T&T Clark – serie

From the mid to the late 20th century various French thinkers have at times toyed wth the label of ‘the saint', applying it to friends, colleagues, the revered nd even the worshipped such as Genet, Sartre, Camus or Foucault. Despite this profaning of the term, however, here are many subtle truths which emerge from its usage among such writers. This volume is devoted to exploring certain varied notions of ‘the saint' in recent French philosophical and literary thought from within a theological context, offering insights and valuable contributions toward how we understand sainthood in cultural, philosophical and religious terms. Each essay focuses on the convergence of a particular author's work and their various (re)formulations of ‘saintliness' in their writings, whether this concept is directly expressed in their writings or not. In general, the aim of the volume is to develop a critical engagement between each authors' philosophical worldview and historical notions of sainthood, such that we are capable of providing new understandings of what a ‘saint' could be said to be in our world today.

The only large-scale critical introduction to Western Marxism for biblical criticism. Roland Boer introduces the core concepts of major figures in the tradition, specifically Althusser, Gramsci, Deleuze and Guattari, Eagleton, Lefebvre, Lukács, Adorno, Bloch, Negri, Jameson, and Jameson. Throughout, Boer shows how Marxist criticism is relevant to biblical criticism, in terms of approaches to the Bible and in the use of those approaches in the interpretation of specific texts. In this second edition, Boer has added chapters on Deleuze and Guattari, and Negri. Each chapter has been carefully revised to make the book more useful on courses, while maintaining challenges and insights for postgraduate students and scholars. Theoretical material has been updated and sharpened in light of subsequent research and a revised conclusion considers the economies of the ancient world in relation to biblical societies.

Whilst Christian theology is familiar with questions about the relation of church and state, divine and human law, little attention has been devoted to questions of international law. Esther D. Reed offers a systematic engagement with contemporary issues of international law and its relevance for modern theology. Reed discusses numerous issue driven topics, including: challenges to classic just-war thinking from so-called fourth generation warfare, peoples and nationhood within divine providence, the ethics of territorial borders and the militarization of human intervention. By discussing selected biblical texts Reed helps to move the issues of international law higher up the agenda of Christian theology, ethics and moral reasoning.

How should we understand the God of the Bible? How do we make sense of God's apparently changing character in the Bible theologically? God is not obvious - unlike all the animate and inanimate objects which we can see around us. God does not appear to fulfill any useful purpose; what is God for or about? Is God just a mystery? Or a problem? Or both? In Who On Earth is God?: Making Sense of God in the Bible Neil Richardson provides the answers to these fascinating questions. Richardson tackles the hard issues surrounding some of the more problematic passages head on, looking at divine anger, violence and jealousy, and suggesting how these can be interpreted. The book engages with the difficult questions posed by contemporary issues, and the 'new atheism' pioneered by popular writers such as Richard Dawkins. This takes discussion 'beyond the bible' into later developments in thought, and notions of God in a post-modern context. This is an indispensable guide for people with or without faith, wrestling with these difficult, and eternal, questions and themes.

This is an account of how the revealed truth, love, and power of God revealed in Jesus Christ are contemporary and transformative to human life. Christian ethics is a matter of grace, present to us in Jesus Christ. But so often Jesus is reduced to a kind of role model. He represents a way of being from the past that should be emulated and made relevant for today. What such an approach lacks, however, is consideration of Jesus as One who is savingly present and active today. Indeed, what if Jesus were not inert. What if his presence is constitutive of reality? Our task is to become participant in his work of making all things new. For by joining what he is doing, ethics fulfills its task, which it to become human. The purpose of this book is to account for the ways in which the revealed truth, love, and power of God revealed in Jesus Christ are contemporary to human life and transformative of human life. By learning to hear, obey, and serve, men and women become aligned to the ongoing and life-giving presence of the truth, love, and power of Jesus Christ.

Given the extraordinary richness and range of contemporary theology, questions about the authority and inspiration of the Bible tend to garner ever increasing variety, complexity and controversy. Among those challenges include the questions posed by biblical criticism to the enterprise of Christian theology, and the place of scripture in the life of the contemporary church. Employing a range of conversation partners, this book will provide an up-to-date survey of the diverse ways in which contemporary theologians use the Bible 'to think with'. The volume enables students to compare different approaches to the reading of scripture. It also explores the ways in which the theological interpretation of scripture can be both a critical and a spiritual exercise.

This title is a unique collection of essays surrounding modern hermeneutic approaches to early Christian theological texts. Reading the corpus of texts written by the Fathers of the Church has always been a core area in Christian theology. However, scholars and academics are by no means united in the question how these important but difficult authors should be read and interpreted. Many of them are divided by implicit (but often unquestioned) assumptions about the best way to approach the texts or by underlying hermeneutical questions about the norms, limits and opportunities of reading Ancient Christian writers. This book will raise profound hermeneutical questions surrounding the reading of the Fathers with greater clarity than it has been done before. The contributors to this volume are theologians and historians who have used contemporary post-modern approaches to illuminate the Ancien corpus of texts. The chapters discuss issues such as: What makes a 'good' reading of a church Father?; What constitutes a 'responsible' reading?; Is the reading of the Fathers limited to a specialist audience?; and, What can modern thinkers contribute to our reading of the Fathers?

A new edition of Gregory Dix's masterpiece, still essential reading for students and scholars and in print constantly for fifty years.Dom Gregory Dix's classic account of the development of the Eucharist rite continues to be the definitive and authoritative work on the subject. He presents his massive scholarship in lively and non technical language for all who wish to understand their worship in terms of the framework from which it has evolved. He demonstrates the creative force of Christianity over the centuries through liturgy and the societies it has moulded. His great work has for nearly fifty years regularly been quoted for its devotional as well as its historical value, and has regularly attracted new readers.In this book for the first time, critical studies in the learned periodicals of many countries have been carefully sifted and the results arranged to give a clear picture of the development of the Eucharistic rite.

The Bible and the Qur’an provides an overview of all the figures and groups who are mentioned in both the Bible and the Qur’an. Principal focus centres on the similarities and differences between the presentations of these characters in the two texts, with special emphasis placed on how they appear in the Islamic text. References are also included to how many of the individuals/groups discussed are treated in other Islamic sources.Each figure or group includes: (1) a list of relevant Qur’an passages; (2) a description of how the individual/group is presented in the Islamic Texts; (3) questions and issues to consider; (4) suggestions for further readings. An introductory section provides a basic orientation to the Qur’an and other Islamic sources.

This textbook provides complete and comprehensive coverage of the theological tradition of Aquinas, Maximus, Luther, Irenaeus, Lonergan, von Balthasar, Schmemann, Meyendorf and Barth. Each section of this textbook explores a wide variety of questions – who are we? Is there a God, and if so, what is his nature? Who is Jesus? What does it mean that we live both in sin and righteousness? It consists of 15 modules that are comprised of 46 chapters. Each module has two parts: there are systematic chapters that discuss and explain each module’s topic; and the final chapter of each module examines 4 to 6 primary sources that are important for each topic.This textbook includes an extensive range of pedagogical features:- Sample tests in which each objective question has been quality tested by classroom use (with a discrimination index)- A discussion guide for each chapter- Learning objectives linked to each chapter- The text includes bold-faced terms, boxed text sections that identify central figures and points of debate, study question, chapter summaries, glossary

There has long been a need for a comprehensive but truly introductory single-authored textbook in theology. By introducing the reader to the biblical, doctrinal and contemporary dimensions of Christianity with the help of illustrated examples from selected primary texts, the book provides an excellent grounding in theology for both students of the discipline and the general reader. The work explores key 'tools' for the scientific study of theology, endeavoring both to affirm the rationale behind Christian thinking, and also to familiarize the reader with significant contrary positions. The solid foundations in biblical theology and hermeneutics given in the book will enable students to read Judeo-Christian scripture intelligently. Key testimonies regarding Jesus Christ are scrutinized and the nature of the New Testament discussed. As well as the emergence of doctrinal orthodoxy and the later disagreements which have shaped contemporary Christianity, the reader will become familiar with the dimensions of current Christian thinking in its dialogue with post-modernity.This new edition includes an additional chapter examining Spirituality, and a series of companion videos for each chapter.

Oliver D. Crisp studies the topics of human freedom, redemption and communion with one another and God, which are central themes in Christian theology.The chapters of this volume are arranged according to how they would appear in a traditional dogmatics: dealing with issues concerning human free will and sin, studies on the person of Christ in recent theology, and human redemption. The book ends with pieces examining two important issues in Christian practice, namely, the Eucharist and prayer. Deeply engaged with the Christian tradition, and exemplifying a generous orthodoxy, this work makes a constructive theological case for the vitality and importance of Reformed theology today.

Offering a collection of some of the best essays in the field, T&T Clark Reader in Analytic Theology is made up of 8 sections: - Analytic Method, which examines the definition of AT- Revelation, Scripture, and Tradition, discussing the data and procedures of theological theorizing- The Trinity, which explains one of the fundamental pillars of historical Christian doctrine- The Incarnation, setting up the fundamental problem of Christology- Hamartiology, an honest discussion of the nature of sin- The Atonement, involving discussion of Christ’s saving work- Eschatology, reflecting contributions from all three of the traditional afterlife destinations- Liturgy & Sacraments, which illustrates the tools of analytic philosophy to question the liturgical and sacramental theologyEach section is carefully constructed, featuring:- Section introductions- Contributions from leading names in the field- Seminar questions for each section topic- Suggestions for further reading- A list of links to relevant videos online for use in the classroom

Offering a collection of some of the best essays in the field, T&T Clark Reader in Analytic Theology is made up of 8 sections: - Analytic Method, which examines the definition of AT- Revelation, Scripture, and Tradition, discussing the data and procedures of theological theorizing- The Trinity, which explains one of the fundamental pillars of historical Christian doctrine- The Incarnation, setting up the fundamental problem of Christology- Hamartiology, an honest discussion of the nature of sin- The Atonement, involving discussion of Christ’s saving work- Eschatology, reflecting contributions from all three of the traditional afterlife destinations- Liturgy & Sacraments, which illustrates the tools of analytic philosophy to question the liturgical and sacramental theologyEach section is carefully constructed, featuring:- Section introductions- Contributions from leading names in the field- Seminar questions for each section topic- Suggestions for further reading- A list of links to relevant videos online for use in the classroom

While transgender and non-binary identities are increasingly visible, too many Christians have either maintained a fearful silence, or have attacked ‘transgenderism’ as a threat to Christian faith and practice. More serious theological reflection is needed, not least of all in the Roman Catholic tradition. Moreover, the Catholic context presents particular challenges that are relevant beyond the Catholic world, due to the Church’s widespread involvement in healthcare provision and education, and its traditions of thought around these activities.This volume considers the various questions to do with trans people in the life of the Church from an interdisciplinary, Catholic, ecumenical perspective, reaching out to academics, clergy and educated lay readers. It brings together perspectives from a variety of disciplines to provide a rigorous, wide-ranging engagement with these pressing issues; and includes a number of trans contributors, making their voices present in these discussions, which are about them, but from which they are often excluded.The first three chapters illustrate the development of Catholic thinking on transgender issues in recent decades. The second section of the book considers transgender identity from multiple perspectives: canon legal; legal; sociological, clinical; bioethical; and educational. The last two chapters of the second section shift the focus in the direction of theology and pastoral practice, themes that are explored by emerging theological scholars in the third section of the book.

These essays by world-leaders in the field of Second Temple Judaism build on the ground-breaking T&T Clark Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism (T&T Clark, 2020), exploring the specific ways in which the discipline can be carried forward following the publication of this major work.Using the Encyclopedia as a departure point for considering developments in methodology, historical and textual studies, and interdisciplinary approaches the contributors to this volume begin each study with a clear statement about the methodological issues at work in their chapter, and how these can contribute to the ongoing scholarly discourse. The topics covered include archaeology, synagogues, the New Testament as Second Temple literature, marriage practices, group dynamics, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and reception history. The volume concludes with a postlude and response by John J. Collins.

This volume explores the idea of the unruly book, from books now known by their titles alone to books that subverted structures of power and gender. The contributors show how these books functioned as “sticky” objects, and they examine the story of what such books signified to the people who wrote, read, discussed, yearned for, or even prohibited them. The books examined are those of the first millennium of the Common Era, and the writings of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and related traditions. In particular, the contributors examine the bounty of books within this period that are hard to pin down, whether extant, lost, or imagined—books that challenge modern scholars to reconceptualize our notions of books (biblical or otherwise), religion, manuscript culture, and intellectual history. Through the critical analyses presented in this volume, the contributors negotiate the diverse stories told by unruly books and show that by listening to the stories that books tell, we learn more about the worlds that imagined and discussed them.

This open access book stems from a unique set of conversations between six scholars concerned with the theological problem of suffering in the non-human world over millions of years. How is the confession of the Christian God compatible with all the struggle, violence and suffering to which the Darwinian world testifies? This work identifies key fault lines in this rapidly growing debate - over the questions of resistance to the divine will in the non-human creation in particular. Is the picture of the biological world we derive from the sciences indicative of a profound resistance, distorting the character of creation? If so, what is the origin and character of this resistance? Or is it unnecessary to postulate such resistance before the evolution of human beings and their sin? Or is an intermediate position, in which some specific characteristics hint at resistance, the most coherent approach?Six leading academic press on this question in a way that illustrates the quality of the conversation we have been able to achieve in our colloquia. As such it also provides a model for how theology can be done collaboratively, respecting diversity of positions and using that diversity to advance the frontiers of debate.The eBook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license on bloomsburycollections.com. Open Access was funded by the University of Exeter, Baylor University, and Wycliffe Hall, Oxford.

The first three centuries were the formative period of Christianity. The developments during this time led to the distinction of canonical and non-canonical writings, to organizational structures of the Christian church, and to the establishment of the Christian creed. In The Reception of the Jesus in the First Three Centuries Chris Keith, Helen K. Bond, Christine Jacobi and Jens Schröter have collated a methodologically sophisticated resource. These volumes focus upon the diversity of reception of the Jesus tradition in this time period, highlighting the complex interactions between the inherited past and the present in which it is received. Rather than address texts specifically as canonical or non-canonical, the volumes show the more complex reality of attitudes towards and within early Christianity. Core literary texts such as Gospels and other early Christian writings are discussed in detail, but the volumes also highlight the importance of Jesus tradition in literary and non-literary contexts outside the gospel genre; including the Apostolic Fathers, patristic writers, traditions such as the Abgar Legend, and modifications to the gospel genre such as the Diatesseron. Evidence from material culture, such as pictographic representations of Jesus in the staurogram and Alexamenos Graffito, as well as visual presentations of gospel tradition in sarcophagi carvings, are also included in order to fully reflect the transmission and reception of the Jesus tradition.Volume 3 examines visual, liturgical and non-Christian receptions of Jesus in the second and third centuries, across 24 chapters.Methodologically the volumes draw on new approaches to history, memory, and tradition, to provide a cutting-edge approach that focuses upon reception-history rather than the putative actual past. This cutting-edge reference resource provides a fresh and comprehensive account of the complex development of early Christian thought about Jesus. It will fuel future discussions of early Christian history, the historical Jesus, the development of the New Testament canon, and non-canonical Jesus traditions for years to come.

The Dictionary of the Bible and Ancient Media is a convenient and authoritative reference tool, introducing specific terms and concepts helpful to the study of the Bible and related literature in ancient communications culture. Since the early 1980s, biblical scholars have begun to explore the potentials of interdisciplinary theories of oral tradition, oral performance, personal and collective memory, ancient literacy and scribality, visual culture and ritual. Over time these theories have been combined with considerations of critical and exegetical problems in the study of the Bible, the history of Israel, Christian origins, and rabbinics. The Dictionary of the Bible and Ancient Media responds to the rapid growth of the field by providing a source of reference that offers clear definitions, and in-depth discussions of relevant terms and concepts, and the relationships between them. The volume begins with an overview of ‘ancient media studies’ and a brief history of research to orient the reader to the field and the broader research context of the book, with individual entries on terms and topics commonly encountered in studies of the Bible in ancient media culture. Each entry defines the term/ concept under consideration, then offers more sustained discussion of the topic, paying particular attention to its relevance for the study of the Bible and related literature. This new in paperback edition features a new chapter on Oral Tradition and the Hebrew Bible by Werner Kelber, Rice University, USA.

Lee Martin McDonald provides a magisterial overview of the development of the biblical canon --- the emergence of the list of individual texts that constitutes the Christian bible. In these two volumes -- in sum more than double the length of his previous works -- McDonald presents his most in-depth overview to date. McDonald shows students and researchers how the list of texts that constitute 'the bible' was once far more fluid than it is today and guides readers through the minefield of different texts, different versions, and the different lists of texts considered 'canonical' that abounded in antiquity. Questions of the origin and transmission of texts are introduced as well as consideration of innovations in the presentation of texts, collections of documents, archaeological finds and Church councils.In this first volume McDonald reexamines issues of canon formation once considered settled, and sets the range of texts that make up the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) in their broader context. Each indidvidual text is discussed, as are the cultural, political and historical situations surrounding them.The second volume considers the New Testament, and the range of so-called 'apocryphal' gospels that were written in early centuries, and used by many Christian groups before the canon was closed. Also included are comprehensive appendices which show various canon lists for both Old and New Testaments and for the bible as a whole.

Lee Martin McDonald provides a magisterial overview of the development of the biblical canon --- the emergence of the list of individual texts that constitutes the Christian bible. In these two volumes -- in sum more than double the length of his previous works -- McDonald presents his most in-depth overview to date. McDonald shows students and researchers how the list of texts that constitute 'the bible' was once far more fluid than it is today and guides readers through the minefield of different texts, different versions, and the different lists of texts considered 'canonical' that abounded in antiquity. Questions of the origin and transmission of texts are introduced as well as consideration of innovations in the presentation of texts, collections of documents, archaeological finds and Church councils.In the first volume McDonald reexamines issues of canon formation once considered settled, and sets the range of texts that make up the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) in their broader context. Each indidvidual text is discussed, as are the cultural, political and historical situations surrounding them.This second volume considers the New Testament, and the range of so-called 'apocryphal' gospels that were written in early centuries, and used by many Christian groups before the canon was closed. Also included are comprehensive appendices which show various canon lists for both Old and New Testaments and for the bible as a whole.

Irving offers a critical analysis of T.F. Torrance’s doctrine of God. In particular, he focuses on the fundamental premise that the being of God inheres in the act of God and the act of God inheres in the being of God. Underlying Torrance’s equivocation in the relation of God in and for himself and God for us, are two theological emphases. This work evaluates how successful he is in so doing. Torrance’s treatment of revelation as self-revelation whereby we share in God’s knowledge of God’s self entails that the world-relation of revelation is proper to the being of God. How the proposition that God’s being is eternally in act impacts Torrance’s treatment of trinitarian ontology, vis-à-vis the unity of the divine being, perichoresis, the divine Monarchia and the Filioque. How the proposition that God’s economic act is identical to the being of God shapes Torrance’s kerygmatic theology, particularly with reference to the doctrines of creation and redemption. A consideration of where Torrance can be situated amongst other “post-Barthians” in order to contend that Torrance’s position on the nature of divine freedom is not that of absolute ontological independence (as is frequently supposed).

This collection offers the first book-length engagement with Werner G. Jeanrond’s theological thinking, spanning from hermeneutics through systematic theology to politics. More than twenty renowned scholars with a global reach offer interpretations, interventions, and inspirations sparked by Jeanrond’s theology. Together, they take Jeanrond’s lecture on “The Problem of the Theological Starting Point” as a starting point to tackle one of Jeanrond’s key questions: ‘How can theological thought begin today, in the midst of a confusing plurality of methods?’ The wager of this collection is that this question can only be asked and answered in a dialogue that engages scholars critically and self-critically with each other. Tackling the problem of the starting point, then, implies a vision for the vocation of theology that cannot hide behind clear-cut answers. In Jeanrond’s words: ‘Because God has begun a relationship with this world, theology must do the same without fear of compromising itself in this process’.The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by Lund University.

Michelle Keener incorporates advances in modern trauma theory in the interpretation of the book of Job. Keener focuses primarily on using the framework of a psychological trauma narrative to read the text, providing new insights into how Job functions as a text that deals with trauma.After an extensive introduction to the history and fundamentals of trauma theory Keener actively applies a trauma theory reading to the book of Job with special attention paid to the elements of a therapeutic trauma narrative, its role in the cognitive resolution of trauma, and how this is reflected in the biblical text. This approach provides alternative answers to some of the suggested redactions, reconstruction, and inconsistencies identified in the text of Job by previous scholars. Keener also draws in the Wesleylan Quadrilateral as a means of reading the texts, and examines how her conclusions may be useful in applied community contexts.

This timely work addresses the problems of coercive control and hypermasculinity in church readings of the bible, examining the role that biblical texts play in the experiences of survivors and perpetrators of gender-based violence and domestic abuse.The volume is entirely transdisciplinary in approach, including work from scholars representing biblical studies, practical theology and psychology as well as practitioners working as church leaders, charity workers, and social workers. The contributors consider ways in which university researchers working on the bible can assist in the practice of church and charity workers who actively support survivors of gender-based violence. The work also provides a space for academics to listen to the work of church and charity practitioners in order to reconsider and reshape future research agendas.

Lucy Reid’s classic text on feminist theology is now updated for the 21st century with a new introduction and an additional chapter. This work presents a powerful case for rethinking patriarchal Christian theology with its negative repercussions in sexism, racism, colonialism and environmental devastation. It is an engaging and personal exploration of feminist theology and spirituality, contributing to a more holistic, equitable and life affirming Christianity. Reid provides an overview of Biblical feminine imagery for God and explores the Holy Spirit as feminine. She focuses on the Goddess of pre-history and neo-paganism in order to address the various questions about the historicity and mythological value of such cultures, with special emphasis on critiques of the traditional theology of Judeo-Christianity. Reid draws upon liberation theology and feminist thought to examine the role of women in the church, emphasizing the role of obedience and submission. She consequently explores the connections between dualistic belief and harmful practices such as: the destruction of the earth's resources and the oppression of women and minority groups. Reid's analysis reveals the necessity of ecumenism and interfaith dialogue. Furthermore, she questions the implied supremacy of Christianity over other faith traditions. Finally, a new chapter asks how Jesus can be integrated as central to Christianity without being patriarchal.