John R. Betz – författare

The Oxford Handbook of Apophatic Theology offers the most comprehensive overview, in any language, of apophatic or negative theology. Apophaticism is not a distinct branch of theology but refers, rather, to an indispensable feature of engaging in any theological discourse and spiritual practices (usually involving a transformation of the self) that remain sensitive to the radical otherness and unknowability of God. The first part of the Handbook examines the religious and philosophical sources of apophatic theology, i.e., its biblical and Platonic origins. These biblical and philosophical sources became gradually crystalized in specific and plural traditions which are covered in Part II, where authors pay specific attention to the Church Fathers (East and West), major authors from medieval Islam, Judaism, and Christianity (from Eriugena to Julian of Norwich); and from the Reformation and Renaissance to the twentieth century (from Cusanus and Luther to Simone Weil and Erich Przywara). In a final section, key systematic-theological issues are considered, such as apophaticism and its relation to the theology of creation, Trinity, liturgy, and eschatology. This rich collection of essays demonstrates that apophasis is not an armchair exercise in negation, as it is popularly conceived, but a mental discipline, an ascetical practice, embedded in various religious traditions, whose ultimate purpose is our deification (theosis).

After Enlightenment: Hamann as Post-Secular Visionary is a comprehensive introduction to the life and works of eighteenth-century German philosopher, J. G. Hamann, the founding father of what has come to be known as Radical Orthodoxy. Provides a long-overdue, comprehensive introduction to Haman's fascinating life and controversial works, including his role as a friend and critic of Kant and some of the most renowned German intellectuals of the ageFeatures substantial new translations of the most important passages from across Hamann's writings, some of which have never been translated into EnglishExamines Hamann's highly original views on a range of topics, including faith, reason, revelation, Christianity, biblical exegesis, Socrates, theological aesthetics, language, sexuality, religion, politics, and the relationship between Judaism and ChristianityPresents Hamann as the 'founding father' of a distinctly post-modern, post-secular theology and, as such, as an alternative to the 'postmodern triumvirate' of Nietzsche, Heidegger, and DerridaConsiders Hamann's work as a touchtone of modern Jewish-Christian dialogue, in view of debates with his friend Moses MendelssohnExplores Hamann's role as the visionary founder of a 'metacritical' movement that radically calls into question the basic principles of modern secular reason, and thus reprises the debate between those defending Hamann's views and those labeling him the bête noir of the Enlightenment

After Enlightenment: Hamann as Post-Secular Visionary is a comprehensive introduction to the life and works of eighteenth-century German philosopher, J. G. Hamann, the founding father of what has come to be known as Radical Orthodoxy. Provides a long-overdue, comprehensive introduction to Haman's fascinating life and controversial works, including his role as a friend and critic of Kant and some of the most renowned German intellectuals of the ageFeatures substantial new translations of the most important passages from across Hamann's writings, some of which have never been translated into EnglishExamines Hamann's highly original views on a range of topics, including faith, reason, revelation, Christianity, biblical exegesis, Socrates, theological aesthetics, language, sexuality, religion, politics, and the relationship between Judaism and ChristianityPresents Hamann as the 'founding father' of a distinctly post-modern, post-secular theology and, as such, as an alternative to the 'postmodern triumvirate' of Nietzsche, Heidegger, and DerridaConsiders Hamann's work as a touchtone of modern Jewish-Christian dialogue, in view of debates with his friend Moses MendelssohnExplores Hamann's role as the visionary founder of a 'metacritical' movement that radically calls into question the basic principles of modern secular reason, and thus reprises the debate between those defending Hamann's views and those labeling him the bête noir of the Enlightenment

The Prologue of the Gospel of John identifies Jesus Christ as the eternal Word or Logos of the Father, who became flesh for the salvation of the world. Yet the world that Christ saves is his world from the beginning, for he is also the Logos of creation, the one "through whom all things were made" (John 1:3). This divinely revealed claim has profound implications not only for theology but also for metaphysics, whose relation to Christian doctrine was undermined over the course of the twentieth century, such that the Christian faith has become an increasingly private affair rather than a credible account of reality and an invitation to participate more fully in it.With Christ, the Logos of Creation, John Betz seeks to recover a Christ-centered, analogical metaphysics and to establish the indispensability of such metaphysics for Christian theology and the Christian vision of reality. In Part I, he dispels the fog of confusion about analogical metaphysics and addresses the ecumenical issues posed by Karl Barth's famous rejection of the analogia entis. Part II demonstrates how analogical metaphysics helps to explain Christian doctrine and sheds new light on the interrelationship between individual doctrines, including Trinitarian theology, Christology and soteriology, and theological anthropology. In Part III, Betz explores how this analogical perspective can aid in resolving a number of theological disputes, including the metaphysical relationship between nature and grace and the issue of divine humility. Finally, Part IV outlines further directions toward a fully Christological metaphysics that is proportionate both to the challenges of modern theology and the reality of our life in Christ the Logos.