Marcel Sarot – författare

International theologians consider the importance of Christian eschatology - both to the life, authority and hope of the church in the world, and to contemporary life and thought generally. Issues addressed include the understanding of time, the nature of eschatological imagery, the status of apocalyptic and millenarian language, and the political and ecological context of modern eschatology.

An international group of theologians considers the importance of forgiveness and truth in the modern world. Dogmatic and practical theological themes are addressed, including Christology and atonement, forgiving abusive parents, the economics of forgiveness, forgiveness in Northern Ireland and shame, sin, and guilt. Contributors include Deborah van Deusen Hunsinger, Peter Selby, Christopher Jones, Fraser Watts, Peter Sedgwick, Jane Craske, Todd Pokrifka-Joe, Nico Schreurs, Alwyn Thompson, and David Self.

An international group of theologians considers the importance of forgiveness and truth in the modern world. Dogmatic and practical theological themes are addressed, including Christology and atonement, forgiving abusive parents, the economics of forgiveness, forgiveness in Northern Ireland and shame, sin, and guilt. Contributors include Deborah van Deusen Hunsinger, Peter Selby, Christopher Jones, Fraser Watts, Peter Sedgwick, Jane Craske, Todd Pokrifka-Joe, Nico Schreurs, Alwyn Thompson, and David Self.

International theologians consider the importance of Christian eschatology - both to the life, authority and hope of the church in the world, and to contemporary life and thought generally. Issues addressed include the understanding of time, the nature of eschatological imagery, the status of apocalyptic and millenarian language, and the political and ecological context of modern eschatology.

In contemporary discussions, discovering meaning in life is often connected with secular or religious ideas of ‘transcendence’. This book deals with the question whether a conception of God’s transcendence as part of a Christian view of life can offer adequate help in living a meaningful life. After discussing Greek, biblical and Christian conceptions of divine transcendence, the process of ascribing meaning is analysed and its requirements for views of life are spelled out. In dialogue with classical theism, process theism and negative theology, the author proposes a conception of God’s transcendence that can function adequately in living meaningfully in a Christian way. The author also tries to show that this conception has advantages over atheist views in enabling people to find meaning in life. This study makes a distinctive contribution to the doctrine of God, not only by offering a full-blown conception of God’s transcendence, but also through its specific focus on the kind of functionality required by the practice of finding meaning in life.

The book uses scientific discipline of chemistry to inform a Natural Theology. While Natural Theology typically employs scientific analysis from Cosmology, Physics, Mathematics and at times Biology the author extends the subject. He refers to the perception of beauty to provide a conceptual framework linking aspects of Epistemology, Theology and Chemistry. The volume presents a working definition of Natural Theology and a new definition of Beauty that bridges the conceptual gaps between the humanities and the hard sciences.

Though the number of Christians in Western societies is declining, many areas of our daily life are still influenced by Christian thoughts, expressions and images, sometimes without people being aware of it. This volume is about Christ's descent into hell as it appears in The Apostles' Creed 'He descended into hell', the Apostles' Creed professes.But what are Christians who recite this Creed supposed to believe in when they profess their faith in the descent into hell? Or, to put the same question more poignantly, what is at stake if people deny the descent? Would it make any difference if we did not believe in the descent? How did the early Church interpret this belief? What influence has this article of faith had on contemporary theology and culture?Starting with a biblical view, the volume covers the history of theology by discussing the ideas of Augustine, the liturgy of the Early Church, the role of Christ's decent in Franciscan spirituality and in the theology of Thomas Aquinas. It also asks whether similar theological ideas are present in Judaism. In addition, it gauges the meaning of Christ's descent for today by reflecting on pastoral activities and on computer games. The volume concludes with a fundamental theological reflection which systematises and summarises all the material presented in this volume.These and other questions are discussed by theologians against the background of various disciplines: Biblical Studies, History of the Liturgy, Jewish Studies, History of Theology, History of Spirituality, Practical Theology, Cultural Theology and Systematic Theology.Contributors are: Frank Bosman, Toke Elshof, Paul van Geest, Harm Goris, Marcel Poorthuis, Gerard Rouwhorst, Marcel Sarot, William Marie Speelman, and Archibald van Wieringen.

What does it mean when Christians confess that Jesus was ‘born of the Virgin Mary’? This volume of essays, written by an international group of scholars, approaches this question from various perspectives. From examining the Old Testament backgrounds to exploring the Virgin Birth in various traditions and cultures, each chapter offers fresh perspectives. The contributors explore topics ranging from the Pre-Nicene tradition to modern cinematic interpretations, and from the perspectives of renowned theologians to interfaith dialogue with Islam and Hinduism. Engaging and thought-provoking, this volume promises to illuminate the significance of the Virgin Birth across diverse religious and cultural contexts.

In recent years, God's nature and attributes have been the centre of numerous attempts at conceptual clarification and critical reflection. This volume contains, besides an introduction to the method of philosophical theology, essays on God's love, immutability, omnipresence, omniscience, simplicity, (im)passibility and omnipotence. Understanding the Attributes of God is not only a highly readable survey of recent developments in philosophical theology, but also aims at making a distinctive contribution. The authors all belong to the so-called 'Utrecht school' in philosophical theology, whose approach is characterised by the cross-fertilization of Anglo-Saxon and continental, philosophical and theological, traditional and recent thinking. This volume offers a programmatic sample of their work.