Frances Young previously served as Edward Cadbury Professor of Theology, Dean of Arts, and Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the University of Birmingham. She is the author of The Making of the Creeds (1991), Biblical Exegesis and the Formation of Christian Culture (1997) and Brokenness and Blessing (2007). She is co-editor of The Cambridge History of Early Christian Literature (with Lewis Ayres and Andrew Louth, 2004) and the first volume of The Cambridge History of Christianity (with Margaret M. Mitchell, 2006).

'No-one but Frances Young could have written a book like this. It combines an immense professional expertise in the literature of early Christianity with intense personal and pastoral reflection, an insightful perspective on contemporary theological concerns and an interweaving of sermons and poetic meditations that remind us of Frances's stature as a spiritual guide. It is a book of exceptional human maturity as well as intellectual challenge. Frances Young has always combined these elements in a rare way, but this book is a summation of all that has been most fruitful and nourishing in both her academic and her pastoral ministry. It is a treasury of real wisdom, authoritative and vulnerable.' Rowan Williams, University of Cambridge, and former Archbishop of Canterbury

• Preface; Introduction; 1. From pondering Scripture to the first principles of Christian theology; 2. From cosmology to doxology: reading Genesis alongside Plato and Darwin; 3. From creation to re-creation: nature and the naked ape; 4. From image to likeness: Incarnation and theōsis; 5. From Adam and Eve to Mary and Christ: sin, redemption, atonement; 6. From inspiration to sanctification: discerning the work of the Holy Spirit; 7. From the Church to Mary: towards a critical ecumenism; 8. From dogma to theōria: the Christian God; Epilogue.

Frances Young previously served as Edward Cadbury Professor of Theology, Dean of Arts, and Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the University of Birmingham. She is the author of The Making of the Creeds (1991), Biblical Exegesis and the Formation of Christian Culture (1997) and Brokenness and Blessing (2007). She is co-editor of The Cambridge History of Early Christian Literature (with Lewis Ayres and Andrew Louth, 2004) and the first volume of The Cambridge History of Christianity (with Margaret M. Mitchell, 2006).

'No-one but Frances Young could have written a book like this. It combines an immense professional expertise in the literature of early Christianity with intense personal and pastoral reflection, an insightful perspective on contemporary theological concerns and an interweaving of sermons and poetic meditations that remind us of Frances's stature as a spiritual guide. It is a book of exceptional human maturity as well as intellectual challenge. Frances Young has always combined these elements in a rare way, but this book is a summation of all that has been most fruitful and nourishing in both her academic and her pastoral ministry. It is a treasury of real wisdom, authoritative and vulnerable.' Rowan Williams, University of Cambridge, and former Archbishop of Canterbury

• Preface; Introduction; 1. From pondering Scripture to the first principles of Christian theology; 2. From cosmology to doxology: reading Genesis alongside Plato and Darwin; 3. From creation to re-creation: nature and the naked ape; 4. From image to likeness: Incarnation and theōsis; 5. From Adam and Eve to Mary and Christ: sin, redemption, atonement; 6. From inspiration to sanctification: discerning the work of the Holy Spirit; 7. From the Church to Mary: towards a critical ecumenism; 8. From dogma to theōria: the Christian God; Epilogue.

Frances Young previously served as Edward Cadbury Professor of Theology, Dean of Arts, and Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the University of Birmingham. She is the author of The Making of the Creeds (1991), Biblical Exegesis and the Formation of Christian Culture (1997) and Brokenness and Blessing (2007). She is co-editor of The Cambridge History of Early Christian Literature (with Lewis Ayres and Andrew Louth, 2004) and the first volume of The Cambridge History of Christianity (with Margaret M. Mitchell, 2006).

'No-one but Frances Young could have written a book like this. It combines an immense professional expertise in the literature of early Christianity with intense personal and pastoral reflection, an insightful perspective on contemporary theological concerns and an interweaving of sermons and poetic meditations that remind us of Frances's stature as a spiritual guide. It is a book of exceptional human maturity as well as intellectual challenge. Frances Young has always combined these elements in a rare way, but this book is a summation of all that has been most fruitful and nourishing in both her academic and her pastoral ministry. It is a treasury of real wisdom, authoritative and vulnerable.' Rowan Williams, University of Cambridge, and former Archbishop of Canterbury

• Preface; Introduction; 1. From pondering Scripture to the first principles of Christian theology; 2. From cosmology to doxology: reading Genesis alongside Plato and Darwin; 3. From creation to re-creation: nature and the naked ape; 4. From image to likeness: Incarnation and theōsis; 5. From Adam and Eve to Mary and Christ: sin, redemption, atonement; 6. From inspiration to sanctification: discerning the work of the Holy Spirit; 7. From the Church to Mary: towards a critical ecumenism; 8. From dogma to theōria: the Christian God; Epilogue.