Anselm's Pursuit of Joy

Anselm's Pursuit of Joy
Author: Gavin R. Ortlund
Publisher: Catholic University of America Press
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2020-05-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0813232759

The interpretation of Anselm of Canterbury’s Proslogion has a long and rich tradition. However, its study is often narrowly focused on its so-called “ontological argument.” As a result, engagement with the text of this work tends to be lopsided, and the prayerful purpose that undergirds the whole book is often completely ignored. Even the most rigorous engagements with the Proslogion often have little to say, for instance, about how the prayers of Proslogion 1, 14, and 18 contribute materially to Anselm’s argument, or how his doctrine of God develops organically from the divine formula in the early chapters to the doctrines of eternity, simplicity, and Trinity in later chapters. There are very few works that offer a sustained analysis to Anselm’s flow of thought throughout the entire Proslogion, and no one has explored how Anselm’s doctrine of creaturely joy in heaven in Proslogion 24-26 is a fitting climax and resolution to the book. Anselm’s Pursuit of Joy attempts a sustained, chapter-by-chapter textual analysis of the Proslogion, and offers the first effort to situate Anselm’s doctrine of heaven in Proslogion 24-26 as the climax of the earlier themes of Anselm’s work. Gavin Ortlund suggests that the basic purpose of Anselm’s argument in the Proslogion is to seek the visio Dei that he articulates as his soul’s deepest desire (Proslogion 1). While Anselm’s argument for God’s existence (Proslogion 2-4) is an important piece of this effort, it is only one step of a larger trajectory of thought that leads Anselm to meditate further on God’s nature as the highest good of the human soul (Proslogion 5-23), and then to anticipate the joy of possessing God in heaven (Proslogion 24-26). In other words, the establishment of God’s existence is only the penultimate consequence of Anselm’s famous formula “that than which nothing greater can be thought”—his ultimate concern is with the infinite creaturely joy that is entailed by his existence. The Proslogion is, far more than an argument for God’s existence, a meditation on God as the chief happiness of the human soul.

To Gaze upon God

To Gaze upon God
Author: Samuel Parkison
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 155
Release: 2024-09-03
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1514007673

Though the doctrine of the beatific vision has woefully been forgotten in the church today, Samuel Parkison argues that the beatific vision is central for the life of the church today. Through close readings of Aquinas, Dante, Calvin, and more, Parkison reminds us of the beatific vision's historical and contemporary significance.

Why God Makes Sense in a World That Doesn't

Why God Makes Sense in a World That Doesn't
Author: Gavin Ortlund
Publisher: Baker Academic
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2021-10-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1493432451

It has never been more important to articulate the wonder and enchantment of the Christian message. Yet the traditional approaches of apologetics are often outmoded in an age of profound disenchantment and distraction, unable to meet this pressing need. This winsome apologetics book for a new generation makes the case that Christianity offers a compelling explanatory framework for making sense of our world. Pastor and writer Gavin Ortlund believes it is essential to appeal not only to the mind but also to the heart and the imagination as we articulate the beauty of the gospel. Why God Makes Sense in a World That Doesn't reimagines four classical theistic arguments--cosmological, teleological, moral, and Christological--making a cumulative case for God as the best framework for understanding the storied nature of reality. The book suggests that Christian theism can explain such things as the elegance of math, the beauty of music, and the value of love. It is suitable for use in classes yet accessibly written, making it a perfect resource for churches and small groups.

Faith Seeking Understanding, Fourth ed.

Faith Seeking Understanding, Fourth ed.
Author: Daniel L. Migliore
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 768
Release: 2023-05-31
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1467466069

An authoritative and beloved textbook, updated for the current generation of theology students. Daniel L. Migliore’s classic theology textbook returns in a new edition, revised and supplemented with fresh material. Faith Seeking Understanding covers fundamental topics for budding theologians, from biblical hermeneutics to the incarnation to the life of faith. As in previous editions, the material culminates in four imaginative dialogues between prominent thinkers to illustrate major theological debates. In addition to updates throughout the text, the fourth edition also includes a new introduction and an additional chapter on Christology. Students will appreciate the textbook’s accessible style, comprehensive reading recommendations, and glossary of theological terms.

Love Become Incarnate: Essays in Honor of Bruce D. Marshall

Love Become Incarnate: Essays in Honor of Bruce D. Marshall
Author: Marcia Colish
Publisher: Emmaus Academic
Total Pages: 393
Release: 2023-01-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1645852709

Love Become Incarnate is a Festschrift in honor of Bruce D. Marshall, Lehman Professor of Christian Doctrine at Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology. Marshall is one of the most significant Catholic theologians in the English-speaking world. His work exemplifies an intentionally Catholic theology that makes fearless use of the fullness of truth—wherever it may be found—in conscious service to the Church. Marshall has made significant contributions to the doctrine of the Trinity, Christology, Pneumatology, ecclesiology, ecumenism, Jewish-Christian dialogue, and fundamental theology. St. Thomas Aquinas has been his most constant theological companion, although he has also advanced our understanding of Saints Augustine and Anselm, John Duns Scotus, Martin Luther, Matthias Joseph Scheeben, Karl Barth, and other major figures. Marshall has carefully developed a unique, powerful, and wide-ranging theology of the primacy of Christ over all things. It is this same Christ who is the love of God become incarnate. This series of essays by Marcia Colish, J. Augustine Di Noia, Paul Griffiths, Reinhard Hütter, Matthew Levering, and others engage and advance Marshall’s ranging contributions to historical and systematic theology.

The Bible and the Pursuit of Happiness

The Bible and the Pursuit of Happiness
Author: Brent A. Strawn
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2012-09-27
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0199795770

Scholars of the social sciences have devoted increasing attention of late to the concept of human happiness, mainly from sociological and psychological perspectives. This groundbreaking volume, which includes twelve essays from scholars of the New Testament, the Old Testament, systematic theology, practical theology, and counseling psychology-along with an extensive introduction and epilogue by the editor-poses a new and exciting question: what is happiness according to the Bible? Informed by developments in positive psychology, the contributions explore representations of happiness throughout the Bible and demonstrate the ways in which they impinge upon both religious and secular understandings of happiness.

Retrieving Augustine's Doctrine of Creation

Retrieving Augustine's Doctrine of Creation
Author: Gavin Ortlund
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2020-07-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0830853251

How might premodern exegesis of Genesis inform Christian debates about creation today? Pastor and theologian Gavin Ortlund retrieves Augustine's reading of Genesis 1-3 and considers how his premodern understanding of creation can help Christians today, shedding light on matters such as evolution, animal death, and the historical Adam and Eve.

The Cambridge Anthology of British Medieval Latin: Volume 2, 1066–1500

The Cambridge Anthology of British Medieval Latin: Volume 2, 1066–1500
Author: Carolinne White
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 542
Release: 2024-01-31
Genre: History
ISBN: 1316953173

This anthology presents in two volumes a series of Latin texts (with English translation) produced in Britain during the period AD 450-1500. Excerpts are taken from Bede and other historians, from the letters of women written from their monasteries, from famous documents such as Domesday Book and Magna Carta, and from accounts and legal documents, all revealing the lives of individuals at home and on their travels across Britain and beyond. It offers an insight into Latin writings on many subjects, showing the important role of Latin in the multilingual society of medieval Britain, in which Latin was the primary language of written communication and record and also developed, particularly after the Norman Conquest, through mutual influence with English and French. The thorough introductions to each volume provide a broad overview of the linguistic and cultural background, while the individual texts are placed in their social, historical and linguistic context.