Theology Books
Oxford University Press Hegel
Book SynopsisThe Hegel Lectures SeriesSeries Editor: Peter C. Hodgson Hegel''s lectures have had as great a historical impact as the works he himself published. Important elements of his system are elaborated only in the lectures, especially those given in Berlin during the last decade of his life. The original editors conflated materials from different sources and dates, obscuring the development and logic of Hegel''s thought. The Hegel Lectures series is based on a selection of extant and recently discovered transcripts and manuscripts. Lectures from specific years are reconstructed so that the structure of Hegel''s argument can be followed. Each volume presents an accurate new translation accompanied by an editorial introduction and annotations on the text, which make possible the identification of Hegel''s many allusions and sources. Hegel''s Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion represent the final and in some ways the decisive element of his entire philosophical system. His conception and exTrade Review...indispensable to serious students of Hegel. * Nicholas Walker, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *
£58.00
Clarendon Press Faith and Reason
Book SynopsisRichard Swinburne presents a new edition of the final volume of his acclaimed trilogy on philosophical theology. Faith and Reason is a self-standing examination of the implications for religious faith of Swinburne''s famous arguments about the coherence of theism and the existence of God.By practising a particular religion, a person seeks to achieve some or all of three goals - that he worships and obeys God, gains salvation for himself, and helps others to attain their salvation. But not all religions commend worship, and different religions have different conceptions of salvation. Faced with these differences, Richard Swinburne argues that we should practice that religion which has the best goals and is more probably true than the creeds of other religions. He proposes criteria by which to determine the probabilities of different religious creeds, and he argues that, while requiring total commitment, faith does not demand fully convinced belief. While maintaining the same structure aTrade ReviewA closely-argued philosophical treatise. * Methodist Recorder *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. The Nature of Belief ; 2. Rational Belief ; 3. The Value of Rational Religious Belief ; 4. The Nature of Faith ; 5. The Purpose of Religion ; 6. The Role of Creeds ; 7. The Comparison of Creeds ; Epilogue: Faith is Voluntary
£43.22
Oxford University Press Christian Identity in the Jewish and GraecoRoman World
Book Synopsis''I am a Christian'' is the confession of the martyrs of early Christian texts and, no doubt, of many others; but what did this confession mean, and how was early Christian identity constructed? This innovative study sets the emergence of Christian identity in the first two centuries, as it is constructed by the broad range of surviving literature, within the wider context of Jewish and Graeco-Roman identity. It uses a number of models from contemporary constructionist views of identity formation to explore how what comes to be seen as ''Christian'' literature creates a sense of what to be ''a Christian'' means, and traces both continuities and discontinuities with the ways in which Jewish and Graeco-Roman identity were also being constructed through their texts. It seeks to acknowledge the centrality of texts in shaping early Christianity, historically as well as in our perception of it, while also exploring how we might move from those texts to the individuals and communities who preTrade ReviewReview from previous edition The book will, without a doubt, become a key one in the discussion of early Christian identity, but its rich exploration into Jewish identity makes it a serious contribution to that field as well ... Where Lieu's work often differs from much of the contemporary debate is the consistent clarity with which she sees the other side of the evdience ... This positive work will help focus much of the future debate. * BMCR *Table of Contents1. Introduction: The Emergence of Christian Identity ; 2. Text and Identity ; 3. History, Memory, and the Invention of Tradition ; 4. Boundaries ; 5. The Grammar of Practice ; 6. Embodiment and Gender ; 7. Space and Place ; 8. The Christian Race ; 9. 'The Other' ; 10. Made Not Born: Conclusions
£51.30
Oxford University Press Places of Redemption
Book SynopsisThe primary aim of this book is to explore the contradiction between widely shared beliefs in the USA about racial inclusiveness and equal opportunity for all and the fact that most churches are racially homogeneous and do not include people with disabilities. To address the problem Mary McClintock Fulkerson explores the practices of an interracial church (United Methodist) that includes people with disabilities. The analysis focuses on those activities which create opportunities for people to experience those who are `different'' as equal in ways that diminish both obliviousness to the other and fear of the other. In contrast with theology''s typical focus on the beliefs of Christians, this project offers a theory of practices and place that foregrounds the instinctual reactions and communications that shape all groups. The effect is to broaden the academic field of theology through the benefits of ethnographic research and postmodern place theory.Trade Reviewa very insightful and creative book * Abigail Rian Evans, Journal of SJT *This path-breaking book traces theology as embodied in the midst of congregational life. Among its many contributions is its deep appreciation for practical theology, its wise use of ethnography and place theory, and its honest analysis of the slippage between verbal proclamation and bodily habits. Affective visceral responses of desire and fear, as Mary McClintock Fulkerson powerfully reminds us, shape our theologies more than we realize or intend. * Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore, Vanderbilt University *Places of Redemption uses Good Samaritian Church to help readers better understand identity formation while revealing the angst many people still have regarding race and disability... helpful for those using practical theology in pursuit of social justice through the Gospel. * C.L. Nash, The Edinburgh Review of Theology and Religion *...An outstanding contribution both to congregational studies and to anthropological research into religion. * J.M. Hull Theology *This is a profound contribution to the field of practical theology, with a rich and nuanced discussion of congregational studies and contemporary ecclesiology. Behind the descriptive passages, readers will find depth and density. The reflections on post-modern place theory are refreshing and illuminating, calling into question the identity of the local church...It deserves to be widely read and attentively studied. * Martyn Percy, Church Times *A breath of fresh air, which goes a long way towards providing a real alternative to cerebral or applied theologies that often ignore practices of the faithful in the interests of articulating belief. * Sue Yore, International Journal of Public Theology. *Table of ContentsI. THEOLOGY FROM A PLACE ; 1. Introduction ; 2. Postmodern place: a frame for appearing ; II. THE PRACTICES THAT MAKE PLACE ; 3. Placing Good Samaritan: formation practices ; 4. Performing gospel: worship practices ; 5. Working it out: homemaking practices ; 6. Being biblical: interpretive practices ; III. WHAT KIND OF PLACE? ; 7. Good Samaritan Church: the unity of the place ; 8. A theological reading of place
£102.12
Oxford University Press, USA Milton and the Manuscript of De Doctrina Christiana
Book SynopsisDebate about the authorship of the manuscript known to us as De Doctrina Christiana has bedevilled Milton studies over recent years. In this book four leading scholars give an account of the research project that demonstrated its Miltonic provenance beyond reasonable doubt. But the authors do much more besides, locating Milton''s systematic theology in its broader European context, picking open the stages and processes of its composition, and analysing its Latinity.Trade ReviewThis book offers a highly scrupulous reconsideration of the history, composition, style, and doctrines of Milton's major theological treatise. It is a significant contribution to Milton studies and to our understanding of seventeenth-century theology. * David Loewenstein, University of Wisconsin-Madison *This book is the result of the most thorough investigations of the De Doctrina manuscript even undertaken in Milton studies * Sarka Kuhnova, Notes and Queries *Table of ContentsPreface ; Citations and Abbreviations ; List of Tables and Figures ; 1. The controversy ; 2. The history of the manuscript ; 3. The making of the manuscript ; 4. Stylometric analysis ; 5. The theology of the manuscript ; 6. The Latin style ; 7. Conclusions ; Bibliography ; The authors
£120.00
Oxford University Press Evagrius of Pontus
Book SynopsisEvagrius of Pontus (c.345-399) was one of the most prominent figures among the monks of the desert settlements of Nitria, Sketis, and Kellia in Lower Egypt. Through the course of his ascetic writings he formulated a systematic presentation of the teaching of the semi-eremitic monks of these settlements. The works of Evagrius had a profound influence on Eastern Orthodox monastic teaching and passed to the West through the writings of John Cassian (c.365-435). This is the first complete English translation of Evagrius'' Greek ascetic writings, based on modern critical editions, where available, and, where they are not, on collations of the principal manuscripts. Two appendices provide variant readings for the Greek texts and the complete text of the long recension of Eulogios. The translations are accompanied by a commentary to guide the reader through the intricacies of Evagrian thought by offering explanatory comments and references to other Evagrian texts and relevant scholarly literaTrade ReviewRobert Sinkewicz here offers a valuable aid to this renewed attention to one of the most important spiritual and ascetic Eastern writers ... This work is sure to become a familiar and well-used resource for the study of eastern spirituality. * John Behr, St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Foundations of the Monastic Life: A Presentation of the Practice of Stillness ; 2. To Eulogios On the Confession of Thoughts and Counsel in their Regard ; 3. [To Eulogios] On the Vices Opposed to the Virtues ; 4. On the Eight Thoughts ; 5. The Monk: A Treatise on the Practical Life ; 6. To Monks in Monasteries and Communities and Exhortation to a Virgin ; 7. On Thoughts ; 8. Chapters on Prayer ; 9. Reflections ; 10. Exhortations 1-2 ; 11. Thirty-Three Ordered Chapters ; 12. Maxims 1-3 ; Commentary Notes ; Appendix I: Variant Readings for the Greek texts ; Appendix 2: The Greek text of Eulogios
£68.40
Oxford University Press Grace and Christology in the Early Church
Book SynopsisWas there a genuine theological consensus about Christ in the early Church? Donald Fairbairn''s persuasive study uses the concept of grace to clarify this question. There were two sharply divergent understandings of grace and christology. One understanding, characteristic of Theodore and Nestorius, saw grace as God''s gift of co-operation to Christians and Christ as the uniquely graced man. The other understanding, characteristic of Cyril of Alexandria and John Cassian, saw grace as God the Word''s personal descent to the human sphere so as to give himself to humanity. Dealing with, among others, John Chrysostom, John of Antioch, and Leo the Great, Fairbairn suggests that these two understandings were by no means equally represented in the fifth century: Cyril''s view was in fact the consensus of the early Church.Trade Reviewthis is certainly an important work that warrants careful attention. * Anthony N S lane, The Journal of Theological Studies *Table of Contents1. Grace and the central issue of the christological controversy ; 2. Christ as the uniquely graced man in Theodore and Nestorius ; 3. Grace as the sharing of divine communion in Cyril's early writings ; 4. God's own Son as the source of grace in Cyril's later writings ; 5. Grace as deepening communion with God in Cassian's monastic writings ; 6. Grace and the Saviour's personal subject in Cassian's De incarnatione Domini ; 7. Grace and the Logos' double birth in the early Church
£45.59
Oxford University Press, USA Our Fate Essays on God and Free Will
Book SynopsisOur Fate is a collection of John Martin Fischer''s previously published articles on the relationship between God''s foreknowledge and human freedom. The book contains a new introductory essay that places all of the chapters in the book into a cohesive framework. The introductory essay also provides some new views about the issues treated in the book, including a bold and original account of God''s foreknowledge of free actions in a causally indeterministic world. The focus of the book is a powerful traditional argument for the incompatibility of God''s foreknowledge and human freedom to do otherwise. Fischer presents this argument (in various forms) and defends it against some of the most salient criticisms, especially Ockhamism.The incompatibilist''s argument is driven by the fixity of the past, and, in particular, the fixity of God''s prior beliefs about our current behavior. The author gives special attention to Ockhamism, which contends that God''s prior beliefs are not over-and-done-with in the past, and are thus not subject to the intuitive idea of the fixity of the past. In the end, Fischer defends the argument for the incompatibility of God''s foreknowledge and human freedom to do otherwise, but he further argues that this incompatibility need not entail the incompatibility of God''s foreknowledge and human moral responsibility. Thus, through this collection of essays, Fischer develops a semicompatibilist view -- the belief that God''s foreknowledge is entirely compatible with human moral responsibility, even if God''s foreknowledge rules out freedom to do otherwise.Trade ReviewFischer's argument is interesting not only for specialists who are interested in the (in)compatibility of God's foreknowledge, the freedom to choose otherwise and moral responsibility but also for specialists who are interested in the (in)compatibility of causal determinism, the freedom to choose otherwise and moral responsibility. The reason is that the two issues have much ground in common, while there are also relevant differences, which Fischer elucidates. * Martijn Boot, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews Online *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ; 1. Introduction: God, Freedom, and Moral Responsibility ; 2. Scotism ; 3. Freedom and Actuality ; 4. Putting Molinism in its Place ; 5. Power Over the Past ; 6. Freedom, Foreknowledge, and the Fixity of the Past ; 7. Ockhamism: The Facts ; 8. Snapshot Ockhamism ; 9. Engaging with Pike: God, Freedom, and Time ; with Patrick Todd and Neal A. Tognazzini ; 10. The Truth about Freedom A Reply to Merricks ; with Patrick Todd ; 11. The Truth about Foreknowledge ; with Patrick Todd ; 12. Omniscience, Freedom, and Dependence ; with Neal A. Tognazzini
£76.95
OUP USA The Oxford Handbook of Evangelical Theology
Book SynopsisEvangelical theology is a burgeoning field. Evangelicals have been growing in numbers and prominence worldwide, and the rise to academic prominence of evangelical historians, scripture scholars, ethicists, and theologians--many of whom have changed the face of their disciplines--has demonstrated the growing maturity of this movement''s intellectual leaders. This volume surveys the state of the discipline on topics of greatest importance to evangelical theology. Each chapter has been written by a theologian or scholar who is widely recognized for his or her published work and is considered a leading thinker on that particular topic. The authors critically assess the state of the question, from both classical and evangelical traditions, and propose a future direction for evangelical thinking on the subject.Trade ReviewIt is a book of wide-ranging essays on the current state of evangelical theology, with contributions by a who's who of evangelical theology and practice (from Alistair McGrath and Scot McKnight to Dallas Willard and Howard Snyder). It is the rare reference book that is accessible and relevant. * Mark Galli, Christianity Today *Table of ContentsContents ; Editor's Introduction ; A. Introduction ; What is "evangelical"? - Mark Noll, Notre Dame ; B. The Bible and Theological Method ; Scripture and hermeneutics - Kevin Vanhoozer, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School ; Faith and reason - Jay Wood, Wheaton College ; Faith and experience - Oliver Crisp, University of Bristol ; Faith and tradition - Alister McGrath, Oxford University ; C. Theological foundations ; The Triune God - Robert Letham, Westminster Seminary ; Creation -Loren Wilkinson, Regent College ; Sin - Henri Blocher, Wheaton College Graduate School ; Jesus Christ - John Stackhouse, Regent College ; Holy Spirit - Craig Keener, Palmer Seminary ; D. Theology of Salvation ; Israel and Salvation - Rikk Watts, Regent College ; Gospel - Scot McKnight, North Park University ; Conversion and redemption - Gordon Smith, reSource Leadership International ; Justification and atonement - Donald Bloesch, Dubuque Seminary, emeritus ; Discipleship -Dallas Willard, USC ; Spiritual practices - Simon Chan, Trinity Theological College, Singapore ; Eschatology - Trevor Hart, St. Andrews ; E. Theology of Church ; Church and sacraments - Ephraim Radner, Wycliffe College, Toronto ; Church and churches: ecumenism - William Abraham, Perkins School of Theology ; Worship - John Witvliet, Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Calvin College and Seminary ; Spiritual gifts - Howard Snyder, Tyndale Seminary in Toronto ; F. Theology of Mission ; Evangelism and missions -Michael McClymond, St. Louis University ; Other religions - Sung Wook Chung, Denver Seminary ; G. Theological approaches to contemporary life ; The Bible and ethics - Darrell Bock, Dallas Theological Seminary; M. Daniel Carroll R., Denver Seminary ; Politics - Eric Gregory, Princeton University ; Economics - John Lunn, Hope College ; The arts - Roger Lundin, Wheaton College ; Science - Alister McGrath, University of London ; Sexuality - Robert Gagnon, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary ; Race - Timothy Tseng, Institute for the Study of Asian-American Christianity ; The Vulnerable-Abortion and Disability - Ben Mitchell, Trinity International University ; Gender - Cherith Fee Nordling, Calvin College
£49.99
Oxford University Press, USA The Soteriology of James Ussher
Book SynopsisDrawing on material from a range of genres, with extensive reference to manuscript collections, Richard Snoddy offers a detailed study of James Usshers applied soteriology. After locating Ussher in the ecclesiastical context of seventeenth-century Ireland and England, Snoddy examines his teaching on the doctrines of atonement, justification, sanctification, and assurance. He considers their interconnection in Usshers thought, particularly the manner in which a general atonement functions as the ground of justification and the extent to which it functions as the ground of assurance. The book documents Usshers change of mind on a number of important issues, especially how, from holding to a limited atonement and an assurance that is of the essence of faith, he moved to belief in a general atonement and an assurance obtained through experimental piety. Within the framework of one widely accepted scholarly paradigm he appears to move from one logically inconsistent position to another, butTrade ReviewSnoddy has made a major contribution to the field of historical theology with this work. His careful analysis of the thought of an eminent Reformed theologian will be indispensable to researchers at postgraduate level and beyond working in the fields of Reformed theology, Reformation-era preaching, polemic, and pastoral concern, and religious reform in the British Isles. * Dr Susan Royal, Reviews in History *Table of ContentsContents ; Abbreviations ; Conventions ; Introduction ; 1. Vae Mihi Si Non Evangelizavero - The Preaching Prelate ; 2. Lubricus Locus - The Nature and Extent of the Atonement ; 3. 'This Sweet Doctrine' - Justification by Faith ; 4. 'An Imperfect Kinde of Perfection' - The Sanctified Life and Its Reward ; 5. 'The Comfortable Assurance of Our Salvation' - A Search for Certainty ; Conclusion ; Bibliography ; Index
£87.40
Oxford University Press Living Without Why
Book SynopsisWhat does it mean to live without why? This was the advice of Meister Eckhart (ca. 1260-1328), both in his Latin treatises to philosophers and theologians and in his German sermons to nuns and ordinary lay persons. He seems to have meant that we should live and act out of justice or goodness and not in order to gain some reward for our deeds. This message was received with indignation by the Church hierarchy and was condemned by the Pope in 1329. How did Eckhart come to formulate it? And why was it so controversial?John M. Connolly addresses these questions by locating Eckhart''s thinking about how to live within the mainstream synthesis of Christian and classical thought formulated in the High Middle Ages. He calls the classical Greek moral consensus teleological eudaimonism, according to which correct living coincides with the attainment of happiness (eudaimonia). This involves living a life marked by the practice of the virtues, which in turn requires a consistent desire for the corTrade ReviewConnolly offers a fair and scholarly treatment of one of medieval Europe's most controversial philosophers, who challenged the very authority of the Catholic Church. This work is well written, if synoptic at times, and leads the reader through a rich historical, theological and philosophical journey through the medieval conception of the will as it developed from Aristotle and the classical Greek philosophers, all the way to Meister Eckhart and beyond. Moreover, it generally does a good job of analyzing the almost indiscernible and more obvious variations amongst the philosophies being addressed. Connolly's specialty in Eckhartian studies is apparent through his scholarly treatment of a plethora of medieval thinkers, and his mastery over the primary sources in their original medieval High German. * Blake Campbell, British Journal for the History of Philosophy *Connolly's book, by highlighting the importance of the end of man in Eckhart's thought and by putting it in its philosophical and theological context, is always illuminating in its treatment of the great mystic. * Robert Dobie, Review of Metaphysics *All in all, this is a very welcome and careful study. It will shed much light on a neglected person and a neglected topic. * Journal of the History of Philosophy *As John Connolly states in the preface to this book, he is 'fascinated' by Meister Eckhart's advice to 'live without why (or will)'. And it is this palpable fascination pulsing off the book's pages that at once helps to illuminate the philosophical underpinnings of the Eckhartian concept, as it infectiously draws the reader deeper into the riches of this text. As a scholar of Christian spirituality, and someone also smitten by the Meister's treatment of sunder warumbe, but not a trained philosopher, I find this book to be nothing short of a boon. * Medieval Mystical Theology *This book is a signal contribution to ancient and medieval philosophy. By putting Eckhart into conversation with his predecessors (i.e., Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas), Connolly does a fine job in identifying where Eckhart makes an original-and still viable-contribution to moral thought in general. This is a remarkable work, the product of long and careful thought, as well as being clearly presented. * Bernard McGinn, Naomi Shenstone Donnelley Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology and of the History of Christianity in the Divinity School and the Committees on Medieval Studies and on General Studies, University of Chicago *It would appear that Connolly has written the right book at the right moment. Through his work, the English-speaking world can become finally acquainted with the academic discussion of the last decades concerning Eckhart and can furthermore have an original and text grounded interpretation of a relevant section of his philosophical thought. * Loris Sturlese, Professor of Medieval Philosophy, Universita del Salento *Table of ContentsPREFACE ; ABBREVIATIONS ; INTRODUCTION ; CHAPTER ONE: The Will as "Rational Appetite" ; CHAPTER TWO: Aristotle's Teleological Eudaimonism ; CHAPTER THREE: St. Augustine's Christian Conception of Will ; CHAPTER FOUR: Aquinas on Happiness and the Will ; CHAPTER FIVE: Meister Eckhart, Living on Two Levels ; CHAPTER SIX: Meister Eckhart, Living Without Will ; CHAPTER SEVEN: Living without Why, Conclusion ; NOTES ; BIBLIOGRAPHY ; INDEX
£82.65
Oxford University Press Inc Diakonia Studies
Book SynopsisDiakonia Studies closes the account on John N. Collinss 40 years of involvement in groundbreaking linguistic research and argumentation concerning the nature and functioning of Christian ministry. Dispute has swirled around the Greek term diakonia for 50 years. Once seen as enshrining the New Testament value of loving Christian servicewhat Jerome Murphy-O''Connor called one of the dogmas of New Testament scholarshipthe word was exposed by Dieter Georgi in 1964 as arguably meaning something quite different. In 1974 John N. Collins published his first paper on the issue, pointing to inadequacies in Georgi''s brief account. Then in 1990 Collins published his exhaustive semantic survey, Diakonia: Re-interpreting the Ancient Sources. His re-interpretation was variously hailed as devastating, provocative, unfashionable, and a scholarly avalanche whose conclusions are inescapable. Since then, the book has stood at the center of the Collins-Debate. Meanwhile Collins''s findings have been incorTrade ReviewIt is now over 20 years since the publication of Collins's seminal work, Diakonia: Reinterpreting the Ancient Sources. His approach in that book and subsequent publications is now essential reading for anyone intending to explore the subject. This most recent collection gathers together a range of articles (both published and unpublished), many of which have previously been hard to find, making it much easier to reflect on and respond to Collins's valuable contribution to the field. * Paula R. Gooder, Theologian in Residence, Bible Society *It is impossible to understand the present discussions about diakonia and the diaconate without taking into account the impact of John Collins. This book offers a unique introduction to Collinss influence on scholarly works, ecumenical dialogues and church practice, and his participation in the international debate. Some of his groundbreaking works have, for the first time, been collected in this booka book that gives a comprehensive view of John Collinss research and the consequences thereof. * Sven-Erik Brodd, Professor of Ecclesiology, University of Uppsala, Sweden *This book is the result of a lifelong study of diakonia and its cognates. Collins shines fresh light on the pivotal theme of church offices in early Christian communities: a theme that has far-reaching implications, challenging not only the idea of the deacon as a social worker but also the widespread consensus about ecclesiastical offices as humble and beneficent services. The author's meticulous reengagement with the semantics of diakonia sets the stage for a new approach to Christology and ecclesiology, releasing both from a false service paradigm. * Dr. Anni Hentschel, lecturer for New Testament studies at the Goethe Universitat Frankfurt *Table of ContentsTable of Contents ; Preface ; Studies in diakonia ; Diakonia from the nineteenth century to today ; 1. From diakonia to diaconia today: historical aspects of interpretation ; 2. Re-interpreting diakonia in Germany: Anni Hentschel's Diakonia im Neuen Testament ; 3. The problem with values carried by diakonia / diakonie in recent church documents ; Diakonia in the early church ; 4. How ancient Greeks thought of diakonia ; 5. Diakonia in the teaching of Jesus ; 6. The mediatorial role of Paul as minister / diakonos ; 7. Ministry as office ; 8. Ministry among gifts ; 9. Paul, delegate to Jerusalem ; 10. The diakonia of the Seven ; Towards ministry for the twenty-first century ; 11. Theology of ministry in the ywentieth century: ongoing problems or new orientations? ; 12. Ordained and other ministries: making a difference ; 13. Fitting lay ministries into a theology of ministry ; Part 1: A critique of an American consensus ; Part 2: Making a fit ; 14. Ties that bind: deacons today in the grip of yesteryear ; Selected Publications ; Sources of Studies ; Indices of Names, Biblical and Early Christian sources
£97.38
Oxford University Press The Church for the World
Book SynopsisDrawing on the writings of German pastor-theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jennifer M. McBride constructs a groundbreaking theology of public witness for Protestant church communities in the United States. In contrast to the triumphal manner in which many Protestants have engaged the public sphere, The Church for the World shows how the church can offer a nontriumphal witness to the lordship of Christ through repentant activity in public life. After investigating current Christian conceptions of witness in the United States, McBride offers a new theology for repentance as public witness, based on Bonhoeffer''s thought concerning Christ, the world, and the church. McBride takes up Bonhoeffer''s proposal that repentance may be reinterpreted non-religiously, expanding and challenging common understandings of the concept. Finally, she examines two church communities that exemplify ecclesial commitments and practices rooted in confession of sin and repentance. Through these communities she dTrade ReviewThis refreshing study of Christian activism appeals to Bonhoeffer's deeply Luteheran Christology and transcends the usual stereotypes of evangelicals as right-wingers and mainliners as left-wingers...this books merits attention, not only as a Bonhoeffer study but also as the witness of the social consciousness of McBride herself, a young evangelical. * Lutheran Quarterly *Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments ; Part I: Public Witness in a Pluralistic Society ; Chapter One - Introduction: Confession and Repentance as Public Witness ; Chapter Two - Evaluating Public Witness in the United States ; Part II: A Theology of Public Witness Based on Bonhoeffer's Thought ; Chapter Three - Christ's Public Presence: The Foundation and Form for Ecclesial Witness ; Chapter Four - Belonging: Participation in the World's Christological Pattern ; Chapter Five - The Church's Public Presence: Visibility through Confession and Repentance ; Part III: Contours of a Repenting Church ; Chapter Six - The Eleuthero Community: Confession and Repentance through Unlearning and Learning Anew ; Chapter Seven: The Southeast White House: A Local Presence in a Neglected Neighborhood ; Conclusion: Concrete Implications of an Ecclesial Witness Based on Repentance ; Notes ; Selected Bibliography ; Index
£35.14
Oxford University Press Thomas Aquinass Summa Theologiae
Book SynopsisFollowing a scholarly account of Thomas Aquinas''s life, Davies explores his purposes in writing the Summa Theologiae and works systematically through each of its three Parts. He also relates their contents and Aquinas''s teachings to those of other works and other thinkers both theological and philosophical. The concluding chapter considers the impact Aquinas''s best-known work has exerted since its first appearance, and why it is still studied today. Intended for students and general readers interested in medieval philosophy and theology, Davies''s study is a solid and reflective introduction both to the Summa Theologiae and to Aquinas in general.Trade ReviewThorough, well organized, and supplemented with copious notes and pie charts that give a visual breakdown of the philosophical and theological subjects covered in the Summa ... those looking for a comprehensive and accessible companion to Aquinass Summa could do no better * Choice *Davies has magisterially breathed a new life into the ancient and honourable genre of commentary on Aquinas's masterpiece, the Summa Theologiae. The commentary tradition is alive and well in the twenty-first century. * Bernard McGinn, Philosophical Investigations *Brian Davies takes the reader on a guided tour of the vast demesne of the Summa Theologiae with a lucid and patient commentary. He writes for the intelligent reader without any formal training in either philosophy or theologythe kind of audience, he believes, that St. Thomas himself had in mind. Nonetheless, his book contains a number of surprises even for those who are familiar with the landscape. * Anthony Kenny, author of the fourth-volume series New History of Western Philosophy *Most of us engaged in studying Christian theology would of course say that Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologiae is a classic, an essential text, which we should all read and re-read. The truth is, however, that, while the clarity of the arguments and the systematic presentation are very attractive, most newcomers and even old hands need a good deal of help to keep going: no one is better qualified than Brian Davies, after years of teaching and writing about it, to guide us: the study of the Summa will be greatly facilitated and enriched by this excellent commentary. * Fergus Kerr, OP, Honorary Fellow, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. Setting the Summa Theologiae ; 2. Sacred Teaching (1a,1) ; 3. Knowing That God Exists (1a,1,2) ; 4. The Divine Nature: Part 1 (1a,3-13) ; 5. The Divine Nature: Part 2 (1a,14-26) ; 6. The Divine Trinity (1a,27-43) ; 7. Creation, Good, and Evil (1a,44-49) ; 8. Angels and the Days of Creation (1a,50-74) ; 9. Human Beings and Divine Government (1a,75-119) ; 10. Happiness, Human Action, and Morality (1a2ae,1-21) ; 11. Emotions (1a2ae,22-48) ; 12. Dispositions, Virtues, Gifts, Beatitudes and Fruits (1a2ae,49-70) ; 13. Sin (1a2ae,71-85) ; 14. Law, Old Law, New Law, and Grace (1a2ae,90-114) ; 15. Faith, Hope, and Charity (2a2ae,1-46) ; 16. Prudence, Justice, and Injustice (2a2ae,47-79) ; 17. Religion and Other Matters to do With Justice (2a2ae,80-122) ; 18. Courage and Temperance (2a2ae,123-170) ; 19. Freely Given Graces, Kinds of Life, and States of Life (2a2ae,171-189) ; 20. God Incarnate (3a,1-26) ; 21. The Life, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ (3a,27-59) ; 22. The Sacraments of the Christian Church (3a,60-90) ; 23. Epilogue ; Appendix: The Summa Theologiae at a Glance ; Bibliography ; Index
£34.79
Oxford University Press Inc Patterns of Sin in the Hebrew Bible Metaphor Culture and the Making of a Religious Concept
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£92.15
Oxford University Press The Problem of Evil
Book SynopsisIt is generally supposed that the fact that the world contains a vast amount of suffering, much of it truly horrible suffering, confronts those who believe in an all-powerful and benevolent Creator with a serious problem: to explain why such a Creator would permit this. Many reflective people are convinced that the problem, the problem of evil, is insoluble. The reasons that underlie this conviction can be formulated as a powerful argument for the non-existence of God, the so-called argument from evil: If there were a God, he would not permit the existence of vast amounts of truly horrible suffering; since such suffering exists, there is no God. Peter van Inwagen examines this argument, which he regards as a paradigmatically philosophical argument. His conclusion is that (like most philosophical arguments) it is a failure. He seeks to demonstrate, not that God exists, but the fact that the world contains a vast amount of suffering does not show that God does not exist.Along the way he Trade ReviewReview from previous edition 'Van Inwagen must be the clearest writer and the best stylist in analytic philosophy, at least since the passing of W. V. Quine.' * Ars Disputandi Journal, Daniel J. Hill *'[a] fine book' * Trenton Merricks, The Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. The Problem of Evil and the Argument from Evil ; 2. The Idea of God ; 3. Philosophical Failure ; 4. The Global Argument from Evil ; 5. The Global Argument Continued ; 6. The Local Argument from Evil ; 7. The Sufferings of Beasts ; 8. The Hiddenness of God
£29.92
Oxford University Press The Cult of Saint Thecla
Book SynopsisThecla, a disciple of the apostle Paul, became perhaps the most celebrated female saint and ''martyr'' among Christians in late antiquity. In the early church, Thecla''s example was associated with the piety of women - in particular, with women''s ministry and travel. Devotion to Saint Thecla quickly spread throughout the Mediterranean world: her image was painted on walls of tombs, stamped on clay flasks and oil lamps, engraved on bronze crosses and wooden combs, and even woven into textile curtains. Bringing together literary, artistic, and archaeological evidence, often for the first time, Stephen Davis here reconstructs the cult of Saint Thecla in Asia Minor and Egypt - the social practices, institutions, and artefacts that marked the lives of actual devotees. From this evidence the author shows how the cult of this female saint remained closely linked with communities of women as a source of empowerment and a cause of controversy.Table of ContentsI: THE CULT OF ST THECLA IN ASIA MINOR ; 1. Origins of the Thecla Cult ; 2. The Cult of Thecla at Seleucia in Asia Minor ; II: THE CULT OF SAINT THECLA IN EGYPT ; 3. Thecla Devotion Among Ascetic Women in Alexandria ; 4. Pilgrimage and the Cult of Saint Thecla in the Mareotis ; 5. The Spread of Thecla Devotion Outside Alexandria and Its Environs
£56.05
Oxford University Press A Sociology of Religious Emotion
Book SynopsisThis timely book aims to change the way we think about religion by putting emotion back onto the agenda. It challenges a tendency to over-emphasise rational aspects of religion, and rehabilitates its embodied, visceral and affective dimensions. Against the view that religious emotion is a purely private matter, it offers a new framework which shows how religious emotions arise in the varied interactions between human agents and religious communities, human agents and objects of devotion, and communities and sacred symbols. It presents parallels and contrasts between religious emotions in European and American history, in other cultures, and in contemporary western societies. By taking emotions seriously, A Sociology of Religious Emotion sheds new light on the power of religion to shape fundamental human orientations and motivations: hopes and fears, joys and sorrows, loves and hatreds.Trade ReviewA Sociology of Religious Emotion is exactly the kind of specialist academic book that is usually overlooked by the celebrity combatants in the secular commentariat. If the book's arguments and its proposals for research are heeded, it might ground the wrangles about the proper place of religion. * Bernice Martin, Times Literary Supplement *I came away from this book better informed, and richer in understanding. My respect for these authors is considerable, because there is a real art to making academic research accessible; and this book did a good job of interesting me, a lay person, in a discipline I didn't know ... I felt wiser when I had finished A Sociology of Religious Emotion. * Gwen Adshead, Church Times *Riis and Woodhead's efforts here are essential for a field of study which has all too often trivialised the role of emotions in religious belief in an effort to understand society without the reflexivity and depth due unto persons. ... Riis and Woodhead stake out an important and highly recommended path for what will hopefully be a renewed interest in 'A Sociology of Religious Emotion'. * Grant Brooke, Scottish Journal of Theology *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Emotion - a relational view ; 2. Delineating religious emotion ; 3. Dynamics of religious emotion I: connections of self, society, and symbols ; 4. Dynamics of religious emotion II: disconnections of self, society, and symbols ; 5. The power of religious emotion ; 6. Religious emotion in late modern society and culture ; Conclusion ; Appendix: Studying religious emotion: Suggestions for method and practice
£65.55
Oxford University Press Basil of Caesarea Gregory of Nyssa and the Transformation of Divine Simplicity
Book SynopsisDivine simplicity is the idea that, as the ultimate principle of the universe, God must be a non-composite unity not made up of parts or diverse attributes. The idea was appropriated by early Christian theologians from non-Christian philosophy and played a pivotal role in the development of Christian thought. Andrew Radde-Gallwitz charts the progress of the idea of divine simplicity from the second through the fourth centuries, with particular attention to Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nyssa, two of the most subtle writers on this topic, both instrumental in the construction of the Trinitarian doctrine proclaimed as orthodox at the Council of Constantinople in 381. He demonstrates that divine simplicity was not a philosophical appendage awkwardly attached to the early Christian doctrine of God, but a notion that enabled Christians to articulate the consistency of God as portrayed in their scriptures.Basil and Gregory offered a unique construal of simplicity in responding to their prTrade ReviewRadde-Gallwitz has produced a book of impeccable historical and philological scholarship, which nevertheless at no point leaves the reader in any doubt that the ultimate objective of the work is squarely in the theological field... highly original * Johannes Zachhuber, Journal of Theological Studies *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Simplicity and the Problem of Contradiction: Ptolemy and the Legacy of Marcion ; 2. From Science to Silence: Clement of Alexandria and Origen ; 3. Agen(n)etos and the Identity Thesis: Justin, Dionysius of Alexandria, and Athanasius, and Athanasius ; 4. "Truly repay the debt": Aetius and Eunomius of Cyzicus ; 5. Basil of Caesarea I: On Not Knowing God's Essence (But Still Knowing God) ; 6. Basil of Caesarea II: Concepts, Reality, and Reading ; 7. "Therefore be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect": Gregory of Nyssa on Simplicity and Goodness ; Conclusion: The Transformation of Divine Simplicity
£133.00
Oxford University Press Sense and Stigma in the Gospels
Book SynopsisThe senses are used within New Testament texts as instruments of knowledge and power and thus constitute important mediators of cultural knowledge and experience. Likewise, those instances where sensory faculty is perceived to be ''disabled'' in some way also become key sites for ideological commentary and critique. However, often biblical scholarship, itself ''disabled'' by eye-centric and textocentric ''norms'', has read sensory-disabled characters as nothing more than inert sites of healing; their agency, including their alternative sensory modes of communication and resistance to oppression, remain largely unaddressed. In response, Louise J. Lawrence seeks to initiate a variety of interdisciplinary dialogues with disability studies and sensory anthropology in a quest to refigure characters with sensory disabilities featured in the gospels and provide alternative interpretations of their conditions and social interactions. In each instance the identity of those stigmatised as ''otheTrade ReviewLouise J. Lawrence's Sense and Stigma is a creative piece of scholarship situated at the disciplinary crossroads of ethnography, cross-cultural sensory anthropology, disability studies, and biblical studies...scholars of religion havemuch to gain from Lawrence's provocative readings of familiar Gospel narratives, and this book will undoubtedly inspire further efforts toward the important task of reimagining the analysis of sensorial epistemologies at work in biblical texts. * Andrew M. Langford, The Journal of Religion *this book is a very important contribution to what can be called sensory criticism or corporeal criticism in biblical studies that focuses on the embodied human experience in biblical texts. This book should be read by anyone interested in how sense is both expressed and constructed by biblical authors and by biblical scholars. * Hector Avalos, Biblical Literature *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Sense and Stigma ; 1. Looking Through a Glass Darkly: Sensing Disabilities of Biblical Studies ; 2. Blind Spots and Metaphors: Refiguring Sightless Characters in the Gospels ; 3. Sounding Out a deaf mute : Mark 7:31 37 as Deaf World Performance ; 4. The Stench of Untouchability: Sensory Tactics of a Leper, Legion and Leaky Woman ; 5. Sense, Seizure and Illness Narratives: The Case of an Epileptic / Demon-Possessed Boy ; Conclusion: Sensory-Disabled Characters Refiguring God ; Bibliography
£31.49
Oxford University Press Eternal God
Book SynopsisPaul Helm presents a new, expanded edition of his much praised 1988 book Eternal God , which defends the view that God exists in timeless eternity. This is the classical Christian view of God, but it is claimed by many theologians and philosophers of religion to be incoherent. Paul Helm rebuts the charge of incoherence, arguing that divine timelessness is grounded in the idea of God as creator, and that this alone makes possible a proper account of divine omniscience. He develops some of the consequences of divine timelessness, particularly as it affects both divine and human freedom, and considers some of the alleged problems about referring to God. The book thus constitutes a unified treatment of the main concepts of philosophical theology. Helm''s revised edition includes four new chapters that develop and extend his account of God and time, taking account of significant work in the area that has appeared since the publication of the first edition, by such prominent figures as WilliTrade ReviewThe book is written with great clarity and can be read by almost anyone, including those with no specialist training in philosophy. ... The book is an excellent introduction to its subject and should be widely read and used by students of both theology and philosophy. ... a book of this kind will be just as valuable in the next generation as it was in the last one. * Gerald Bray, Churchman *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. The Issue of Divine Eternity ; 2. What is Divine Eternity? ; 3. Indexicals and Spacelessness ; 4. Eternity and Personality ; 5. Eternity, Immutability, and Omniscience ; 6. Timelessness and Foreknowledge ; 7. Omniscience and the Future ; 8. Divine Foreknowledge and Fatalism ; 9. Timelessness and Human Responsibility ; 10. Divine Freedom ; 11. Referring to Eternal God ; 12. And then... ; 13. Eternal Creation ; 14. The Two Standpoints ; 15. Time and Trinity ; Bibliography ; Index
£133.00
Oxford University Press Some Later Medieval Theories of the Eucharist
Book SynopsisHow can the Body and Blood of Christ, without ever leaving heaven, come to be really present on eucharistic altars where the bread and wine still seem to be? Thirteenth and fourteenth century Christian Aristotelians thought the answer had to be transubstantiation. Acclaimed philosopher, Marilyn McCord Adams, investigates these later medieval theories of the Eucharist, concentrating on the writings of Thomas Aquinas, Giles of Rome, Duns Scotus, and William Ockham, with some reference to Peter Lombard, Hugh of St. Victor, and Bonaventure. She examines how their efforts to formulate and integrate this theological datum provoked them to make significant revisions in Aristotelian philosophical theories regarding the metaphysical structure and location of bodies, differences between substance and accidents, causality and causal powers, and fundamental types of change. Setting these developments in the theological context that gave rise to the question draws attention to their understandings Trade Reviewessential for all interested in the religious and intellectual history of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. * Stephen Mossman, Medium Aevum *There are few books that are as careful in its detail and as cosmic in its scope as Adams's Some Later Medieval Theories of the Eucharist: Thomas Aquinas, Giles of Rome, Duns Scotus, and William Ockham. I heartily recommend it to anyone interested in understanding the nature of Christ's presence among us. * David Efird, Mind *Table of ContentsPROLOGUE ; Introduction ; 1. Aristotelian Preliminaries ; I: WHY SACRAMENTS? ; 2. What, Why, and Wherefore ; 3. Sacramental Causality: 'Effecting What They Figure!' ; II: THE METAPHYSICS AND PHYSICS OF REAL PRESENCE ; 4. Explaining the Presence, Identifying the Change: Aquinas and Giles of Rome ; 5. Duns Scotus on Placement Problems ; 6. Duns Scotus on Two Types of Transsubstantiation ; 7. Remodelling with Ockham ; 8. Accidents without Substance: Aquinas and Gilles of Rome ; 9. Independent Accidents: Scotus and Ockham ; 10. Theology Provoking Philosophy ; III: WHAT SORT OF UNION? ; 11. Eucharistic Eating and Drinking ; 12. Sacraments, Why Ceasing? ; POST-SCRIPT ; List of Numbered Propositions ; Bibliography
£71.25
Oxford University Press Nature Red in Tooth and Claw
Book SynopsisWhile the problem of evil remains a perennial challenge to theistic belief, little attention has been paid to the special problem of animal pain and suffering. This absence is especially conspicuous in our Darwinian era when theists are forced to confront the fact that animal pain and suffering has gone on for at least tens of millions of years, through billions of animal generations. Evil of this sort might not be especially problematic if the standard of explanations for evil employed by theists could be applied in this instance as well. But there is the central problem: all or most of the explanations for evil cited by theists seem impotent to explain the reality of animal pain and suffering through evolutionary history. Nature Red in Tooth and Claw addresses the evil of animal pain and suffering directly, scrutinizing explanations that have been offered for such evil.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition Michael Murray has written what I believe to be the only book-length study in English of theodicy and animal suffering in the philosophy of religion. The problem is so obvious and so clearly important that a book like this is long overdue. Philosophers of religion, theologians, and, indeed, anyone interested in the intellectual credibility of classical theism will find this book, stimulating and helpful... Nature Red in Tooth Claw is both careful and comprehensive... littered with interesting arguments... the book is excellent. * Gary Chartier, Religious Studies *This book offers an overview of theistic attempts to reconcile the existence of the suffering of non-human animals with the exsistence of the God of classical theism -- the omnipotent, omniscient, and perfectly good creator of the world. It is clearly written and comprehensive... Over the course of his book, Murray develops a powerful argument. * T. J. Mawson, MIND *Table of Contents1. Problems Of and Explanations for Evil ; 2. Neo-Cartesianism ; 3. Animal Suffering and the Fall ; 4. Nobility, Flourishing, and Immortality: Animal Pain and Animal Well-Being ; 5. Natural Evil, Nomic Regularity, and Animal Suffering ; 6. Chaos, Order, and Evolution ; 7. Combining CD's
£33.72
Oxford University Press Predestination
Book SynopsisPredestination has been the subject of perennial controversy among Christians, although in recent years theologians have shied away from it as a divisive and unedifying topic. In this book Matthew Levering argues that Christian theological reflection needs to continue to return to the topic of predestination, for two reasons: Firstly, predestinarian doctrine is taught in the New Testament. Reflecting the importance of the topic in many strands of Second Temple Judaism, the New Testament authors teach predestination in a manner that explains why Christian theologians continually recur to this topic. Secondly, the doctrine of predestination provides a way for Christian theologians to reflect upon two fundamental affirmations of biblical revelation. The first is God''s love, without any deficiency or crimp, for each and every rational creature; the second is that God from eternity brings about the purpose for which he created us, and that he permits some rational creatures freely and permTrade Reviewa fresh and insightful work on a challenging theological topic. * Todd Billings, Theology *Matthew Levering, a young Roman Catholic scholar from the States, has added to his growing list of publications this wise and scholarly book on a theological theme which continues to be important. The book is well organised, very clearly written (the author explaining complex ideas in accessible ways), and has a clear line of argument which runs from its introduction to its conclusion. It's a nicely produced volume too. * Robert Ellis, Regent's Reviews *Levering's text is valuable as an encyclopedia of predestination, beautifully balancing discussion of primary sources with current secondary literature. * Jeffrey A. Vogel, Journal of Theological Studies *Levering's book should deservedly become a helpful resource for theological students as they begin to engage with issues of grace and election in the Western theological tradition. * John C. McDowell, Colloquium *Predestination is a welcome contribution to the current debates over predestination and it amply displays biblical, theological and historical clarity and competence. I strongly recommend the book and encourage readers to request it for their institutions' libraries * Randal Rauser, Scottish Journal of Theology *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. The Biblical Roots of the Doctrine of Predestination ; 2. The Patristic Period: Outlining the Problem ; 3. The Medieval Period: Seeking a Balance ; 4. The Reformation and Early Modern Period: Causal Chains ; 5. The Twentieth Century: God's Absolute Innocence ; 6. Two Affirmations
£125.88
Oxford University Press, USA Apophasis and Pseudonymity in Dionysius the Areopagite No Longer I Oxford Early Christian Studies
Book SynopsisThis is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 International licence. It is free to read at Oxford Scholarship Online and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations. This book examines the writings of an early sixth-century Christian mystical theologian who wrote under the name of a convert of the apostle Paul, Dionysius the Areopagite. This ''Pseudo''-Dionysius is famous for articulating a mystical theology in two parts: a sacramental and liturgical mysticism embedded in the context of celestial and ecclesiastical hierarchies, and an austere, contemplative regimen in which one progressively negates the divine names in hopes of soliciting union with the ''unknown God'' or ''God beyond being.''Charles M. Stang argues that the pseudonym and the influence of Paul together constitute the best interpretive lens for understanding the Corpus Dionysiacum [CD]. Stang demonstrates how Paul animates the entire corpus, and shows that the influence of Paul illuminates such central themes of the CD as hierarchy, theurgy, deification, Christology, affirmation (kataphasis) and negation (apophasis), dissimilar similarities, and unknowing. Most importantly, Paul serves as a fulcrum for the expression of a new theological anthropology, an ''apophatic anthropology.'' Dionysius figures Paul as the premier apostolic witness to this apophatic anthropology, as the ecstatic lover of the divine who confesses to the rupture of his self and the indwelling of the divine in Gal 2:20: ''it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.'' Building on this notion of apophatic anthropology, the book forwards an explanation for why this sixth-century author chose to write under an apostolic pseudonym. Stang argues that the very practice of pseudonymous writing itself serves as an ecstatic devotional exercise whereby the writer becomes split in two and thereby open to the indwelling of the divine. Pseudonymity is on this interpretation integral and internal to the aims of the wider mystical enterprise. Thus this book aims to question the distinction between ''theory'' and ''practice'' by demonstrating that negative theology-often figured as a speculative and rarefied theory regarding the transcendence of God-is in fact best understood as a kind of asceticism, a devotional practice aiming for the total transformation of the Christian subject.Trade ReviewLike the best books, once one follows Stang in his exploration of Dionysios, it all seems so obvious. * Andrew Louth, Theology *The great merit of Charles Stang is to have filled a gap in Dionysian studies. * Gioacchino Curiello, Ecclesiastical History. Vol. 64.2 *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Ancient and Modern Readers of the Corpus Dionysiacum: Pseudonymity and Paul ; 2. Pseudonymous Writing in the Late Antique Christian East ; 3. "I rejoice to see your order": Paul and the Dionysian Hierarchies ; 4. "To an unknown God": Paul and Mystical Union ; 5. "No longer I": The Apophatic Anthropology of Dionysius the Areopagite ; Conclusion: The Pseudonym, Revisited
£123.50
Oxford University Press, USA Memory in Augustines Theological Anthropology Oxford Early Christian Studies
Book SynopsisMemory is the least studied dimension of Augustine''s psychological trinity of memory-intellect-will. This book explores the theme of ''memory'' in Augustine''s works, tracing its philosophical and theological significance. The first part explores the philosophical history of memory in Plato, Aristotle, and Plotinus. The second part shows how Augustine inherits this theme and treats it in his early writings. The third and final part seeks to show how Augustine''s theological understanding of Christ draws on and resolves tensions in the theme of memory.The place of memory in the theological anthropology of Augustine has its roots in the Platonic epistemological tradition. Augustine actively engages with this tradition in his early writings in a manner that is both philosophically sophisticated and doctrinally consistent with his later, more overtly theological writings. From the Cassiacum dialogues through De musica, Augustine points to the central importance of memory: he examines the power of the soul as something that mediates sense perception and understanding, while explicitly deferring a more profound treatment of it until Confessions and De trinitate. In these two texts, memory is the foundation for the location of the Imago Dei in the mind. It becomes the basis for the spiritual experience of the embodied creature, and a source of the profound anxiety that results from the sensed opposition of human time and divine time (aeterna ratio). This tension is contained and resolved, to a limited extent, in Augustine''s Christology, in the ability of a paradoxical incarnation to unify the temporal and the eternal (in Confessions 11 and 12), and the life of faith (scientia) with the promised contemplation of the divine (sapientia, in De trinitate 12-14).Table of ContentsPART I ; PART II ; PART III
£137.75
OUP Oxford The Oxford Handbook of Ecclesiology
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£142.50
Oxford University Press Calvin Classical Trinitarianism and the Aseity of the Son
Book SynopsisFor much of his career as a Reformer John Calvin was involved in trinitarian controversy. Not only did these controversies span his career, but his opponents ranged across the spectrum of theological approaches-from staunch traditionalists to radical antitrinitarians. Remarkably, the heart of Calvin''s argument, and the heart of others'' criticism, remained the same throughout: Calvin claimed that the only-begotten Son of the Father is also, as the one true God, ''of himself''. Brannon Ellis investigates the various Reformation and post-Reformation responses to Calvin''s affirmation of the Son''s aseity (or essential self-existence), a significant episode in the history of theology that is often ignored or misunderstood. Calvin neither rejected eternal generation, nor merely toed the line of classical exposition. As such, these debates turned on the crucial pivot between simple unity and ordered plurality-the relationship between the processions and consubstantiality-at the heart of thTrade ReviewI have learned a lot from Ellis book and I highly appreciate it ... I recommend it warmly * Georg Plasger, Journal of Reformed Theology *The author's claim is that Calvin's autothean emphasis purifies such grammar, so making a significant contribution to Trinitarian theology. This erudite book will be of considerable interest to students of Reformed theology and (to a lesser extent) of Trinitarian theology more generally. * Paul Helm, Journal of Ecclesiastical History *Brannon Ellis, throughout this book, has shown that he is surely such a theologian, in the very best and most helpful way. Ellis holds togetherbrilliantlyboth the depth and breadth of the issues, concerns, nuances, subtleties, and significant differences among a vast range of individual thinkers, movements, councils, and credal statements on the question of how the Son of God may be said to be a seof himselfyet also of the Father. * Robert C. Fennel, The Journal of Theological Studies *Editor Ashford and company are commended for their efforts * Mitchell Dick, Mid-America Journal of Theology *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Calvin on the Aseity of the Son: The 1559 Institutes as Entry-Point ; 2. The Autothean Controversies: Calvin s Complex Solidarity ; 3. The Theological Shape of the Autothean Debates: Eternal Generation s Role in Classical Trinitarianism ; 4. Identity, Distinction, or Tension in Trinitarian Language?: Loose Approaches to the Son s Aseity ; 5. Tension In Distinction: Classical and Mainstream Reformed Approaches to the Son s Aseity ; 6. The Irreducible Triunity of God: The Reformed Minority Report s Strict Distinction of the Two Ways of Speaking ; 7. Of Himself, God Gives Himself
£140.12
Oxford University Press Slain God
Book SynopsisThroughout its entire history, the discipline of anthropology has been perceived as undermining, or even discrediting, Christian faith. Many of its most prominent theorists have been agnostics who assumed that ethnographic findings and theories had exposed religious beliefs to be untenable. E. B. Tylor, the founder of the discipline in Britain, lost his faith through studying anthropology. James Frazer saw the material that he presented in his highly influential work, The Golden Bough, as demonstrating that Christian thought was based on the erroneous thought patterns of ''savages.'' On the other hand, some of the most eminent anthropologists have been Christians, including E. E. Evans-Pritchard, Mary Douglas, Victor Turner, and Edith Turner. Moreover, they openly presented articulate reasons for how their religious convictions cohered with their professional work.Despite being a major site of friction between faith and modern thought, the relationship between anthropology and ChristiaTrade ReviewThis is a startling book. Many anthropologists do not realize how deeply religious many of the great anthropologists of religion have been. The Slain God raises the question of how faith shapes what the anthropologist sees, and it will change the way the reader thinks about the answer. * Tanya Luhrmann, Watkins University Professor of Anthropology, Stanford University *Larsen's book is beautifully written and based on the most patient scrutiny of every scrap of evidence. It provides an authoritative account of some of anthropology's most influential practitioners. * David Martin, London School of Economics *Larsen shines a bright sidelight on the history of social anthropology and of it treatment of Christianity * Jonathan Benthall, The Times Literary Supplement *Larsen tells the story beautifully in his narrative biographical style. * Matthew Milliner, First Things *As in his earlier work, Larsen disrupts a teleological vision of religion condemned to disappear before the forces of progress and modernity. He is to be congratulated for challenging this narrative head-on and confronting what amounts to anti-religious bias in the human sciences. * Journal of Theological Studies *This well-written and finely research book ... should be widely discussed in a variety of circles concerned with anthropology, religious studies, theology and the history of religion * Journal of Ecclesiastical History *a welcome contribution to the history of anthropology ... Larsen's narrative and sharp observations skilfully weave together authors' biographical experiences with their theoretical and ethnographic findings ... I hope this book will break for good certain unspoken taboos in the discipline that one cannot be at the same time a serious anthropologist and a practising 'believer'. * Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute *One of the many virtues of Larsen's study is its revealing of the 'all too human' character of the scholarship by the anthropologists he examines. * Christian Smith, First Things *Readers interested in continuing debates over faith, science and secularism will find much of value in this very important book. The further you get into the book, the more astonished you are that no predecessor has written such a full-length study of this critically important topic. * Philip Jenkins, Patheos *Witty, penetrating, following the evidence where it leads, this book is a great delight. * John Wilson, Book of the Year 2014, Books and Culture *Larsen has broken new ground in an area that was overgrown with the weeds of anecdote and myth. The subject has the quality of an 'elephant in the room' among both Christians and anthropologists, each of whom seem to feel that the other has nothing to offer. Quite the contrary, Larsen has demonstrated that the two are uneasy siblings, some believers and some skeptics, but siblings nonetheless. * Michael A. Rynkiewich, International Bulletin of Missionary Research *Larsen's book is clearly and delightfully written. It is, he says, the first book-length study of the subject, and it is as welcome as it is overdue * Peter J. Leithart *In his latest book, The Slain God , Timothy Larsen provides a compelling account of the complex relationship between anthropology and the Christian faith . . . His is the first book-length study of the relationship between anthropology and Christianity and as such is of interest to anyone who wishes to understand this relationship better. The book is also particularly timely in view of the recent resurgence of interest in these issues in the anthropology of Christianity. * Julien Dugnoille, Journal of the Anthropological Society of Oxford. *This book will be greeted as something of a bombshell amongst anthropologists of religion...a highly original book that should be with us for a long time to come. * Joel Robbins, Sigrid Rausing Professor of Social Anthropology, Cambridge University *Larsen provides a most satisfying study ... Beautifully written and carrying lightly an immense amount of historical and literary research well placed in the extensive footnotes to each chapter, one is impressed with the fullness of Larsens explorations ... By bringing so many strands together in a remarkably complete documentation of all sources, Larsens work stands as difficult to refute by those intoxicated with the fable that anthropology is of its nature secular, that all religion is illogical and beyond analytical remit, save to destroy it and that faith is incompatible with the good works of the discipline. * New Blackfriars *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Introduction: Anthropology, History, and Doubt ; 1. Edward Burnett Tylor ; 2. James George Frazer ; 3. E. E. Evans-Pritchard ; 4. Mary Douglas ; 5. Victor Turner and Edith Turner ; Epilogue: The Ever-Recurring Drama ; Works Cited
£47.02
Oxford University Press Drama of the Divine Economy
Book SynopsisThe theology of creation interconnected with virtually every aspect of early Christian thought, from Trinitarian doctrine to salvation to ethics. Paul M. Blowers provides an advanced introduction to the multiplex relation between Creator and creation as an object both of theological construction and religious devotion in the early church. While revisiting the polemical dimension of Christian responses to Greco-Roman philosophical cosmology and heterodox Gnostic and Marcionite traditions on the origin, constitution, and destiny of the cosmos, Blowers focuses more substantially on the positive role of patristic theological interpretation of Genesis and other biblical creation texts in eliciting Christian perspectives on the multifaceted relation between Creator and creation. Greek, Syriac, and Latin patristic commentators, Blowers argues, were ultimately motivated less by purely cosmological concerns than by the urge to depict creation as the enduring creative and redemptive strategy of Trade ReviewBlower has responded to the need for an overarching and articulate treatment of early Christian doctrines of creation. The book he has produced shows us that a sound knowledge of these doctrines is crucial to thinking about theology more generally, both ancient and modern. * Thomas E. Hunt, Theology *An eloquent epilogue ... recapitulates the main theme rounding off a fine book. ... I do not think that it could be much better composed. * Lionel Wickham, Journal of Ecclesiastical History *Table of Contents1. Introduction ; 2. Legacies of Greco-Roman Cosmological Wisdom ; 3. Legacies of Hellenistic Jewish Cosmological Wisdom ; 4. The Shaping of Normative Discourse about Creator and Creation in Pre-Nicene Christianity ; 5. Creation in the Mirror of Scripture I: Patristic Approaches to the Genesis Creation Story ; 6. Toward a Christian Theology of the Beginning (and End) of the World ; 7. Creation in the Mirror of Scripture II: Patristic Approaches to the Biblical Witnesses beyond Genesis ; 8. Christ the Creator and the Creator Spirit: The Drama of the Incarnation and the Remaking of Creation ; 9. Performing Faith in the Creator: The Drama of the Divine Economy as the Framework of Devotional and Ritual Practices in the Early Church ; Epilogue: Drama of the Divine Economy
£178.12
Oxford University Press, USA Karl Barth on Theology and Philosophy
Book SynopsisKarl Barth is often assumed to have been hostile to philosophy, wilfully ignorant of it, or too indebted to its conclusions for his own theological good. These truisms of twentieth-century theology are challenged in this original and comprehensive account of Barth''s understanding of the relationship between theology and philosophy. Drawing upon a range of material from Barth''s earliest writings (1909) up until interviews and roundtable discussions that took place shortly before his death (1968), Kenneth Oakes offers a developmental account of Barth''s thoughts on philosophy and theology. Beginning with the nineteenth-century intellectual background to Barth''s earliest theology, Oakes presents the young and ''liberal'' Barth''s understanding of the relationship between theology and philosophy and then tracks this understanding throughout the rest of Barth''s career. While Barth never finally settled on a single, fixed account of theology and philosophy, there was still a great deal oTable of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. The Earlier Barth ; 2. Reading Paul amidst and after the Great War ; 3. Philosophy, Preaching, and Prolegomena ; 4. The Roaring Later Twenties ; 5. Barth s Third Prolegomenon ; 6. Philosophy, Ethics, Creation ; 7. After Thoughts ; Conclusion: The Positive Protest
£137.75
Oxford University Press Divine Evil
Book SynopsisAdherents of the Abrahamic religions have traditionally held that God is morally perfect and unconditionally deserving of devotion, obedience, love, and worship. The Jewish, Christian, and Islamic scriptures tell us that God is compassionate, merciful, and just. As is well-known, however, these same scriptures contain passages that portray God as wrathful, severely punitive, and jealous. Critics furthermore argue that the God of these scriptures commends bigotry, misogyny, and homophobia, condones slavery, and demands the adoption of unjust laws-for example, laws that mandate the death penalty for adultery and rebellion against parents, and laws institutionalizing in various ways the diverse kinds of bigotry and oppression just mentioned. In recent days, these sorts of criticisms of the Hebrew Bible have been raised in new and forceful ways by philosophers, scientists, social commentators, and others. This volume brings together eleven original essays representing the views of both criTrade Reviewthe book contains a variety of theistic approaches to dealing with the problem of divine evil. ... Whatever one makes of divine evil, this book most certainly promotes the human good. * Stewart Goetz, Mind *Table of ContentsPHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES; I: PROBLEMS PRESENTED; II: SOLUTIONS PROPOSED; THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES; CONCLUDING REMARKS
£50.35
Oxford University Press Predicament of Belief
Book SynopsisDoes it make sense - can it make sense - for someone who appreciates the explanatory power of modern science to continue believing in a traditional religious account of the ultimate nature and purpose of our universe? This book is intended for those who care about that question and are dissatisfied with the rigid dichotomies that dominate the contemporary debate. The extremists won''t be interested - those who assume that science answers all the questions that matter, and those so certain of their religious faith that dialogue with science, philosophy, or other faith traditions seems unnecessary. But far more people today recognize that matters of faith are complex, that doubt is endemic to belief, and that dialogue is indispensable in our day. In eight probing chapters, the authors of The Predicament of Belief consider the most urgent reasons for doubting that religious claims - in particular, those embedded in the Christian tradition - are likely to be true. They develop a version ofTrade ReviewOne cannot fail to admire the unfailing lucidity of the writing, the plangent honesty of the exploration, and the authors untiring determination to consider every direction in which the argument may take them. * Neil Spurway, ESSSAT News & Reviews *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. Reasons for Doubt ; 2. The Ultimate Reality ; 3. Divine Action and the Argument from Neglect ; 4. The Plurality of Religions ; 5. The Scandal of Particularity, Part I: The Resurrection Testimony ; 6. The Scandal of Particularity, Part II: Jesus and the Ultimate Reality ; 7. Doubt and Belief ; 8. The Spectrum of Belief and the Question of the Church
£21.37
Oxford University Press, USA 2 Clement Introduction Text and Commentary Oxford Apostolic Fathers
Book SynopsisThe first major commentary on the text of 2 Clement since J.B. Lightfoot's magisterial work in the 19th century. Provides a new edition of the Greek text, together with an English translation; in addition there is a full Introduction and a detailed commentary on the Greek text.Table of ContentsI. INTRODUCTION ; 1. Manuscripts ; 2. Attestation ; 3. Authorship ; 4. Genre ; 5. Literary Unity ; 6. Citations ; 7. Opponents ; 8. Place and Date of Writing ; 9. Theology ; II. TEXT AND TRANSLATION ; III. COMMENTARY
£227.50
OUP Oxford The Oxford Handbook of Methodist Studies
Book SynopsisWith the decision to provide of a scholarly edition of the Works of John Wesley in the 1950s, Methodist Studies emerged as a fresh academic venture. Building on the foundation laid by Frank Baker, Albert Outler, and other pioneers of the discipline, this handbook provides an overview of the best current scholarship in the field. The forty-two included essays are representative of the voices of a new generation of international scholars, summarising and expanding on topical research, and considering where their work may lead Methodist Studies in the future.Thematically ordered, the handbook provides new insights into the founders, history, structures, and theology of Methodism, and into ongoing developments in the practice and experience of the contemporary movement. Key themes explored include worship forms, mission, ecumenism, and engagement with contemporary ethical and political debate.Trade ReviewThis volume on Methodist Studies in the Oxford Handbook series will not disappoint... [it] will remain an essential reference book for many years to come * Mary Tanner, Church Times *This is a huge, delicious book ... it is a superb collection of essays, of which Methodists from all countries may be justly proud. * Barrie Tabraham, Journal of Ecclesiastical History *Table of ContentsI: HISTORY OF METHODISM ; II: ECCLESIA FORMS AND STRUCTURES ; III: WORSHIP, SACRAMENTS, LITURGY, HYMNODY, MUSIC, PREACHING ; IV:SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES, EVANGELISM, MISSION, ECUMENISM ; V: THEOLOGY ; VI: ETHICS AND POLITICS
£36.99
OUP USA The Oxford Handbook of Eschatology
Book SynopsisFrom the rapid expansion of fundamentalist forms of Christianity, with their focus on the end times; to the proliferation of apocalyptic new religious movements; to the recent (and very public) debates about suicide, euthanasia, martyrdom, and paradise in Islam, interest in eschatology is once again dramatically on the rise. This expansive handbook offers thirty-nine chapters exploring the diverse terrain of eschatology's past, present, and future-providinginformative insights on heaven, hell, and everything in between. This volume will prove to be the primary resource for students, scholars, and others interested in questions of our ultimate existence.Trade Reviewprovides an important, head-on, critical analysis of eschatology from biblical, historical, theological, philosophical and cultural disciplines and is relevant for practitioners of these perspectives. * Quaker Studies *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION BY JERRY L. WALLS; I. HISTORICAL ESCHATOLOGY; A. BIBLICAL AND PATRISTIC ESCHATOLOGY; B. ESCHATOLOGY IN WORLD RELIGIONS; II. ESCHATOLOGY IN DISTINCT CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS AND THEOLOGICAL MOVEMENTS; III. ISSUES IN ESCHATOLOGY; A. THEOLOGICAL ISSUES; B. PHILOSOPHICAL AND CULTURAL ISSUES; CONCLUSION
£54.15
Oxford University Press Divine Mother Blessed Mother
Book SynopsisThe Virgin Mary has long been the object of both devotional and scholarly interest, and recent years have seen a proliferation of studies on Hindu goddess-worship traditions.Trade ReviewMany have looked forward to this kind of book for years....Reading each of the paired texts allows for extraordinary illumination between the two, as the author gives close textual analyses dealing with theology, the use of images, and textual and ritual structures. A final essay is especially valuable, as it focuses on some of the larger, broader questions of goddess worship. * CHOICE *...a notable achievement. It allows new questions to flow about the nature of the divine, letting gender issues take their rightful place in mutually enriching conversation. * WATERwheel *Divine Mother, Blessed Mother is a groundbreaking study of comparative theology as well as a beautiful book to enjoy, a work that appears to be as much the fruit of devotion and meditation as of scholarship and philosophical reflection. * Theological Studies *Francis X. Clooney, S.J., once again demonstrates the value of a comparative approach to theology. Through a close textual analysis of particular hymns from each tradition, this study of Hindu goddess traditions in relation to Christian understandings of Mary reveals fresh insight into both traditions and raises new questions to each. Entering both into the vigorous contemporary discussion of gender and divinity, and into the largely intra-Roman Catholic discussion of the historical and symbolic dimensions of Mary's role, Clooney's work is both substantive and provocative. I expect it will engender lively and productive dialogue. * Mary E. Hines, Emmanuel College *Divine Mother, Blessed Mother is a signal contribution to the growing theological literature on goddesses. Indebted to feminist scholarship and promoting women's well-being, Francis X. Clooney provides a close reading of Hindu and Christian texts, offering an elegant, accessible, and insightful treatment of Sri, Devi, Apirami, and Mary. His genius is in sparking their mutual conversation on their own terms. Clooney invites the reader in, and lets the theological implications flow as they will. Interreligious work is enriched immeasurably by this creative contribution. * Mary E. Hunt, Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual *Francis Clooney is virtually unique in the field of Hindu Studies as a Catholic theologian with the linguistic and philosophical expertise necessary to produce sophisticated comparative analyses. Written at the intersection of feminist studies, Hindu theology, and Catholic theology, Divine Mother, Blessed Mother is a juxtaposition of three Hindu goddess-centered and three Catholic Marian texts with the aim of investigating the relationship of gender imagery to the practical purpose of liberation. This is an invitation for feminists to view male-authored depictions of sensuous female figures as potentially undermining, not expressive, of patriarchal values; for Catholics to gain empathy for Hindu goddess worship; and for scholars of comparative religion to learn from a master of the art. * Rachel Fell McDermott, Barnard College *Table of Contents1 Sri, Devi, Apirami, and Mary: Who and Why ; 2 Sri in the Sri Guna Ratna Kosa: Divine Equality, Divine Pleasure; in Light of the Akathistos ; 3 Devi in the Saundarya Lahari: From Bliss to Beauty; in Light of the Stabat Mater ; 4 Apirami in the Apirami Antati: Finding Her Within; in Light of the Mataracamman Antati ; 5 Three Hindu Goddesses, Mary, and Reading Ahead ; Glossary ; Notes ; Works Cited ; Index
£37.04
Oxford University Press The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture
Book SynopsisVictors not only write history: they also reproduce the texts. Bart Ehrman explores the close relationship between the social history of early Christianity and the textual tradition of the emerging New Testament, examining how early struggles between Christian heresy and orthodoxy affected the transmission of the documents over which many of the debates were waged. He makes a crucial contribution to our understanding of the social and intellectual history of early Christianity and raises intriguing questions about the relationship of readers to their texts, especially in an age when scribes could transform the documents they reproduced. This edition includes a new afterword surveying research in biblical interpretation over the past twenty years.Trade Reviewa fine summary of Ehrman's developed thinking and concerns, and as such a valuable contribution to the general discourse on the aims, methods, and limitations of textual criticism. * Dirk Jongkind, Churchman *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION; BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SECONDARY WORKS CITED; INDEX OF SCRIPTURE; INDEX OF MODERN AUTHORS; INDEX OF SUBJECTS AND ANCIENT SOURCES
£40.84
Oxford University Press Inc The Transmission of Sin
Book SynopsisOriginally published in Italian in 1978, Pier Franco Beatrice's The Transmission of Sin is a study of the origins of the doctrine of original sin, one of the most important teachings of the Catholic Church.Trade ReviewBeatrice's book makes a significant contribution to the study of original sin. Any serious student of Augustine or the doctrines of humanity or sin should consult this work. * Adam Harwood, The Journal for Baptist Theology and Ministry *This is an excellent work and based on thorough research and scholarship * Isabella Image, Biblical and Early Christian Studies *...a compelling read. * Dominic Keech, Augustiniana *Table of ContentsPreface to the English Edition ; Translator's Note ; Abbreviations ; Introduction ; Part I: The Doctrine of Original Sin in Its Augustinian Formulation ; Chapter 1: The Pelagian Critique of the Doctrine of Original Sin ; Chapter 2: Original Sin and Its Consequences ; Chapter 3: The Essence and Transmission of Original Sin ; Chapter 4: Infant Baptism and Original Sin ; Part II: The Biblical and Patristic Tradition according to Augustine ; Chapter 5: The Biblical Testimonia ; Chapter 6: Sin and Death in the Theology of Paul ; Chapter 7: Augustine and Ambrosiaster ; Chapter 8: Ambrose and Cyprian, Masters of Augustine ; Chapter 9: Chrysostom, Augustine, and the Pelagians ; Part III: The Origin and Development of the 'Augustinian' Doctrine of Original Sin ; Chapter 10: The 'Legacy of Adam' in Greek Theology from the Second to the Fourth Century ; Chapter 11: The Encratite Origin of the 'Augustinian' Doctrine of Original Sin ; Chapter 12: The Concept of Original Sin as Popular and Manichean Heresy ; Chapter 13: Traducianism, Original Sin, and Infant Baptism in the West ; Chapter 14: Rome and Carthage: Two Traditions Compared ; Conclusion: Towards a New History of the Augustinian Doctrine of Original Sin ; Bibliography ; Supplement to the Bibliography (2011)
£97.38
Oxford University Press, USA Good God
Book SynopsisMoral arguments for God''s existence have undergone something of a resurgence in recent years. For quite a while they were out of vogue for a variety of reasons, but recent advances in the philosophy of language and philosophical and natural theology have reinvigorated moral apologetics. This is the first book to consolidate these gains into one coherent treatment, which will rigorously demonstrate to a wide readership how effectively various objections to moral apologetics have been answered. The authors show how strides in answering the problem of evil, the Euthyphro Dilemma, and epistemic vacuity and arbitrariness challenges to theistic ethics make possible a compelling cumulative moral argument that can greatly contribute to the rational case for God''s existence--and God''s goodness. The authors hope to reach a readership of not just philosophers, apologists, and theologians, but bright college students up through graduate school and beyond. Christians and non-Christians alike, thTrade Reviewsolid philosophical quality * John Cottingham, The TLS *Table of ContentsForeword by Thomas V. Morris ; Introduction ; 1. Moral Apologia ; 2. The Euthyphro Dilemma ; 3. Naming the Whirlwind ; 4. A Reformed Tradition Not Quite Right ; 5. God and Goodness ; 6. Divine Command Theory ; 7. Abhorrent Commands ; 8. The Problem of Evil ; 9. Knowing God's Will ; 10. Conclusion Eternity ; Appendix A: Answering the Extended Arbitrariness Objection to Divine Command Theory ; Appendix B: Outrageous Evil and the Hope of Healing ; Index
£34.67
Oxford University Press Ravished by Beauty
Book SynopsisIn this novel exploration of Reformed spirituality, Belden C. Lane uncovers a green theology that celebrates a community of jubilant creatures of all languages and species. Lane reveals an ecologically sensitive Calvin who spoke of himself as ''''ravished'''' by the earth''s beauty. He speaks of Puritans who fostered a ''''lusty'''' spirituality in which Christ figured as a lover who encouraged meditation on the wonders of creation. He presents a Jonathan Edwards who urged a sensuous ''''enjoyment'''' of God''s beauty as the only real way of knowing God.Lane argues for the ''''double irony'''' of Reformed spirituality, showing that Calvinists who often seem prudish and proper are in fact a people of passionate desire. Similarly, Reformed Christians who appear totally focused on divine transcendence turn out at times to be closet nature mystics, exulting in God''s glory everywhere. Lane also demonstrates, however, that a spirituality of desire can be derailed, ending in sexual excess anTrade ReviewLane scores on every shot . . . In addition to rich quotes from others, Lane offers his own memorable thoughts, his words elegant as brocade in color and texture, scholarly but never stultifying. * Publishers Weekly *Table of ContentsPrologue: Ring Lake Ranch, Wyoming ; Chapter One: The Double Irony of Reformed Spirituality: Nature, Desire and the Easily-Diverted Quest for God's Beauty ; Landscapes of Desire: The Whole World Singing: A Journey to Iona and Taize ; Chapter Two: John Calvin on the World as a Theater of God's Glory ; Landscapes of Desire: Can We Chant Psalms with All God's Creatures? ; Chapter Three: Nature and Desire in Seventeenth-Century Puritanism ; Landscapes of Desire: Open the Kingdom for a Cottonwood Tree ; Chapter Four: The Schooling of Desire: Nature's Purifying Role in Affliction ; Landscapes of Desire: Biodiversity and the Holy Trinity ; Chapter Five: Jonathan Edwards on Beauty, Desire, and the Sensory World ; Landscapes of Desire: On Pilgrimage with Jonathan Edwards ; Chapter Six: Transformed by Beauty: Environmental Ethics and the Wildness of God ; Epilogue: Dead Creek, East Saint Louis
£42.27
Oxford University Press Debating Christian Theism
Book SynopsisChristian theism and apologetics is an increasingly significant area of research and dialogue. This volume comprises groundbreaking dialogues by many of the most prominent scholars in the field in a definitive treatment of central issues in theism and Christian faith. The essays are ecumenical and broadly Christian, in the spirit of C.S. Lewis''s Mere Christianity, and feature lucid and up-to-date material designed to engage students and others in contemporary theistic and Christian issues. The first half of the volume includes dialogues about God''s existence and the coherence of theism. The second moves beyond generic theism to address significant debates over such specifically Christian doctrines as the Trinity and the resurrection of Jesus. Debating Christian Theism provides an ideal starting point for students, scholars, and anyone seeking to understand the current issues and developments with respect to discussions in Christian theism and apologetics.Trade ReviewAccessible to educated readers and advanced undergraduate students, this volume provides a handy summary of key positions in important debates. * CHOICE *Debating Christian Theism contains new essays on central topics by a number of distinguished scholars. It should not only prove of general interest but would provide an excellent supplemental text for undergraduate and graduate courses in philosophy of religion or theology. * William Wainwright, author of Religion and Morality *Pro/con pairs of essays, fairness, high-level discussion, rare breadth-all these combine to make this book an excellent representation of, and addition to, current debates regarding Christian theism. * Keith E. Yandell, author of Philosophy of Religion *Table of ContentsContributors ; Introduction ; PART I - DEBATES ABOUT GOD'S EXISTENCE ; A Cosmological Argument ; 1. The Kalam Argument - William Lane Craig ; 2. Doubts about the Kalam Argument - Wes Morriston ; A Teleological Fine-Tuning Argument ; 3. The Fine-Tuning Evidence is Convincing - Robin Collins ; 4. The Universe Shows No Evidence for Design - Victor J. Stenger ; An Ontological Argument ; 5. A Modal Version of the Ontological Argument - E.J. Lowe ; 6. Lowe on "The Ontological Argument" - Graham Oppy ; A Moral Argument ; 7. Ethics Needs God - Paul Copan ; 8. The Failure of Moral Arguments - Louise Antony ; An Argument from Consciousness ; 9. The Argument from Consciousness - J. P. Moreland ; 10. Consciousness, Theism, and Naturalism - Graham Oppy ; The Coherence of Theism: Part 1 ; 11. Problems with Omnipotence - Nicholas Everitt ; 12. Coherence of Divine Power - Charles Taliaferro ; The Coherence of Theism: Part 2 ; 13. Problems with Omniscience - Patrick Grim ; 14. The Coherence of Omniscience - Jerome Gellman ; The Problem of Evil ; 15. Evil as Evidence against God - Richard M. Gale ; 16. God and Evil - Chad Meister ; Evolution and Belief in God ; 17. Bayes and the Evolution of Religious Belief - Joseph Bulbulia ; 18. Evolutionary Accounts of Religion and the Justification of Religious Belief - Michael Murray and Jeffrey Schloss ; The Nature of Human Beings ; 19. Human Persons are Material and Immaterial (Body and Soul) - Stewart Goetz ; 20. Human Persons are Material Only - Kevin Corcoran ; PART II - DEBATES ABOUT SPECIFIC CHRISTIAN BELIEFS ; Miracles and Christian Theism ; 21. Christianity and Miracles - Paul Moser ; 22. It is Not Reasonable to Believe in Miracles - Evan Fales ; Science and Christian Faith ; 23. Science is at Odds with Christianity - Julian Baggini ; 24. Science is Not at Odds with Christianity - Keith Ward ; The Doctrine of the Trinity ; 25. The Doctrine of the Trinity is Coherent - Thomas D. Senor ; 26. The Trinity is Incoherent - Timothy Winter ; The Atonement ; 27. Responsibility, Atonement, and Forgiveness - Richard Swinburne ; 28. Problems with the Doctrine of Atonement - John Hick ; The Incarnation ; 29. An Anselmian Defense of the Incarnation - Katherin A. Rogers ; 30. The Incarnation Doctrine is Incoherent and Unlikely - Michael Martin ; The Historical Reliability of the New Testament ; 31. The Gospels are Reliable as Historically Factual Accounts - Stephen T. Davis ; 32. The Gospels are Reliable as Memory and Testimony - Marcus Borg ; The Historical Jesus ; 33. The Christ of Faith is Not the Jesus of History - Stephen J. Patterson ; 34. The Christ of Faith is the Jesus of History - Craig A. Evans ; The Resurrection of Jesus ; 35. Jesus Did Rise From the Dead - Gary Habermas ; 36. Jesus Did Not Rise From the Dead - James Crossley ; Only One Way to God? ; 37. Jesus is the Only Way to God - Harold Netland ; 38. There are Many Ways to God - Paul Knitter ; Heaven and Hell ; 39. It is Reasonable to Believe in Heaven and Hell - Jerry L. Walls ; 40. It is Not Reasonable to Believe in Heaven and Hell - Keith Parsons ; Index
£45.59
Oxford University Press Jacob Arminius Theologian Of Grace
Book SynopsisJacob Arminius (1559-1609) is one of the few theologians in the history of Christianity who has lent his name to a significant theological movement. The dissemination of his thought throughout Europe, Great Britain, and North America, along with the appeal of his ideas in current Protestant evangelical spheres (whether rightly understood or misunderstood), continue to attract both scholarly and popular attention. Keith Stanglin and Thomas McCall''s Jacob Arminius offers a constructive synthesis of the current state of Arminius studies. There is a chasm separating technical, scholarly discussions of Arminius and popular-level appeals to his thought. The authors seek to bridge the scholarly and general discussions, providing an account based on interaction with all the primary sources and latest secondary research that will be helpful to the scholar as well as comprehensible and relevant to the undergraduate student. The authors describe key elements of Arminius'' theology with careful attention to its proper context; they also explore the broader theological implications of his views.Trade ReviewStanglin and McCall present an appropriate and instructive balance between reflection on Arminius' theology and attention to his life. ... this book is a readable volume for the target audience and appropriate for a textbook. * Graham Burkhart, Wesley and Methodist Studies *Jacob Arminius is a notable achievement, the fruit of careful historical work. * David C. Cramer, Trinity Journal *Table of ContentsAbbreviations ; Chronology ; Introduction ; Chapter 1: The Making of a Theologian ; Chapter 2: God and Creation ; Chapter 3: Providence and Predestination ; Chapter 4: Sin and Salvation ; Conclusion ; Appendix ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index
£38.94
Oxford University Press Taking the Long View
Book SynopsisTaking the Long View argues in a series of engagingly written essays that remembering the past is essential for men and women who want to function effectively in the present. Without some knowledge of their own past neither individuals nor institutions know where they have been or where they are going. The book illustrates its thesis with tough-minded examples from the Church''s life and thought, ranging from more abstract problems like the theoretical role of historical criticism to such painfully concrete issues as the commandment of Jesus to forgive unforgivable wrongs.Trade ReviewDavid Steinmetz is one of our most distinguished Reformation historians, with an enviable track record of explaining the complexities of the period with elegant clarity. ... This colelction of essays, mostly light-footnoted, is directed to an American Protestant churchgoing audience, but will much profit many beyond that constituency, including undergraduates beginning to study the period. * Diarmaid MacCulloch, Journal of Ecclesiastical History *Table of Contents01 - The Superiority of Pre-critical Exegesis 02 - Miss Marple Reads the Bible 03 - Inclusive Language and the Trinity 04 - Creator God 05 - Mary Reconsidered 06 - The Catholic Luther 07 - Starting Over: Reformation and Conversion 08 - Forgiving the Unforgivable Wrong 09 - The Domestication of Prophecy 10 - The Learned Ministry Revisited 11 - Marriage, Celibacy, and Ordination 12 - Christ and the Eucharist 13 - World Christianity under New Management 14 - Religion in the Public Square 15 - The Necessity of the Past 16 - Taking the Long View 17 - Concluding Notes for a Pilgrim People 18 - Appendix - Footnotes to an Old Complaint
£31.82
Oxford University Press AlGhazalis Philosophical Theology
Book SynopsisThe Muslim thinker al-Ghazali (d. 1111) was one of the most influential theologians and philosophers of Islam and has been considered an authority in both Western and Islamic philosophical traditions. Born in northeastern Iran, he held the most prestigious academic post in Islamic theology in Baghdad, only to renounce the position and teach at small schools in the provinces for no money. His contributions to Islamic scholarship range from responding to the challenges of Aristotelian philosophy to creating a new type of Islamic mysticism and integrating both these traditions-falsafa and Sufism-into the Sunni mainstream.This book offers a comprehensive study of al-Ghazali''s life and his understanding of cosmology-how God creates things and events in the world, how human acts relate to God''s power, and how the universe is structured. Frank Griffel presents a serious revision of traditional views on al-Ghazali, showing that his most important achievement was the creation of a new rationaTrade ReviewThis work of historical theology is essential reading for those wanting to understand with new depth and clarity the life and teachings of al-Ghazali. * American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences *Table of ContentsTimetable ; Introduction ; Chapter One: A Life Between Public and Private Instruction: Al-Ghazali's Biography The Main Sources for Ghazali's Biography ; Chapter Two: Al-Ghazali's Most Influential Students and Followers ; Chapter Three: Al-Ghazali On the Role of falsafa in Islam ; Chapter Four: The Reconciliation of Reason and Revelation Through the "Rule of Interpretation" ; Chapter Five: Cosmology in Early Islam-Developments that Led to al-Ghazali's Incoherence of the Philosophers ; Chapter Six: The Seventeenth Discussion of the Incoherence of the Philosophers ; Chapter Seven: Knowledge of Causal Connections is Necessary ; Chapter Eight: Causes and Effects in the Revival of the Religious Sciences ; Chapter Nine: Cosmology in Works Written After the Revival ; Conclusion ; Notes ; Bibliography ; General Index ; Index of Works by al-Ghazali ; Index of Manuscripts ; Index of Verses in the Qur'an
£42.74
Oxford University Press Created Equal How the Bible Broke with Ancient Political Thought
Book SynopsisIn Created Equal, Joshua Berman engages the text of the Hebrew Bible from a novel perspective--as a document of social and political thought. He proposes that the Pentateuch can be read as the earliest prescription on record for the establishment of an egalitarian polity.Trade Reviewfor the gutsiness of his intellectual convictions and for playing a major role in bringing the harvest of biblical scholarship to a much broader audience, we are in Joshua Berman's debt. * Bernard M. Levinson, Journal of Theological Studies *Table of ContentsList of Abbreviations ; Introduction ; Chapter One: Egalitarian Theology: The Commoner's Upgrade from King's Servant to Servant King ; Chapter Two: Egalitarian Politics: Constitution, Class, and the Book of Deuteronomy ; Chapter Three: Egalitarianism and Assets: God the Economist ; Chapter Four: Egalitarian Technology: Alphabet, Text, and Class ; Chapter Five: Egalitarianism and the Evolution of Narrative: The Rescue of Moses (Exodus 2:1-10) and the Sargon Legend Compared ; Conclusion: Egalitarianisms Ancient and Modern ; Notes ; Select Bibliography ; Index of Scriptural References ; Subject Index
£37.52
Oxford University Press Martin Luther King Jr. and the Image of God
Book SynopsisScholars universally acknowledge the role that Christian belief played in the social movement engendered by Martin Luther King Jr. Yet few have actually delved into the complexity of King''s theology itself. The centrality of one aspect of his theology in particular - imago Dei, the belief that human beings are made in God''s image - has been surprisingly overlooked.In this book, Richard W. Wills Sr. offers a comprehensive analysis of King''s appeal for civil rights by investigating his understanding of imago Dei. Wills begins by tracing the evolution of this idea through the history of Christian thought, showing the intellectual sources King drew on in constructing his own beliefs. Wills then demonstrates how King employed this idea in his civil rights work. The belief that we are all made in God''s image was crucial, Wills shows, to King''s understanding of human nature and equality. While King shared with many of his black church forebears the view that humanity''s creation by God wTrade ReviewRichard Wills's Martin Luther King Jr. and the Image of God is the most illuminating account to date of the central theological themes in King's life and thought. King emerges as a skillful and synthetic thinker and practitioner who stands in continuity not only with the Hebrew prophets and the radical Jesus but with the seminal theological minds of the Christian tradition. And in reconnecting King to the religious past, Wills offers new ways of appropriating King's legacy as a resource for contemporary religious thought and social activism. * Charles Marsh, Director of the Project on Lived Theology and Professor of Religious Studies, University of Virginia *Christian anthropology asks the big questions: Who are we? What ought we to do? What might we become? Martin Luther King raised the same questions-and answered them in ways that have challenged succeeding generations. Richard Wills brings a wealth of data and insight to his portrait of King the theologian. He reminds us that under King's leadership the Movement was bursting not only with political promise but theological meaning as well. This is a carefully nuanced, yet exciting book. * Richard Lischer, author of The Preacher King: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Word that Moved America *Richard Wills' eagerly-awaited book offers a truly original perspective on one of the best known religious figures of the past hundred years. It is a helpful introduction to King's religious thought that will reward beginners and specialists alike. It deserves a wide audience. * Clayborne Carson, Professor of History and Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, Stanford University *It turns out that there is indeed more to say about the theology of our nation's greatest civil rights leader. Wills makes exceptionally good use of the King archives, leaving no stone unturned in the quest for clarifying how King honed a theology in service of racial justice. . . as a fresh reconsideration of the theology of one of America's greatest public figures, this volume is enormously successful. * Horizons *Table of ContentsPrologue ; Part 1. Historical Explication ; I. The Historical Context ; II. The Host of Witnesses ; Part 2. Theological Meditation ; III. King As Critical Thinker ; IV. King Among Theologians ; V. Theological Implications ; Part 3. Practical Application ; VI. Beloved Community ; VII. Beloved Community and Beyond ; Epilogue
£37.04
Oxford University Press The Other Christs
Trade Reviewa thorough and wide-ranging book. * Benjamin H. Dunning, Journal of the American Academy of Religion *Table of ContentsAbbreviations ; Introduction ; Chapter 1: Suffering Like Christ ; Chapter 2: The Martyr as Alter Christus ; Chapter 3: The Savior Martyr ; Chapter 4: The Martyr's Heaven ; Chapter 5: The Martyr as Divine Heir ; Conclusion ; Appendix ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index
£37.04