers a more inclusive and integrative view of performance culture.Smith argues that early modern theatrical and religious practices are better understood through a comparative study of multiple performance types: not only commercial plays but also ballads, jigs, sermons, pageants, ceremonies, and festivals. Our definition of performance culture is augmented by the ways these events looked, sounded, felt, and even tasted to their audiences. This expanded view illustrates how the post-Reformation period utilized new capabilities brought about by religious change and continuity alike. Smith posits that theatrical practice at this time was acutely aware of its power not just to imitate but to work performatively, and to create spaces where aTrade Review"In its exploration of the religious basis of early modern theatrical experience, Matthew Smith’s study recalibrates our understanding of the period’s theater and plays. This is Mankind and Marlowe both, and an argument worth our careful attention." —Douglas Bruster, University of Texas at Austin"This is the only book I know that pays such careful attention to the specific performance conditions of so many modes and the intertheatrical relationships among them. Matthew Smith has gathered a diverse set of performance materials into a project of real magnitude, coherence, and consequence. Every chapter of Smith's book delivers new insights, judicious reframings, and dazzlingly original connections that bring together familiar and unfamiliar texts. This is the kind of book that could well win acclaim for its originality, learning, ambition, and argumentative contribution."—Julia Reinhard Lupton, University of California, Irvine"Matthew Smith's Performance and Religion in Early Modern England ranges widely and imaginatively over the landscape of late medieval and early modern performance, urgently blurring the boundaries between festival and secular theater, and between theater and sermons, ballads, and jigs. What emerges is a crucial imagining of the critical interplay of presence and representation, and of the critical porousness of early modern performance as well." —W. B. Worthen, Alice Brady Pels Professor in the Arts, Barnard College, Columbia University"The central argument is one that many scholars will need to absorb and contemplate, as it reorients how we think of theatricality. This is a book that should be widely read and digested." —Religion and Literature"Performance and Religion in Early Modern England strongly reinforces the interconnectedness of the religion and the theatrical in the Shakespearean era."—Anglican & Episcopal History * Anglican & Episcopal History *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Prelude 1. Early Modern Theatricality across the Reformation 2. The Real Presence/Absence of God in the Chester Cycle Plays 3. Henry V and the Ceremonies of Theater 4. God’s Idioms: Sermon Belief in Donne’s London 5. Performing Religion in Early Modern Ballads 6. The Devils Among Us: Intertheatricality in Doctor Faustus and its Afterlives Postlude: Ending with a Jig Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWilliam Courtenay examines life at the medieval University of Paris, focusing on religious observances and the important role of prayers for the dead.Trade Review"As engagingly written as it is original, William Courtenay's distinguished contribution to the Conway series documents the roles of nations and colleges at the medieval University of Paris as religious no less than as academic communities. Drawing on visual, material, and textual evidence, he documents how these groups prayed for and remembered their dead and how this devotional concern inflected scholastic debates on suffrages for souls in Purgatory and veneration of the Virgin as patron of learning and intercessor for scholars living and dead. Authored by a world-class luminary in the field, Rituals for the Dead thus vivifies an important and hitherto underappreciated dimension of medieval university life." —Marcia Colish, Yale University"William Courtenay has long been the finest American scholar of medieval universities. With this book he opens up a whole new vista on the communal and religious lives of students and masters as integrally interwoven with their academic tasks, especially for instance in remembering their dead. Along the way he delves into theology, seals, statutes, processions, and much more, and explores too for the first time the presence of women among these all-male establishments and the growing place of the Virgin Mary in representing their collective identity. It is a grand achievement, providing rich new texture to our standard ways of talking about medieval universities." —John Van Engen, Andrew V. Tackes Professor Emeritus of Medieval History, University of Notre Dame"Courtenay makes a convincing case that 'the religious side of university life in Paris has received almost no attention.' In doing so, he also makes a strong case for the value and importance of this current study. It is clear from the beginning, however, that this book will be nearly as much about the institutional forms of the university as it is about the spiritual devotion and prayers directed within it. No one is better prepared to treat both of these subjects than William Courtenay."—Joel Kaye, author of A History of Balance, 1250–1375“In this slim, enticing volume, America’s greatest living scholar of the medieval University of Paris offers new perspectives on neglected ‘religious elements in the daily life of Parisian scholars.’” —Speculum“Courtenay provides much more than the contribution of a single scholar. His commanding use of source material offers specific, vivid images of daily life at the University of Paris, and thus allows both for a contextualization of prior research and a synthesis of multiple academic areas.” —The Medieval Review“William J. Courtenay offers a new perspective on the medieval University of Paris, one that highlights the importance of rituals for the dead and the ties that bound university students and masters. “ —The American Historical Review“This magisterial account teems with insights into the lives of the masters and students in the halls and colleges of the University of Paris in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. It demonstrates that studies in the faculties of arts and theology were situated in the Christian tradition and that Christian piety framed masters’ and students’ lives and conduct, with its cycle of prayers for the dead.” —H-France Review" . . . a fresh perspective on the devotional activities of masters and students at the University of Paris, especially how '[d]eath transform[ed] an academic community into a religious community for the cult of the dead'" —Reading Religion"In the introduction to this important collection of lectures, William Courtenay makes a convincing case that 'the religious side of university life in Paris has received almost no attention.' In doing so, he also makes a strong case for the value and importance of this current study. It is clear from the beginning, however, that this book will be nearly as much about the institutional forms of the university as it is about the spiritual devotion and prayers directed within it. No one is better prepared to treat both of these subjects than William Courtenay." —Joel Kaye, author of A History of Balance, 1250–1375"In his latest book, Rituals for the Dead, William J. Courtenay offers enticing new perspectives on the religious functions of the early university." —ComitatusTable of ContentsIntroduction: The University of Paris and its Communities 1. Death in Paris 2. Allocating Spiritual Rewards: The Power of the Mass for the Souls of the Dead 3. Candles for Our Lady: The Arts-Faculty Nations as Confraternities 4. Gaudy Night: Colleges and Prayers for the Dead 5. A Hidden Presence: Women and the University of Paris 6. The Growth of Marian Devotion 7. Balancing Inequality

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Book SynopsisWilliam Courtenay examines life at the medieval University of Paris, focusing on religious observances and the important role of prayers for the dead.Trade Review"As engagingly written as it is original, William Courtenay's distinguished contribution to the Conway series documents the roles of nations and colleges at the medieval University of Paris as religious no less than as academic communities. Drawing on visual, material, and textual evidence, he documents how these groups prayed for and remembered their dead and how this devotional concern inflected scholastic debates on suffrages for souls in Purgatory and veneration of the Virgin as patron of learning and intercessor for scholars living and dead. Authored by a world-class luminary in the field, Rituals for the Dead thus vivifies an important and hitherto underappreciated dimension of medieval university life." —Marcia Colish, Yale University"William Courtenay has long been the finest American scholar of medieval universities. With this book he opens up a whole new vista on the communal and religious lives of students and masters as integrally interwoven with their academic tasks, especially for instance in remembering their dead. Along the way he delves into theology, seals, statutes, processions, and much more, and explores too for the first time the presence of women among these all-male establishments and the growing place of the Virgin Mary in representing their collective identity. It is a grand achievement, providing rich new texture to our standard ways of talking about medieval universities." —John Van Engen, Andrew V. Tackes Professor Emeritus of Medieval History, University of Notre Dame"Courtenay makes a convincing case that 'the religious side of university life in Paris has received almost no attention.' In doing so, he also makes a strong case for the value and importance of this current study. It is clear from the beginning, however, that this book will be nearly as much about the institutional forms of the university as it is about the spiritual devotion and prayers directed within it. No one is better prepared to treat both of these subjects than William Courtenay."—Joel Kaye, author of A History of Balance, 1250–1375“In this slim, enticing volume, America’s greatest living scholar of the medieval University of Paris offers new perspectives on neglected ‘religious elements in the daily life of Parisian scholars.’” —Speculum“Courtenay provides much more than the contribution of a single scholar. His commanding use of source material offers specific, vivid images of daily life at the University of Paris, and thus allows both for a contextualization of prior research and a synthesis of multiple academic areas.” —The Medieval Review“William J. Courtenay offers a new perspective on the medieval University of Paris, one that highlights the importance of rituals for the dead and the ties that bound university students and masters. “ —The American Historical Review“This magisterial account teems with insights into the lives of the masters and students in the halls and colleges of the University of Paris in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. It demonstrates that studies in the faculties of arts and theology were situated in the Christian tradition and that Christian piety framed masters’ and students’ lives and conduct, with its cycle of prayers for the dead.” —H-France Review" . . . a fresh perspective on the devotional activities of masters and students at the University of Paris, especially how '[d]eath transform[ed] an academic community into a religious community for the cult of the dead'" —Reading Religion"In the introduction to this important collection of lectures, William Courtenay makes a convincing case that 'the religious side of university life in Paris has received almost no attention.' In doing so, he also makes a strong case for the value and importance of this current study. It is clear from the beginning, however, that this book will be nearly as much about the institutional forms of the university as it is about the spiritual devotion and prayers directed within it. No one is better prepared to treat both of these subjects than William Courtenay." —Joel Kaye, author of A History of Balance, 1250–1375"In his latest book, Rituals for the Dead, William J. Courtenay offers enticing new perspectives on the religious functions of the early university." —ComitatusTable of ContentsIntroduction: The University of Paris and its Communities 1. Death in Paris 2. Allocating Spiritual Rewards: The Power of the Mass for the Souls of the Dead 3. Candles for Our Lady: The Arts-Faculty Nations as Confraternities 4. Gaudy Night: Colleges and Prayers for the Dead 5. A Hidden Presence: Women and the University of Paris 6. The Growth of Marian Devotion 7. Balancing Inequality

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Book SynopsisThere have been many studies analyzing the philosophy of Blaise Pascal, but this book is the first full-length study of the philosophies of his sisters, Jacqueline Pascal and Gilberte Pascal Périer, and his niece, Marguerite Périer. While these women have long been presented as the disciples, secretaries, correspondents, and nurses of their brother and uncle, each woman developed a distinctive philosophy that is more than auxiliary to the thought of Blaise Pascal. The unique philosophical voice of each Pascal woman is studied in The Other Pascals.As the headmistress of the Port-Royal convent school, Jacqueline Pascal made important contributions to the philosophy of education. Gilberte Pascal Périer wrote the first philosophical biographies of Blaise and Jacqueline. Marguerite Périer defended freedom of conscience against coercion by political and religious superiors.Each of these women authors speaks in a gendered voice, emphasizing the right of women to develoTrade Review“The Other Pascals is an excellent introduction to the thought of Pascal’s sisters, Jacqueline Pascal and Gilberte Pascal Périer, and niece, Marguerite Périer. It is the first thorough study of these important seventeenth-century figures, written for a nonspecialist audience. It places these prominent women in some of the period’s more significant debates (about virtue, conscience, and education) and reveals the courageous manner in which they navigated the secondary role assigned to early modern women. It will be of interest to historians of all types.” —Christia Mercer, Gustave M. Berne Professor of Philosophy, Columbia University“The book is clearly written and well researched. John Conley gives the reader a growing awareness and appreciation of how all the Pascals are connected in a joint philosophical enterprise. The Other Pascals is a solid contribution to the history of philosophy that should have important repercussions for how philosophy is done now and in the future.” —James P. Sterba, University of Notre Dame"John Conley’s beautifully written and cogently presented study, The Other Pascals, ambitiously and sensitively inscribes these gendered female theologians into their appropriate and well-earned historical, cultural, and religious context. In so doing, Conley adds immeasurably to our understandings of the history, philosophy, and theology of the seventeenth century." —Catharine Randall, Dartmouth College“In the present volume he turns his attention to Pascal’s sisters and examines their philosophical and theological writings. . . . This is an important book for a number of reasons, not least of which is the role it can play in expanding the philosophical canon to include women.” —Choice"Previous studies of the female members of the Pascal family have mainly focused on biography, especially how they help us understand the French intellectual Blaise Pascal. This clear and readable volume examines Blaise's sisters and niece as independent thinkers and not as mere appendages to him or to Port-Royal." —Early Modern Women"Conley's careful reading and pedagogical presentation of the life and work of 'the other Pascals' is a valuable contribution to the gendering of literary and philosophical history." —Sixteenth Century JournalTable of ContentsTable of Contents Preface Abbreviations 1. Introduction: A Familial Philosophy 2. Jacqueline Pascal: Virtue and Conscience 3. Gilberte Pascal Périer: Philosophical Portraiture 4. Marguerite Périer: Creed and Resistance 5. Conclusion Appendices Appendix A: Jacqueline Pascal, Letters Appendix B: Gilberte Pascal Périer, Life of Jacqueline Appendix C: Marguerite Périer, Profession of Faith Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisConcepts of predestination and reprobation were central issues in the Protestant Reformation, especially within Calvinist churches, and thus have often been studied primarily in the historical context of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In Versions of Election: From Langland and Aquinas to Calvin and Milton, David Aers takes a longer view of these key issues in Christian theology. With meticulous attention to the texts of medieval and early modern theologians, poets, and popular writers, this book argues that we can understand the full complexity of the history of various teachings on the doctrine of election only through a detailed diachronic study that takes account of multiple periods and disciplines. Throughout this wide-ranging study, Aers examines how various versions of predestination and reprobation emerge and re-emerge in Christian tradition from the Middle Ages through the seventeenth century. Starting with incisive readings of medieval works by figures suchTrade Review“This is a marvelous and original monograph, both deeply learned and eloquently written. I have no doubt that Versions of Election will be of interest to a wide range of scholars and students of religious history and thought, both in the medieval and early modern periods.” —Nicolette Zeeman, author of The Arts of Disruption"While Langland, Aquinas, Calvin, and Milton are the major figures in the chapters devoted to them, Aers's reach extends to many more thinkers.... Versions of Election serves as a solid primer for the entirety of predestination theology over the period." —Milton Quarterly"Aers has spent his career exploring soteriological questions of election and his expertise shines on every page through detailed and sophisticated readings of complex doctrinal texts." —Sixteenth Century Journal

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"As the longtime archivist for the then Indiana Province of Holy Cross, and a well-published American Church historian, Father Jim Connelly is eminently qualified to write this long-overdue book. —Fr. Richard Gribble, CSC, author of Father of the Fatherless"I want to celebrate and applaud the publication of Father Jim Connelly's The History of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Father Connelly's book is the first to retell this great story. For this, we can all be forever grateful." —Edward A. Malloy, C.S.C., president emeritus, University of Notre Dame“This is an important contribution to the history of the order from its early days in Le Mans, France, to its international institutional footprint at the end of the twentieth century. James Connelly has produced an important, incredibly well-researched volume.” —William B. Kurtz, co-editor of Soldiers of the Cross, the Authoritative Text"Without doubt, Fr. Jim Connelly is the foremost expert on the worldwide history of the Congregation of Holy Cross. This book is most welcome, especially with its critical and scholarly, yet highly readable, approach." —Rev. Arthur Wheeler, C.S.C., University of Portland"Connelly, the congregation's archivist, is understandably able to go much deeper into the spirit of hope that not only brought the order into existence in post-Revolutionary France but defines its ministries to this day. . . . [He] details how the congregation cultivated charisms or spiritual gifts for parish ministry, education and missions. " —The Journal Gazette"This book offers the first complete history of the Congregation, covering nearly two centuries from 1820 to 2018. James T. Connelly, C.S.C., focuses on the ministry of the Congregation rather than on its ministers in this book that will interest historians of Catholicism." —American Catholic Studies Newsletter"A religious order of priests, brothers, and at one time sisters, the Congregation of the Holy Cross is best known as the founder of St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal and of the University of Notre Dame. . . . Connelly traces the community and its work in France, Algeria, the US, Canada, Rome, Bengal, Chile, Peru, Ghana, Uganda, Haiti, Brazil, Bangladesh, and Mexico." —Choice"Connelly's book is thoroughly researched, and his subject is rich in human drama. Religious orders have helped to build the education, health, and social service infrastructures of many nations and account for nearly all of the experiments in communal living to survive long-term. These are achievements worth our attention." —Church History"This book represents . . . the first 'general' history of the congregation of Holy Cross, from its origins in France in the 1820s and 1830s to nearly the present day. . . . [Connelly's] thorough work supports the hope that God may not be done with the congregation yet." —American Catholic Studies

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Book SynopsisReclaiming Goodness: Education and the Spiritual Quest begins with the premise that sound models for achieving both spiritual fulfillment and the good life are lacking in contemporary culture. Arguing that contemporary education is responsible for having abandoned spirituality and the cultivation of goodness in people, Hanan A. Alexander advances a definition of spirituality which acknowledges an integral connection to education. Reclaiming Goodness charts a way to reintegrate ethical and spiritual values with the values of critical thought and reason. Written in accessible and non-technical prose, it will be of interest to professional educators as well as to a wider audience.Trade Review“Hanan Alexander turns his incisive mind to addressing spirituality and education in a marvelously integrative, challenging, and generative book. The work is integrative in drawing from three faith traditions, and also from the philosophy of education and broader philosophical discourse on questions of goodness. The work is challenging because it analyzes major social-religious-educational issues with sharpness and clarity. It also challenges people to think, to ask questions of themselves, to ask questions of Alexander, and even to argue with him. This is exactly what Alexander wants of his readers; intelligent spirituality is his goal. Finally, this work is generative. It stirs bold visions of education for goodness and clears practical pathways for religious peoples to travel. Alexander poses the possibility of a spiritual renaissance—most fully possible when religious and other communities are fully engaged in educating spirituality. I say a huge thank you to Hanan Alexander for daring to put goodness at the center of spiritual life and for equipping readers to see how this might be done!” ”—Mary Elizabeth Mullino Moore, Professor of Religion and Education, and Director of Program for Women in Theology and Ministry, Candler School of Theology, Emory University“Christian readers will find this book most helpful in enabling them to both critique and defend their own stance.” —Journal of Christian Education“An impressive defense of liberal, moral education within an open community of seekers. A formidable champion of a powerful view.” —Choice“Every page is filled with deep innovative thoughts on the moral and spiritual future of liberal education. . . . This book gives the reader not only a clear overview of the different positions (with an extensive index and list of notes for further reading), it also helps him/her to anticipate an authentic and communicative learning, rooted in the wisdom of religious traditions.” —International Journal of Education and Religion“Hanan A. Alexander’s fascinating and hugely enjoyable book is deeply rooted in his own tradition of liberal Judaism. The task he sets himself is to describe a vision of education that is neither instrumental nor utilitarian but promotes a vision of ‘the good life’. This is a tremendously rich book and will be of interest to any reader concerned with spiritual education, religious pluralism and, perhaps especially, the topical debate about Faith Schools.” —Journal of Beliefs and Values“Reclaiming Goodness represents a sophisticated analysis of the spiritual crisis that marks modern life and offers an imaginative program for a renaissance of values and a revitalization of meaning in the present situation. Hanan Alexander draws upon a wide array of philosophical, sociological, and historical resources, as well as the Bible and classical rabbinic sources, in constructing the argument of book. Impressive in its learning and judicious in its diagnosis of the challenges confronting educators and others in the present-day world, Reawakening Goodness also contains positive proposals for the construction of enduring and humane purpose for modern persons.” —David Ellenson, I.H. and Anna Grancell Professor of Jewish Religious Thought at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion“Reclaiming Goodness invites profound reflection on the relationship between education and spirituality. Hanan Alexander complements his clarity of analysis with a passion for the educative potential of religious traditions. His outstanding book deserves a wide readership." —Mary C. Boys, Skinner & McAlpin Professor of Practical Theology, Union Theological Seminary“Reclaiming Goodness is a powerful and important book. It will be noticed not only because it goes against the grain—spirituality, liberal education, education for the good life—but also because the book is so clearly the narrative expression of someone who has passionately lived a life of spirituality, education, and scholarship. The book is profoundly marked by Alexander’s biography.” —Michael Connelly, Director, Center for Teacher Development, University of Toronto“This is an insightful and compassionate book that seeks to connect philosophy with religion; rationality with spirituality; and the cosmic with the secular. I recommend it highly to those in quest of an education that seeks to continue our responsibility to create a society rooted in a consciousness of loving-kindness.” —David E. Purpel, ECL Department, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

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Book SynopsisFrom the perspective of historical sociology, this book traces the role of religion in the lives and communities of Italian immigrants in Philadelphia from the 1850s to the early 1930s.Trade Review"While Priest, Parish, and People is in itself a rich ethnographic story about a most unusual priest, a particular Philadelphia parish, and the growth of parishes to meet the needs of a rapidly growing immigrant population, it is also an important story of the struggle between Irish and Italian cultures in the assimilation process, and an interesting insight into church politics and the workings of the Roman Catholic Church." —William V. D'Antonio, Catholic University of America"Rich in detail and culled from an array of primary sources, including the extensive writings of the second pastor of St. Mary Magdalen dePazzi, Richard Juliani weaves a masterful story. By tracing the nuanced interconnections between this first Italian national parish in the United States, its formidable pastor, and the growing immigrant community in South Philadelphia, this book provides new insights about Americanization and the formation of ethnic identity. Priest, Parish, and People is essential reading for scholars of American religion, immigration and urban history, and for anyone wanting to understand the Italian American experience." —Joan Saverino, Ph.D., The Historical Society of Pennsylvania“Italians began arriving in the US in the 19th century, eventually becoming one of the nation’s largest ethnic groups. Juliani . . . offers a detailed portrait of the history of St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, the first church created to serve the particular needs of the residents of Philadelphia’s Little Italy . . . the book offers a rich descriptive account.” —Choice“Richard Juliani has written a history of Saint Mary Magdalen de Pazzi parish . . . a reference work for students of American Catholicism, Italian Americans, the Order of Saint Augustine, or Philadelphia, a thought-provoking read for scholars of biography and urban community, and a model for graduate students.” —American Catholic Studies“As Richard N. Juliani discovered, it was impossible to separate Isoleri's personal history from that of the institution to which he devoted his life. The expanded focus also permitted Juliani to examine the social and religious experience of Isoleri's Italian parishioners. What was the nature of their encounter with Catholicism in the American context? What role did religion play in the creation of the ethnic community? Questions like these are hardly new, but since the literature on Italian American religion is still relatively thin, they are well worth asking in this context.” —American Historical Review“Written by a professor of sociology, Priest, Parish, and People studies the historical development and complex communal relationships that marked parish life in Philadelphia's 'Little Italy' from incipient Italian immigration through the early 1930s . . . the author provides a significant micro-study not only of the cultural transformation of an important urban Italian community but also of its interaction with the political and religious fortunes of Catholicism in Italy and the United States.” —Church History“Richard N. Juliani made an inspired choice in placing Father Antonio Isoleri-who served as pastor from 1870 to 1926 of the nation's first dedicated Italian parish-at the center of an historical monograph. . . . Scholars of immigration and ethnicity will find that the book touches on many significant topics.” —Journal of American Ethnic HistoryThe story of this priest, his parish, and his people provides an intimate window into the development of one city's Italian-American community and holds broader implications for the study of immigration and Catholicism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. . . this richly detailed study will be of great interest to scholars of Catholic and immigration history.” —The Journal of American History“Juliani tells us convincingly that, to fully understand the phenomenon, on which is, above all else, the central experience of America—immigration/assimilation—we cannot, and should not, separate biographical, institutional, and sociocultural realities. These realities he illustrates for us in the Little Italy section of Philadelphia by interweaving the histories of a priest, a parish, and a people.” —The Catholic Historical Review"This is a well-written, in-depth study of Philadelphia's Italian Catholic community. Focusing on a parish and its remarkable pastor, it chronicles the progress of an Italian immigrant parish from its earliest days in the mid-nineteenth century to its emergence as the social and religious center for the Italian community in the early twentieth century. For the author, writing this history was clearly a labor of love. He has provided all of us with a chapter in the history of Philadelphia Catholicism that was long overdue." —Jay P. Dolan, author of In Search of an American Catholicism: A History of Religion and Culture in Tension

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Married Priests in the Catholic Church makes an original contribution to the history of married and celibate clergy in North America, its pastoral implications, and, most importantly, the theological relationship between marriage and priesthood. I found it so captivating that I could not put it down.” —Radu Bordeianu, author of Dumitru Staniloae: An Ecumenical Ecclesiology"This book is primarily concerned with the clergy of Eastern rites of the Catholic Church, which has a historic tradition of married as well as celibate clergy. . . . Clearly the issue of married clergy remains a stumbling block to East-West church reunification. Other contributors observe the joys and realities of married priests, their families, and their financial problems." —Choice"Adam A.J. DeVille has done a great service for the Catholic Church by editing the collection of essays that make up Married Priests in the Catholic Church. . . . This book is a welcomed response to certain ideologies that view the Eastern Catholic churches and their married priesthood as a concession to be tolerated, at best, or a denigration of the priesthood of Christ, at worst." —Reading Religion"The importance of this publication is that it will help members of both the Western Rite and the Eastern Rite of the Catholic Church realize that the very different disciplines relating to marriage and priesthood in the Eastern churches and their offshoots in our Western world is not some exotic remnant or historical accident, but an ideal that exalts marriage and, in consequence, priesthood, and is certainly more solidly based on tradition than the mainstream Catholic tradition of the West." —Journal of Orthodox Christian Studies"Married Priests in the Catholic Church... provides a summary of the challenges that unsettle some of the simplisticcaricatures of some interpretive understandings amongst priests and Bishops." —Reviews in Religion & TheologyTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction—Adam A. J. DeVille Part I. History Ancient and Modern 1. Was Priestly Celibacy an Apostolic Tradition? The Theological Stakes of a Historical Argument—David G. Hunter 2. From Antioch to America via Smyrna: Rethinking Married Priesthood and Parish Life with Ignatius, Alexis, and Polycarp—D. O. Herbel 3. Mandatory Celibacy among Eastern Catholics: A Church-Dividing Issue—James S. Dutko Part II. Canon Law East and West 4. Recent Papal Pronouncements on the Admission of Married Eastern Catholic Men to the Priesthood: An Ecumenical Issue—Alexander Laschuk 5. Canonical Reflections on Clergy and Marriage—Patrick Viscuso Part III. Ecumenical Considerations 6. Official Catholic Pronouncements Regarding Presbyteral Celibacy: Their Fate and the Implications for Catholic-Orthodox Relations—Peter Galadza 7. Married Clergy in The Anglican Tradition—John Hunwicke 8. The Gift to the Church of Married Clergy—Edwin Barnes Part IV. Pastoral-Familial Life 9. Reflections on Two Vocations in Two Lungs of the One Church—David Meinzen 10. Growing Up in a Rectory: Using Oikonomia to Answer the Tough Questions Posed by the Children of Priestly Families—Julian Hayda 11. The Joys and Crosses of Clerical Families—Nicholas Denysenko 12. Marriage and Ministry: An Eastern Orthodox Perspective—William C. Mills 13. “What Did You Expect?”: A Reflection on Married Clergy and Pastoral Ministry—Andrew Jarmus 14. The Vocation of the Presbytera: Icon of the Theotokos in the Midst of the Ministerial Priesthood—Irene Galadza Part V. Theology 15. Celibacy and the Married Priesthood: Rediscovering the Spousal Mystery—Thomas J. Loya 16. Married Priesthood: Some Theological “Resonances”—Basilio Petrà 17. Married Priests: At the Heart of Tradition—Lawrence Cross and Basilio Petrà 18. Conclusion: Toward a Theology of Married Priesthood—Adam A. J. DeVille Appendix 1. The Toronto Tempest—Victor Pospishil Appendix 2. Recent Views on the Origins of Clerical Celibacy: A Review of the Literature from 1980 to 1991—J. Kevin Coyle Contributors List Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“In our scholarly rush to classify early modern thinkers and writers according to religious confessions, we have unwittingly overlooked thinkers who regretted the fragmentation that confessionalism imposed, those who longed for a united Christianity however impractical its realization may have been. Stillman’s argument is fresh, persuasive, and important.” —Susannah Monta, author of Martyrdom and Literature in Early Modern England“Christian Identity, Piety, and Politics in Early Modern England is brilliant. The writing is always distinguished and occasionally more than that. Such a pleasure.” —Roger Kuin, editor of The Correspondence of Sir Philip Sidney“This broad, energetic, important study deserves to be widely assimilated . . . Stillman's book has the potential both to refine future Reformation-era taxonomies, and to show where those taxonomies cannot reach.” —British Catholic History“The most significant engagement with the confessionalization thesis in early modern literary studies to date....an indispensable guide for future work.” —ReformationTable of ContentsPreface Introduction: Peace-Wars on the Continent and in Britain 1. John Harington and the Confessional Beyond 2. Neuters and the Politics of Language in Early Modern Polemic, Or How to Trouble the Confessional Divide 3. Imagining Christendom in Britain. Political Romance in 1589 and Disenchantment 4. Enacting the Politics of Christendom. After the Scottish Mission (1590), James VI and I 5. Poetic Energy and Poetic Economy in the Post-Reformation 6. Examining Constable’s Sonnets, Or the Pleasures of Pious Miscegenation 7. Reading the Critical Conversation about Aemilia Lanyer: Performing Presence in the Confessional Beyond Conclusion

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Liturgical Song and Practice in Dante’s 'Commedia' is highly original. It offers the first sustained treatment of its topic, providing substantial and wide-ranging insight on the nature and implications of the Commedia’s representation of, engagement with, and conscious self-articulation of the relationship between humanity and divinity expressed in and as liturgy.” —Vittorio Montemaggi, co-editor of Dante’s “Commedia”: Theology as Poetry"Phillips-Robins balances rigorous textual-historical research and theological acuity with an awareness of the formational purpose of liturgy... Her superb book will be of considerable interest to Dante scholars, liturgical scholars, and other medievalists who are concerned with Dante's lived religious context." —Religion & Literature"Phillips-Robins' book is a welcome addition and corrective in an area of Dante scholarship that is still but feebly explored." —Speculum"Published in the prestigious Dante series of the University of Notre Dame, which has launched fundamental studies that have indeed opened up new perspectives, Phillips-Robins' book marks an advancement in studies on the poem and will stimulate new contributions." —ItalicaTable of ContentsContents Introduction 1. Liturgy and Community 2. Liturgy and Participation in Christ 3. The Shared Voice of Liturgical Prayer 4. Liturgy and Love Conclusion

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Book SynopsisA detailed study of the Catholic Church's acceptance of the historical-critical method and modernization through the pivotal work of European theologians and biblical scholars.One of the few topics in Catholic studies that demonstrates a marked about-face in theological attitudes within the Catholic Church is the reception of the historical-critical method in biblical exegesis and its dramatic rise from outright condemnation in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to its official acceptance by the 1990s. The Bible and the Crisis of Modernism tells the dramatic story of the ultimate acceptance of this modern method by the Catholic Church as it worked out the relationship between faith and reason in view of advances in the social and natural sciences. Particular attention to the contributions of Czech theologians to the field of biblical exegesis foregrounds the tensions at play in the church's gradual recognition of the value of the historical-criticTrade Review“While we have any number of good scholarly books on modernism, there has not been such a thorough account of its history in relation to the great debates about biblical hermeneutics as The Bible and the Crisis of Modernism.” —Lawrence Cunningham, editor of The Norton Anthology of World Religions: Christianity"A detailed study of the Catholic Church’s acceptance of the historical-critical method and modernization through the pivotal work of European theologians and biblical scholars... Scholars in biblical studies, Catholic studies, and the history of the church in the Czech Republic will find Petráček’s work an enlightening addition to their collections." —American Society of Church History"Detailed and nuanced... Petráček’s book offers a balanced alternative to hostile histories, one that will benefit readers regardless of what they think of the truth claims of the Catholic Church." —Christopher Shannon, Reading ReligionTable of ContentsForeword 1. Introduction 2. Catholic Biblical Scholarship and the Beginnings of the Historical-Critical Method 3. Biblical Interpretation and the Teaching Order of the Church 4. The Opponents of Progressive Exegesis 5. The Motives for Opposing Historical-Criticism 6. The Impact and Consequences of the Resistance to Exegesis 7. The Process of Adopting the Historical-Critical Method in the Catholic Church 8. Final Reflections Bibliography List of Abbreviations List of Names

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Renewing Theology makes the very persuasive case that academic theology and spirituality need one another and can indeed be connected in ways that are profoundly satisfying. At stake is nothing less than a healing of the Christian imagination through the forging of a more constructive relationship between our spirituality and our theology.” —Thomas Massaro, SJ, author of Mercy in Action“J. Matthew Ashley does an excellent job of explaining the theological contributions of these three thinkers in the light of the way the Ignatian tradition has influenced their thought.” —Brian O. McDermott, SJ, author of Word Become Flesh"J. Matthew Ashley investigates Ignatian spirituality and three prominent 20th-century theologians who embraced its spiritual resources: Karl Rahner, Ignacio Ellacuria, and Jorge Mario Bergoglio—that is, Pope Francis. Ashley offers case studies to show how each Jesuit responded to the challenges of modernity in a way that is uniquely nourished and illuminated by themes constitutive of Ignatian spirituality." —American Catholic Studies Newsletter"A splendid exhibition of the profound harmonies to be found between the needs of the modern world, the mission of theology and the spirituality of Ignatius." —The Way"A beautiful and inspiring argument about the importance of meeting God—a personal relationship. . . . this book will be very useful as a textbook and for scholarly researchers." —Catholic Library WorldTable of ContentsIntroduction: The Poverty of Academic Theology 1. Haven in a Heartless World or Well of Vision: Modernity and the Origins of Spirituality 2. Ignatian Spirituality: An Overview 3. Ignatian Spirituality and the Limits of Modernity 4. Karl Rahner: Theology in a Secularized World 5. Ignacio Ellacuría: Theology Under the Standard of Christ 6. Pope Francis: Theology as an Instrument of Consolation 7. Conclusion: Ignatius and the Theologians Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisSeeking to understand the doctrine of justification by way of biblical hermeneutics, this book uncovers the differences between Martin Luther and the Council of Trent that set them on a collision course for conflict, and the church toward what has arguably been its most significant division in the West.As Catholics and Lutherans continue to engage in dialogue about their shared faith and differing confessions, the need remains for a discerning study of the ways in which the Bible functioned in the Reformation's central theological clash: the understanding and import of the doctrine of justification. Peter Folan's incisive analysis in this volume fulfills that need. Through a careful reading of the debate's most significant texts, he shows both how Martin Luther and the Council of Trent relied upon scripture to arrive at their respective formulations of the doctrine and how such seemingly divergent conclusions about the human person's salvation in Christ could be groundTrade Review“A book like this is very rare and very precious, for its content, for its unique method, and for its contribution not only to academic debates about ecumenical associations but also in terms of nurturing real-life friendships across the denominational divides.” —Kirsi Stjerna, author of Lutheran Theology"The ecumenical dialogue needs a thorough study of the ways the Bible was read in the Reformer's central theological debate on justification, which is precisely what this book offers." —Heythrop Journal"Martin Luther and the Council of Trent: The Battle Over Scripture and the Doctrine of Justification is a masterful exploration of how scriptural hermeneutics and citations create both doctrinal consensus and doctrinal disagreement." —Reading Religion * Reading Religion *Table of ContentsList of Tables Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction 1. Mapping the Battlefield: Highlights of the Genesis and the Pre-Sixteenth Century Development of the Doctrine of Justification 2. Stepping on To the Field of Battle: Luther on Justification in 1520 3. Fortifying a Position: Luther on Justification in 1531 4. Squaring Off Against an Unnamed but not Unknown Opponent: The Council of Trent on Justification 5. The Tactics of the Battle: An Analysis of the Biblical Texts and Hermeneutics Operative in Luther and Trent Epilogue Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisA thoroughgoing examination of Maximus Confessor's singular theological vision through the prism of Christ's cosmic and historical Incarnation.Jordan Daniel Wood changes the trajectory of patristic scholarship with this comprehensive historical and systematic study of one of the most creative and profound thinkers of the patristic era: Maximus Confessor (560662 CE). Wood''s panoramic vantage on Maximus's thought emulates the theological depth of Hans Urs von Balthasar's Cosmic Liturgy while also serving as a corrective to that classic text.Maximus''s theological vision may be summed up in his enigmatic assertion that the Word of God, very God, wills always and in all things to actualize the mystery of his Incarnation. The Whole Mystery of Christ sets out to explicate this claim. Attentive to the various contexts in which Maximus thought and wroteincluding the wisdom of earlier church fathers, conciliar developments in Christological aTrade Review“The Whole Mystery of Christ offers a brilliant interpretation . . . and both its novelty and its audacity will make for an intense and hopefully fruitful theological discussion in the years ahead. This book offers a new paradigm for Maximus scholarship and does it superbly well.” —Hans Boersma, author of Embodiment and Virtue in Gregory of Nyssa"Wood’s contribution lies not simply in his own speculative audacity, but also in an unremitting willingness to take Maximus at his word without lazily assigning the most challenging formulations to hyperbole. Consequently, this book provides endlessly rich material for reflection and argument. Wood’s ingeniously original interpretation demonstrates that Maximus is still as revolutionary and enigmatic a Christian thinker now as he ever was, and that the real Maximus needs to be rescued from the sort of scholarship that has too often sought to tame his exorbitant genius." —David Bentley Hart, author of You Are Gods"Jordan Wood makes a compelling case that creation is itself 'incarnation,' the radical identification of the Creator not just 'in' the creation or 'with' the creation but 'as' the creation. Wood skillfully analyzes key texts in drawing out the ramifications of this thesis for Maximus’s Christology, cosmology, and other aspects of his doctrine. The Whole Mystery of Christ will certainly engage important new discussion of one of the most prolific thinkers of the Eastern Christian tradition." —Paul Blowers, author of Maximus the Confessor"Jordan Daniel Wood’s The Whole Mystery of Christ: Creation as Incarnation in Maximus the Confessor sets out to free Maximus the Confessor from the captivity of scholarly discourses that have misperceived him." —Reading Religion"Wood's tour de force asks the very valuable and interesting systematic questions so often missing in historical theology." —Modern Theology"Wood's Maximian vision should enrich contemporary constructive discussions about the relationship of God to a fallen world that has yet to become creation in its fullness." —Christian Century"Wood engages vigorously with much recent Maximian scholarship and offers a lively and distinctive contribution of his own."—The Heythrop JournalTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Abbreviations Preface Introduction: The God-World Relation in Modern Maximus Scholarship 1. The Middle: Christo-Logic 2. The Beginning: Word becomes World 3. The End: World becomes Trinity 4. The Whole: Creation as Christ Conclusion: The Whole Mystery of Christ An Analytic Appendix of Key Concepts Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“This impressive study offers what I think is the very first genealogy of Christian usage of the idea of divine simplicity up through Origen of Alexandria.” —Andrew Radde-Gallwitz, author of Gregory of Nyssa’s Doctrinal Works"Readers will find the discussion of Origen's relation to the Platonists of his time especially valuable in its erudition and its conceptual sophistication. This book is a contribution, not only to patristics, but to the history of philosophy." —Mark Edwards, author of Christians, Gnostics and Philosophers in Late Antiquity"Ip’s elegant discussion of divine simplicity in pre-Nicene theology helps us to see with new clarity the diversity of ways this doctrine was articulated, and the functions it performed. By showing us this rich diversity, Ip also offers further arguments for taking the doctrine seriously as an integral and important part of the Patristic heritage. Students of Trinitarian theology, of Irenaeus, and of Origen will all need to come to terms with Ip’s work." —Lewis Ayres, author of Augustine and the Trinity"Ip's lucid and surefooted book provides an historical and conceptual anchorage for any future discourse on divine simplicity, giving the doctrine a more human and concrete face, and enabling a new flexibility in addressing the formidable conundrums it poses." —Reviews in Religion & Theology"The attentive reader will find in these pages persuasive, careful arguments based on detailed analyses of the relevant texts. This study... is as useful as an introduction to ancient philosophical theology and methods of its study as it is as a contribution to scholarly understandings of the numerous individual passages, figures and broader narratives it engages." —Scottish Journal of Theology"A good example of careful historical work and a valuable contribution to understanding the development of the Christian teaching on the Trinity. Moreover, the book charts some ways forward for better understanding how Trinitarian theology developed from the third century into the fourth. Those interested in early Christianity, historical theology, and systematic theology will gain insight from this book."—Journal of Theological Studies"The author’s way of presenting his research has the great advantage that it makes the positions clear and provides a good insight into the sources. Many authors could learn a lesson from Pui Ip’s way of presenting his research. If there are more details to add to the picture—and there probably are—Ip puts the reader of the book in a very good position to dive deeper into the sources to discover more details of this important theological theme."—Modern TheologyTable of ContentsIntroduction: In Search of Doctrinal History 1. The Locus Classicus of Divine Simplicity 2. From the Simple God to the Simple First Principle 3. Irenaeus’ Critique of Valentinian probolē and the Proto-Trinitarian Problematic 4. Monarchianism and the Fully Trinitarian Problematic 5. Divine Simplicity as a Metaphysical-Ethical Synthesis in Origen 6. Divine Simplicity as an Anti-Monarchian Principle of Differentiation between the Father and Son 7. Divine Simplicity as an anti-Valentinian Principle of Unity between the Father and Son Epilogue: Towards a Prospective Historiography Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisGregory the Great (bishop of Rome from 590 to 604) is one of the most significant figures in the history of Christianity. His theological works framed medieval Christian attitudes toward mysticism, exegesis, and the role of the saints in the life of the church. The scale of Gregory''s administrative activity in both the ecclesial and civic affairs of Rome also helped to make possible the formation of the medieval papacy. Gregory disciplined malcontent clerics, negotiated with barbarian rulers, and oversaw the administration of massive estates that employed thousands of workers. Scholars have often been perplexed by the two sides of Gregorythe monkish theologian and the calculating administrator. George E. Demacopoulos''s study is the first to advance the argument that there is a clear connection between the pontiff''s thought and his actions. By exploring unique aspects of Gregory''s ascetic theology, wherein the summit of Christian perfection is viewed in terms of service to othersTrade Review"One puts this book down thinking about its subject in a new way, for Demacopoulos has been able to use the structure of Gregory’s thought to make sense of its author. Softening as he does the caesura of Gregory’s exchanging secular for religious life, Demacopoulos allows us to see his life as having been less disjointed than it has hitherto seemed to be, for the skills he had exercised in his early days as prefect of the city would be useful when he became pope." —Marginalia“[Demacopoulos’] research is a welcome addition to scholarship on papal authority and politics in general, and Gregory I in particular. Moreover, the detailed scholarship . . . makes this volume suitable for advanced readers (scholars and graduate students), while the readable prose and clear narrative structure allow educated non-specialists to follow the argument. . . . Demacopoulos has created an important piece of scholarship that charts a new course in our understanding of Gregory the Great.” —The Historian“. . . this study provides a new integrated paradigm for interpreting the life of Gregory the Great without insisting on the problem of the two Gregory’s: there is only one Gregory whose ascetic and pastoral theology informed and structured his administrative practice. . . . For those uninformed about Gregory this book is a good introduction and for those who know Gregory’s life and writings this work may prove to be an honest challenge of commonly held assumptions.” —Worship“Demacopoulo’s aim is to erase the line that previous scholars have drawn between Gregory’s personal asceticism on the one hand and his work as pastor and Roman statesman on the other.” —America "Gregory the Great: Ascetic, Pastor, and First Man of Rome has the potential to be the most important intellectual biography of Pope Gregory I to appear since the publication in 1988 of Carole Straw's landmark study, Gregory the Great: Perfection in Imperfection. Demacopoulos proposes a new interpretive paradigm by insisting that the 'problem of the two Gregories' is not really a problem at all: Gregory's ascetic and pastoral theology, he argues, informs and structures his administrative practices. This important insight will have significant impact on future research." —Kristina Sessa, Ohio State University “Gregory’s administration and expansion of the Roman church is best understood, Demacopoulos argues, as an extension of his ascetic convictions; his desire to have ascetics in leadership, his emphasis on the virtue of humility and obedience, and his expression of Petrine supremacy are all rooted in his ascetic convictions. This book is an excellent contribution to the literature on Gregory’s pontificate.” —Choice“By anyone’s account Gregory the Great is a seminal figure in Christian history. Straddling the fence between the late antique/patristic world and the early Middle Ages, Gregory is either the last great (pun intended!) early church father or the first great medieval theologian. Both perspectives are accurate and defensible, and George Demacopoulos tells us why and much more. . . Book teachers (and readers) now have an engaging, accessible, and well written introduction to the incomparable Gregory the Great.” —Comitatus “Demacopoulos writes an important account of Gregory the Great (540-604), an important figure in Church history who was by turns theologian, pope, mystic, liturgical reformer, and benefactor. The author makes an argument for the deep intellectual and spiritual connections between two different aspects of Gregory: the theologian focused on asceticism and the shrewd administrator of the Church of Rome.” —Library Journal “It reminds one just how influential Gregory’s writings were in the Middle Ages. It also prods one to see the story of Benedict in the Dialogues in a different way. As Demacopoulos argues, Benedict is an example of an ascetic who gave up his solitude (more than once) to assume pastoral care for others.” —American Benedictine Review"In his previous monographs George Demacopoulos has distinguished himself as a careful and informed interpreter of ancient pastoral practice and the development of papal authority. These two concerns merge in his new study, Gregory the Great: Ascetic, Pastor, and First Man of Rome, in which Demacopoulos argues for an integrative approach to Gregory that links his ascetical and pastoral theologies to his public activities. This is an original and important book, based on the full range of Gregory’s writings and exhaustive examination of the secondary sources. It should be of interest to a wide audience of classicists, late-antique and medieval historians, and theologians." —David G. Hunter, Cottrill-Rolfes Chair of Catholic Studies, University of Kentucky

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Book SynopsisAndrews analyzes Augustine's De Doctrina Christiana and places it into dialogue with contemporary theological hermeneutics.Trade Review“This volume takes the form of a dialogue between Augustine and contemporary theology, with particular attention to Augustine’s theoretical hermeneutics as found in De Doctrina Cristiana, which is his theoretical reflection on the practice of interpretation.” —New Testament Abstracts"Augustine's De doctrina christiana is the supreme classic of Christian theological hermeneutics, far surpassing competitors such as Origen and Schleiermacher in its scope and significance. James Andrews ably shows how contemporary hermeneutical discussion can provide a new context for Augustine's distinctive voice and, conversely, how our current understanding and practice of scriptural interpretation can be enriched by returning to the patristic sources of the interpretive tradition." —Francis Watson, Durham University"Hermeneutics and the Church: In Dialogue with Augustine contributes both to Augustine studies and to the emerging interdisciplinary discussion about theological interpretation of scripture. Andrews makes a convincing case that Augustine is working with an expanded, a posteriori theological hermeneutics that aims at both understanding and communication, respects authorial meaning, and guides readers to growth in faith and love." —Kevin Vanhoozer, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School“This is a very fine book. . . . The last few pages, in which Augustine locates Scripture in the context of the Eucharistic liturgy, are among the most powerful treatments of ‘theological interpretation’ of which I am aware.” —Theology“Not only does [Andrews] join scholars across centuries and disciplines, he respects the concerns of both the academy and the church. Rather than perpetuating the antagonism that has grown up between academicians and practitioners, he places them in a way that they can engage together as iron sharpening iron.” —Comitatus"Hermeneutics and the Church is a work of wide learning and keen theological intelligence, moving easily between the history of early Christian thought, contemporary hermeneutics, and theological construction. Elegantly argued and full of well-observed detail, it will be read with profit by historians, exegetes, and theologians alike." —John Webster, King's College"This book is a creative piece of work. James A. Andrews establishes the sermon as the essential paradigm with which to read and better grasp Augustine’s hermeneutical approach, which oscillates between understanding a text and delivering what one has understood. This book will prove fruitful for a modern appropriation of Augustine’s powerful hermeneutical ideas, which continue to have considerable impact in theology and other disciplines." —Karla Pollmann, University of St. Andrews

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Book SynopsisGrdzelidze's study evaluates the present state of ecclesiology in the Orthodox Church, focusing on the history of autocephaly and its relationship with the rise of religious nationalism.To date, the Orthodox Church has not sufficiently addressed the pressing problem of religious nationalism. Tamara Grdzelidze's Ecclesial Boundaries and National Identity in the Orthodox Church fills this lacuna, offering a solution to the ecclesiological problems posed by the rise of group-related sentiment in Orthodox communities.Grdzelidze's monograph begins with an examination of the history of autocephaly and synodality in the Orthodox Church. As she explains, the political autonomy of local churches in the Eastern Roman Empire, which was later transformed into autocephaly, instinctively carried the kernel of group-related sentiments, whether national or ethnic. Over time, such sentiments have given rise to religious nationalism, which has further resulted in the inabiTrade Review“This book does not speak simply to an Orthodox audience or to ecclesiological issues. Engagement with this concept of autocephaly is crucial to understanding the role of religion in the politics of Russia and Eastern Europe.” —Aristotle Papanikolaou, co-editor of Fundamentalism or Tradition“This book is a precious exercise in building a bridge between different areas of global Christianity and even different areas within the Orthodox Churches.” —Massimo Faggioli, author of The Church in a Change of Era"The present crisis in Eastern Europe has highlighted the deep problems around the relation of Orthodox Christianity to state power and national mythology. In this wonderfully learned and wide-ranging book, Tamara Grdzelidze brings together historical, sociological, and theological reflections to argue that the connections between Orthodoxy and national identity are far more diverse and fluid than many imagine, and that it is time for some serious rethinking of conventional attitudes—and even canonical structures—in the Orthodox world. A vital book for understanding the current challenges in the Eastern Christian world." —Rowan Williams, 104th Archbishop of CanterburyTable of ContentsContents Introduction 1. Emerging Ecclesial Boundaries in the Eastern Roman Empire 2. National Borders and Secular Boundaries 3. Autocephaly and a Secular Age: painful adaptation to Pluralism 4. Autocephaly and Studying Nationalism/studies on N 5. Contextualization of Autocephaly: Russian Orthodox Church Orthodox Church of Georgia Orthodox Church of Ukraine 6. Eucharistic Vision as Hermeneutics for Orthodox Synodality Conclusions

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“This book is a timely, valuable contribution to scholarly conversations about medieval religious cultures, early British literature, and disciplinary boundaries. It covers an impressive range of texts and puts texts into dialogue with each other in productive, original, and unexpected ways.” —Nancy Bradley Warren, author of Chaucer and Religious Controversies in the Medieval and Early Modern Eras"This is a profoundly original book that challenges us to reread familiar works and look more closely at unfamiliar ones. On every page, Beechy’s work is provocative and exciting, substantial and serious, and it offers nothing less than a new understanding of faith and art in early medieval England." —R. M. Liuzza, editor of Old English Poetry: An AnthologyTable of ContentsPreface Introduction 1. “Supereffability” and the Sacraments of Christ’s Humanity 2. Seeing Double: Representing the Hypostatic Union 3. No Ideas but in Things: Aesthetics and the Flesh of the Word 4. Concealing is Revealing I: Opacity and Enigma in the Wisdom Tradition 5. Concealing is Revealing II: The Shadow Manuscript in the Margins of CCCC 41 Conclusion Works Cited List of Figures

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“This important collection reveals Patriarch Bartholomew’s consistent and unrelenting concern to connect the Christian faith and Christian moral values with the moral questions that lie behind political choices and challenge governments, churches, and individuals.” —Brian Daley, S.J., author of God Visible“Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is widely recognized as one of the most significant and influential religious leaders in our time. Those familiar with his writings and addresses will welcome this volume to the library of Patriarch Bartholomew’s wisdom, while those new to his thinking and ministry will find this book an excellent introduction to his work.” —Daniel P. Horan, O.F.M., author of All God’s Creatures"This important book is both a gift and a challenge to Christians of all traditions and backgrounds, as well as to others who share with us the stewardship of this planet Earth, 'our island home.' In these pages there is much of value for anyone who would dare to follow Jesus and his Way of Love for all of God's children and all of creation." —The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church and author of Love is the Way"It is such a gracious filial duty to celebrate, with this publication, the stalwart figure and the eminently moral voice that His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew is in ecumenical relations, in international policy formulation, and in thinking about care for the earth, our common home. So beautifully do the words of Ben Sirach apply to him: 'a counsellor in his prudence, a seer of all things in prophecy, and a resolute prince of God's flock'! (Sirach 44:3–4)." —Cardinal Peter K. A. Turkson, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences"Archdeacon Chryssavgis has had a front-row seat to the remarkable leadership and ministry of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. In publishing this compilation of Bartholomew’s prophetic and courageous statements, Chryssavgis has done a great service for those who stand in awe of the Ecumenical Patriarch’s witness to the power of the gospel and his hope for Christian friendship and unity." —Rev. Austin I. Collins, C.S.C., vice president for mission engagement and church affairs, University of Notre Dame"Global Initiatives of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is an invaluable resource for understanding the life and ministry of a most remarkable hierarch. Therefore, in a very real way, Chryssavgis prepares us for an informed reading of the joint (and hence truly ecumenical) groundbreaking documents that follow." —Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president emeritus of Fordham University"This book holds considerable, perhaps even immeasurable, riches. These are our prophets—prophets of unity, peace, freedom, sustainability, climate justice, and ultimately, prophets of hope—who refuse capitulation either to a false irenicism or to despair. An essential volume!" —Jennifer Newsome Martin, author of Hans Urs von Balthasar and the Critical Appropriation of Russian Religious Thought"There is much wisdom in this book for Christians of all traditions." —Christian Century ReviewTable of ContentsForeword Introduction Climate Change: An Ecumenical Imperative Joint Statements 1. On the Importance of Dialogue with Pope John Paul II in Rome (1995) 2. A Code of Environmental Ethics with Pope John Paul II in Venice and Rome (2002) 3. Dialogue of Charity with Pope John Paul II in Rome (2004) 4. Dialogue of Truth with Pope Benedict XVI in Istanbul (2006) 5. Anniversary of a Milestone with Pope Francis in Jerusalem (2014) 6. Confirmation of Common Witness with Pope Francis in Istanbul (2014) 7. Climate Change and Human Health with Archbishop Welby in Istanbul and Canterbury (2015) 8. Responding to the Refugee Crisis with Pope Francis and Archbishop Ieornymos in Lesvos (2016) 9. Standing up to Modern Slavery with Archbishop Welby in Istanbul (2017) 10. World Day of Prayer for Creation with Pope Francis in Rome and Istanbul (2017) 11. A Universal Appeal for a Global Challenge with Pope Francis and Archbishop Welby in Rome, Istanbul, and Canterbury (2021) Notes

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Book SynopsisThese essays examine papal teaching authority from Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century to the Dominican School of Salamanca in sixteenth century Spain. Fr. Ulrich Horst, O.P., an internationally renowned authority in historical theology, describes the various debates between the Dominicans and other orders over papal teaching authority, especially whether there should be limits placed on papal authority and, if so, what they might be.Horst reviews in a brief and masterful fashion the teaching of medieval and Catholic Reformation Dominican theologians about the teaching authority of the pope. He succinctly shows the differences within the order on the topic and makes clear how Dominicans tended to differ on the matter from theologians of other orders such as the Franciscans and, later, the Jesuits, whose views would eventually lead to the proclamation at Vatican I.In the first chapter, Horst discusses the canonization of St. Thomas, the lecture on the gospel of St.Trade Review“One of the best expositions of the history of the doctrine of infallibility to emerge in the last five years, ranking it with the works of Brian Tierney or Francis Oakley. . . . This is an example of a mature scholar in absolute command of his subject matter. It will be highly valuable for church historians, graduate, and seminary libraries.” —Catholic Library World“For many years Ulrich Horst has published enlightening studies of historical ecclesiology. . . . In this case, Professor Horst has focused on Dominican viewpoints on papal teaching authority. . . . These lectures on the Dominican view of papal authority can be read with profit by anyone interested in historical ecclesiology.” —The Catholic Historical Review“There is deep learning and much to be learned from the master of this slim volume.” —Speculum"Based on a lifetime of research and writing, these three lectures of Father Ulrich Horst, O.P., provide a masterful overview with copious references of the predominant, official, and evolving positions of the Dominicans on the teaching authority of the pope. While always supportive of the jurisdictional primacy of the papacy upon which their own faculties to preach, teach, and render pastoral care depended, Dominican theologians beginning with Tommaso d'Aquino initially held that the Roman Church, rather than the pope personally, was infallible. Only in the sixteenth century with the need for prompt and certain responses to the Protestant challenge did some members of the Dominican School of Salamanca (Melchor Cano, Juan de la Peña, Domingo Báñez, etc.) teach that the pope cannot err. The Jesuits (Gregorio de Valencia, Roberto Bellarmino, etc.) adopted and expanded on this teaching which triumphed at Vatican I despite the efforts of Dominican cardinal Filippo Maria Guidi to defend the earlier Dominican position that the pope must first properly consult before defining. Father Horst has thus demonstrated how nuanced, varied, and slowly evolving was the teaching of the Dominicans on papal authority." —Nelson H. Minnich, The Catholic University of America

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Book SynopsisHerbert Marcuse called the preface to Hegel''s Phenomenology one of the greatest philosophical undertakings of all times. This summary of Hegel''s system of philosophy is now available in English translation with commentary on facing pages. While remaining faithful to the author''s meaning, Walter Kaufmann has removed many encumbrances inherent in Hegel''s style.Trade Review"[Kaufmann's] lengthy commentary is a minor masterpiece of concise and erudite interpretation. This is a welcome departure from the lazy habit of pretending that Hegel was an obscure pedant who left some quite readable lectures on the philosophy of history. . . . To grasp what Hegel was really trying to do, one has to confront his metaphysics, and thanks to Kaufmann this an now be done even by the philosophical novice." —The New York Review of Books

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Book SynopsisAll participants in late medieval debates recognized Holy Scripture as the principal authority in matters of Catholic doctrine. Popes, theologians, lawyersall were bound by the divine truth it conveyed. Yet the church possessed no absolute means of determining the final authoritative meaning of the biblical texthence the range of appeals to antiquity, to the papacy, and to councils, none of which were ultimately conclusive. Authority in the late medieval church was a vexing issue precisely because it was not resolved. Ian Christopher Levy's book focuses on the quest for such authority between 1370 and 1430, from John Wyclif to Thomas Netter, thereby encompassing the struggle over Holy Scripture waged between Wycliffites and Hussites on the one hand, and their British and Continental opponents on the other. Levy demonstrates that the Wycliffite/Hussite heretics and their opponentsthe theologians William Woodford, Thomas Netter, and Jean Gersonin fact shared a large and undisputed comTrade Review“The rivalry which has been traced by many scholars seeking to understand why the controversies of the late Middle Ages led to the Reformation has commonly been seen in terms of ‘Church’ versus ‘Scripture.’ But as this refreshing study reminds us, there was [a] third protagonist. This was the exegetical tradition which had developed down the ages in the West. . . . In the text itself there is no oversimplification but a subtle and intelligent tracing of the discussion with close reference to the texts, with welcome Latin source quotations provided in the footnotes. This is an important book.” —Journal of Theological Studies“This well-written study tackles an important and essentially unanswerable question about the determination of authority in the late Middle Ages. The simplest answer to the question is that the scriptures are the foundation to which theology, canon law, and indeed the papacy are all subject, but establishing an authoritative reading of the scriptures within the context of tradition is anything but simple.” —Renaissance Quarterly“Levy has written an interesting book about the debate concerning the interpretation of Christian Scripture . . . . Levy’s work offers readers a lucid, careful look at a crucial issue for the Christian Church—not only for the late Middle Ages, but also for the church in the 21st century.” —Choice“Levy focuses on the quest for an authoritative determination of the biblical text between the years 1370 and 1430, from John Wycliff to Thomas Netter, thereby encompassing the struggle over Holy Scripture waged between the Hycliffites and Hussites, on the one side, and their British and Continental opponents, on the other side.” —New Testament Abstracts“In recent years John Frymire’s The Primacy of the Postils and Christopher Ocker’s Biblical Poetics before Humanism and Reformation have fundamentally changed the notion that the Reformation marked a radical departure in attitudes towards scripture. Now Ian Christopher Levy joins the debate and points out that the Reformation was characterized more by questions of authority than scriptural hermeneutics.” —The Marginalia Review of Books“This is a volume the implications of which reach into many disciplines in the study of the late Middle Ages; its impact will be felt for many years to come…. And in a world where Churches of many stripes remain troubled by debates about authority, it offers a clear-eyed look at a period where such debates, left unchecked and fuelled by fear and personal antagonism, had deadly consequences.” —Ecclesiastical History“For the potential reader, this brilliant book is beautifully written in clear prose. . . . From start to finish, Ian Levy is a model teacher, telling us what he intends to do, then doing it, and in the final chapter, ‘The Enduring Dilemma,’ allowing himself to go beyond the Council of Constance and into the fifteenth century, which thus forms a bridge to sixteenth-century reformations.” —The American Benedictine Review“[This book] focuses on the fundamental problems of finding authority to resolve religious controversies and deciding which sources or traditions had primacy over the others. . . . Levy negotiates the details of the controversies and the complexities of the various actors in this debate masterfully.” —Comitatus“Levy’s book is a valuable resource for both scholars and students of late medieval theology, and anyone who wishes to unpack the questions of authority that have undergirded so much theological debate. In addition to the book’s utility for historians, the content of this study also bears careful consideration by those who interpret Holy Scripture in contemporary theological discourse.” —Religious Studies Review“Ian Christopher Levy . . . presents a radical rereading of late-medieval theology, with a particular focus on Wyclif and Hus and their opponents, and a surprising presentation of the ‘orthodox’ foundations of these two famous teachers, masters understood by many of their contemporaries as archetypes of heretics. . . . The theologies of Wyclif and Hus were not a radical departure from the medieval Catholic exegetical tradition, and Levy does a masterful job not only in demonstrating this, but also in providing the context to understand this more fully.” —The Thomist

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Book SynopsisAs the only daughter of Blanche of Castile, one of France''s most powerful queens, and as the sister of the Capetian saint Louis IX, Isabelle of France (1225-1270) was situated at the nexus of sanctity and power during a significant era of French culture and medieval history. In this ground-breaking examination of Isabelle''s career, Sean Field uses a wealth of previously unstudied material to address significant issues in medieval religious history, including the possibilities for women''s religious authority, the creation and impact of royal sanctity, and the relationship between men and women within the mendicant orders. Field reinterprets Isabelle''s career as a Capetian princess. Isabelle was remarkable for choosing a life of holy virginity and for founding and co-authoring a rule for the Franciscan abbey of Longchamp. Isabelle did not become a nun there, but remained a powerful lay patron, living in a modest residence on the abbey grounds. Field maintains that Isabelle Trade Review“The result is an exploration of the development of Franciscan ideology and identity in the middle thirteenth century and a nuanced perspective on the culture and religiosity of the Capetian court. The audience for this book will range from those interested in medieval women, to those who work on saints and sanctity, the Capetians, or Franciscan institutional history and spirituality.” —The Catholic Historical Review“Sean Field tells the story of family, solidarity, female agency, and monarchical spirituality through the life of Isabelle of France (1225-1270). . . . Complementing a hagiographical biography of the princess with new archival discoveries and close readings of the documents, Field's contribution particularly expands our understanding of the Franciscan order in the thirteenth century and its relations with models of lay piety.” —H-Catholic, H-Net Reviews“This is a solidly researched investigation that focuses on one person but illuminates her far-reaching impact of the French royalty, the Franciscan Order, the papacy, and the populace far into the twentieth century.” —The Rocky Mountain Review of Language and Literature“This exemplary biography, to a large degree based upon previously unknown or ignored primary sources, offers a close reading of the texts against the broader context. . . . [This book] combines an admirable attention to detail with an excellent analysis of the political and religious context.” —Journal of Ecclesiastical History“The legacy of psycho-history for the interpretation of medieval sources has been long and problematic, and it is good to see here a biography based so firmly in textual criticism, where the reader is made acutely aware on almost every page of how far the evidence can take us securely. The result is a lively picture of Isabelle drawn from her actions, and not from psychological speculation. . . Isabelle of France has been grounded in modern scholarship in a way which will probably price definitive for some time to come.” —English Historical Review“Nearly everything of importance to historians about the thirteenth century is here, refracted in the prism of a single individual's life. . . . As recounted here, Isabelle’s life also illustrates the distinctive elements of women’s piety, with special attention to books and images; the way men saw holy women differently than holy women saw themselves; the conscious campaigning required to create a saint’s cult; the Capetians’ cooperation in taking care of family business; and the dynasty’s strong, royally distinctive piety, with its mendicant flavoring and emphasis on penance. . . Finally, Field’s discussion of the piety of both Blanche of Castille and Isabelle herself is very insightful, both in his recognition of the paradoxes both women embodied and in his deft characterization of Isabelle's piety as 'a studied simplicity'.” —The Historian“A wide range of scholars will benefit from this book, certainly including Capetian specialists and Franciscan scholars, but it will also be of considerable interest to those with an interest in the question of women’s agency. . . . Isabelle of France would make a useful assignment for undergraduate classes on women and power or religion.” —Medieval Feminist Forum“. . . provides a stimulating overview of Isabelle of France’s achievements. Field’s study thoroughly exploits the available historical evidence. When necessary, he speculates beyond his sources, to create a meaningful psychological profile of the historical actors. I think he has done the world of Franciscan scholarship a great service.” —Religious Studies Review"In this book Sean Field has done a remarkable job in reconstructing the life of Isabelle, the sister of France's saintly king, Louis IX. He has also explored in considerable depth and with great insight the process of making a saint in later medieval France. This is a first-rate study, one written with admirable economy and a judicious sensitivity to the complexities of the sources." —William Chester Jordan, Dayton-Stockton Professor of History, Princeton University"Beautifully written, based on meticulous and probing analysis of the sources, Sean Field's admirable study of Isabelle of France, the holy sister of France's saint-king Louis IX, illuminates not only the woman herself but also the fascinating and complex world in which she lived." —Elizabeth A.R. Brown, Professor Emerita of History, The City University of New York

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Book SynopsisThomas P. Scheck presents the first English translation of St. Jerome's commentaries on Galatians, Titus, and Philemon. Trade Review“Scheck’s introduction is clearly written and lucid, containing fine theological observations as well as a clear historical context for Jerome’s commentary. Scheck’s excellent translation comes at a most opportune time given that interest in patristic exegesis is high and Jerome is among the best of the ancient commentators on Galatians.” —Joseph T. Lienhard, S.J., Fordham University“Jerome is best remembered as the translator of the Greek and Hebrew Bible into Latin, the Vulgate, which has profoundly influenced Western thought. Now Scheck has given us the first-ever translation of what may be the most important patristic commentary on these epistles. Exegetes and historians, take note!” —The Religious Book Club“In his 45-page introduction, Scheck . . . discusses Jerome’s biography, his exegetical predecessors (Origen), use of the Septuagint, and commentary on Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Then he presents the first English translations of Jerome’s commentaries on Galatians, Titus, and Philemon, with brief notes . . . . The commentary on Galatians is based on G. Raspanti’s 2006 edition, and those on Titus and Philemon are based on F. Bucchi’s 2003 edition.” —New Testament Abstracts“Scheck’s work represents overall a valiant effort to make three seldom-read and sometimes difficult texts available in translation, two of which are available only here. . . . the commentaries on Titus and Philemon can be found nowhere else in English at present, and the translator is to be commended for the new access he has provided to them, and to have all three in one volume is wonderful. These three commentaries provide a good introduction to Jerome’s views on the Pauline epistles specifically and to his theory and practice of exegesis more generally.” —The Medieval Review“The treasure that is Jerome’s remarkable exegetical output has never completely been unlocked for English-language readers. Thomas Scheck’s translation of the important church father’s commentaries on Galatians, Titus, and Philemon is an important step in that direction. Scheck’s lucid rendering retains the virtuosity of Jerome’s original Latin, while copious annotations serve to place the works within Jerome’s intellectual and social contexts.” —Religious Studies Review“Thomas Scheck has produced very readable translations of Jerome on Galatians, Titus and Philemon, and it seems they are the first English and modern translations. There is an excellent introduction, with good notes and plentiful cross references to NT texts throughout.” —The Heythrop Journal“This book is conceived by its editor not merely as a translation of a hitherto untranslated Latin text but also as an act of reparation to a philologist whose merits are now underrated even by scholars belonging to the Catholic tradition which he did so much to form.” —Theology“Scheck’s translation is fluent and easy to read, with chapters and verses (both nonexistent in Jerome’s day) clearly identified for modern use. . . . This book is a must for any serious scholar of the epistles that it covers, as well as for those more generally interested in the biblical interpretation of the early church. Scheck is to be congratulated on making these texts available to a wider audience, and it must be hoped that he will continue his good work in the future.” —Review of Biblical Literature

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Book SynopsisKnud Ejler Løgstrup's The Ethical Demand is the most original influential Danish contribution to moral philosophy in this century. This is the first time that the complete text has been available in English translation. Originally published in 1956, it has again become the subject of widespread interest in Europe, now read in the context of the whole of Løgstrup's work. The Ethical Demand marks a break not only with utilitarianism and with Kantianism but also with Kierkegaard's Christian existentialism and with all forms of subjectivism. Yet Løgstrup's project is not destructive. Rather, it is a presentation of an alternative understanding of interpersonal life. The ethical demand presupposes that all interaction between human beings involves a basic trust. Its content cannot be derived from any rule. For Løgstrup, there is not Christian morality and secular morality. There is only human morality.Trade Review“Løgstrup's The Ethical Demand is a challenging and valuable addition to the growing ethical literature meeting the desperate needs of our own time. The book is a particularly valuable addition because of its attempt to meet the difficulties implicit in the Kantian and Kierkegaardian moral traditions which have been so influential in Europe in the past one hundred years." —The Canadian Catholic Review“[T]his book presents an interesting new way of looking at ethics, and its account of the various ways we rationalize our failures to live up to the demand had me examining how far I fell short. It would prove interesting to compare it to accounts of ‘particularist’ ethics, and of the ethics of care.” —Comptes rendus philosophiques (Philosophy in Review)“This is highly original and rewarding, if difficult, treatise on moral philosophy. Løgstrup, in the same general tradition as Kant whom he criticizes severely, gives a philosophical account of the commandment to love the neighbor as the basis of ethics. Løgstrup's version of the moral imperative, or ‘ethical demand,’ is ontological: it is the silent, radical, one-sided, impossible, unarticulated, and anonymous demand that ‘we take care of the life which trust has placed into our hands.’ . . . A revised and expanded version, with a helpful introduction, of a 1971 edition, this edition includes both the final chapter, a polemic against Kierkegaard’s Works of Love, and an article attacking teleology and deontology. The critique of Kierkegaard is particularly incisive. . . .” —Religious Studies Review“. . . The volume is a useful introduction to the work of a very insightful heart and mind. Indeed, The Ethical Demand is one of those rare books that can inspire readers to moral virtue. . . . English readers are in the considerable debt of Fink, MacIntyre, Hauerwas, and Notre Dame Press for making Løgstrup's magisterial work again available in translation. It is an exercise in attention, a schooling of empathy, that deserves to be much more widely read and responded to.” —Modern Theology“This collection of essays by the late Danish philosopher and theologian Løgstrup presents his theory of using phenomenology in understanding our ethical decisions. According to Løgstrup, phenomenology not only provides an understanding of human existence but also of ethics, through examination of phenomena of ethical concepts. . . . Løgstrup combines detailed writing with an excellent critique of competing ethical theories to explain his own ethical theory, which stresses the moral experience over ethical principals. These essays will be valuable to scholars and students in philosophy and ethics.” —Library Journal

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Book SynopsisBased on a series of lectures given to the Newcastle Diocese Reader and Ordained Lay Ministry Training Course, this book introduces the reader to church history in an accessible and relevant way, with an emphasis on key periods that have made the church what it is today, and on what we can learn from past experience for mission and ministry today.

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Book SynopsisHow did popular and elite beliefs about the next world, and about supernatural forces in this world, change and develop as a result of the Reformation?Trade Review‘Invisible Worlds offers convincing proof of the central role played by conceptions of the supernatural and the afterlife in the religious upheavals of the early modern period . . . Peter Marshall’s work is indispensable reading for anyone who desires to understand the intellectual and spiritual shaping of early modern England and of the Western imagination as well.’ * Carlos Eire, Professor of History and Religious Studies, Yale University *‘With characteristic elegance and subtlety, Peter Marshall . . . shows how pastoral imperative sometimes bowed to popular belief, and how, simultaneously, Protestantism sowed the seeds of scepticism about the supernatural. Full of intriguing insights, Invisible Worlds will be warmly welcomed by scholars, students and general readers alike.’ * Alexandra Walsham, Professor of Modern History, University of Cambridge *Table of ContentsPART 1: HEAVEN, HELL AND PURGATORY: HUMANS IN THE SPIRIT WORLD 1. After Purgatory: Death and Remembrance in the Reformation World 2. 'The Map of God's Word': Geographies of the Afterlife in Tudor and Early Stuart England' 3. Judgment and Repentance in Tudor Manchester: The Celestial Journey of Ellis Hall 4. The Reformation of Hell? Protestant and Catholic Infernalisms, c. 1560-1640 5. The Company of Heaven: Identity and Sociability in the English Protestant Afterlife PART 2: ANGELS, GHOSTS AND FAIRIES: SPIRITS IN THE HUMAN WORLD 6. Angels Around the Deathbed: Variations on a Theme in the English Art of Dying 7. The Guardian Angel in Protestant England 8. Deceptive Appearances: Ghosts and Reformers in Elizabethan and Jacobean England 9. Piety and Poisoning in Restoration Plymouth 10. Transformations of the Ghost Story in Post-Reformation England 11. Ann Jeffries and the Fairies: Folk Belief and the War on Scepticism

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Book SynopsisA vivid, concise and balanced history of the world's largest religion, written for readers of all religious backgroundsTrade Review‘Few authors would be up to the task of writing a comprehensive history of one of the world’s most widespread and diverse religions, but with this book, Australian historian Blainey manages to create a narrative that is both scholarly and all-encompassing without being rambling or tedious. . . With a conversational tone and an astonishing wealth of information compacted into more than 600 pages, this title is ideal for any pursuit, whether personal or scholarly.’ * Library Journal *‘All the major events, movements, and people in 2,000 years of Christian history are included. . . The maps and index are excellent, and the chapter notes provide ample opportunities for further research. ‘Blainey defines the target audience as 'a variety of general readers and also historians who work in other fields and have faint knowledge of Christian history.' Given its brevity and readability, this book would be an ideal introduction for those unfamiliar with Christianity, and for undergraduate students in history and religion courses.’ * CHOICE *‘Blainey has provided with his latest book a clear and dependable history of Christianity. This is not a scholar’s reference work but a very accessible, engagingly readable story. It combines organizational detail and theological controversies with the sense of what it was like to be a Christian in different contexts over two thousand years. His history has a richly human quality without sentimentality or, for that matter, ‘side-taking’ in the debates and conflicts reported. . . . ‘The need for a book like this is enormous. . . Those who are not Christian would benefit from this balanced and unvarnished account of a monumentally influential religion. Christians would benefit from what only a study of history can bring: a counter to the ignorance which predisposes us to repeat past errors.’ -- Gary D. Bouma, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Monash University * Insights *

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Book SynopsisAn exploration and re-examination of the significance of martyrdom for Christians today

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Book SynopsisThrough a rereading of original Arabic sources and drawing from modern scholarship on the subject, Ibrahim offers a new interpretation of the rise of Islam.Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Pre-Islamic Arabia The Period of Antiquity (to A.D. 300) The Second Himyarite State (A.D. 300–600) The Decline of Himyar The Lakhmids of Hira 2. The Development of Merchant Capital in Mecca The Genesis The Development The Rise of Mecca’s Power Culture as Ideology 3. Merchant Capital and Mecca’s Internal Development Social and Economic Differentiation Factional Conflict and the Rise of the Banu Umayya Consolidation of the Position of the Banu Umayya 4. Merchant Capital and the Rise of Islam The Institutional Environment of Islam Muhammad in Mecca Muhammad in Medina The Winning of Mecca and Arabia 5. Islamic Expansion and the Establishment of the Islamic State The Consolidation of Arabia: The Ridda War Syria Iraq Egypt 6. The Emergence of the New Segment Distribution of Wealth The Shura and the Seeds of the Fitna ʿUthman’s Caliphate Growth of the Opposition Open Revolt 7. The Civil War and the Struggle for Power The Election of ʿAli The Revolt of Talha and Zubair Muʿawiya’s Strategy Siffin The Tahkim The Internal Conquest: The Return of the Traditional Segment Epilogue The Umayyad Caliphate Islam, Capitalism, or Feudalism Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisBetween the late sixteenth and early twentieth centuries, Banaras, the iconic Hindu center in northern India that is often described as the oldest living city in the world, was reconstructed materially as well as imaginatively, and embellished with temples, monasteries, mansions, and ghats (riverfront fortress-palaces). Banaras's refurbished sacred landscape became the subject of pilgrimage maps and its spectacular riverfront was depicted in panoramas and described in travelogues.In Banaras Reconstructed, Madhuri Desai examines the confluences, as well as the tensions, that have shaped this complex and remarkable city. In so doing, she raises issues central to historical as well as contemporary Indian identity and delves into larger questions about religious urban environments in South Asia.Trade Review"Desai shows clearly that the city, especially its waterfront, has been a canvas for the inscription of power—of Mughal courtiers, Bengali merchants, British imperial functionaries, Hindu rajas, Maratha nobles, and an array of others trying to create their own narratives of heritage and lineage, whether for political or personal gain." * Journal of Asian Studies *"An important book that brings new life to one of India’s oldest, holiest, and best-known cities. Nowhere has the longer history of Banaras’s many (re)constructions been more cohesively or persuasively told." * Art Bulletin *"Madhuri Desai has dexterously attempted to describe and exemplify how varied aspects have contributed in the consecration of Banaras as sacred amidst other buildings which hold a high degree of historical significance. The arguments by the author are meticulously supplemented with original layouts and documentations dating from the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar." * Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities *"Banaras Reconstructed is a valuable intervention in the field of early modern and colonial architectural history, one that productively opens up new passages into the complex history and historiography of the “Hindu city.”" * Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians (JSAH) *"A painstakingly pieced together work of longue durée urban history." * Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction | The Paradox of Banaras 1. Authenticity and Pilgrimage 2. Palimpsests and Authority 3. Expansion and Invention 4. Spectacle and Ritual 5. Order and Antiquity 6. Visions and Embellishments Conclusion | Banaras Revisited

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Desai shows clearly that the city, especially its waterfront, has been a canvas for the inscription of power—of Mughal courtiers, Bengali merchants, British imperial functionaries, Hindu rajas, Maratha nobles, and an array of others trying to create their own narratives of heritage and lineage, whether for political or personal gain." * Journal of Asian Studies *"An important book that brings new life to one of India’s oldest, holiest, and best-known cities. Nowhere has the longer history of Banaras’s many (re)constructions been more cohesively or persuasively told." * Art Bulletin *"Madhuri Desai has dexterously attempted to describe and exemplify how varied aspects have contributed in the consecration of Banaras as sacred amidst other buildings which hold a high degree of historical significance. The arguments by the author are meticulously supplemented with original layouts and documentations dating from the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar." * Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities *"Banaras Reconstructed is a valuable intervention in the field of early modern and colonial architectural history, one that productively opens up new passages into the complex history and historiography of the “Hindu city.”" * Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians (JSAH) *"A painstakingly pieced together work of longue durée urban history." * Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction | The Paradox of Banaras 1. Authenticity and Pilgrimage 2. Palimpsests and Authority 3. Expansion and Invention 4. Spectacle and Ritual 5. Order and Antiquity 6. Visions and Embellishments Conclusion | Banaras Revisited

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