Paul M. Blowers

A Celtic Christology

Theology

“Too often treated merely as a transitional figure between patristic and medieval thought, or as interesting solely for his philosophical cosmology, John Gavin does an immense service in this fine monograph, not only of giving Eriugena his own fair hearing, but showcasing his little-studied Christology. Gavin masterfully unfolds Eriugena's insights into the nature of Christ's embodiment, its cosmic and salvific effects, and the new mode of human being grounded in his historical incarnation.”

A Life of Alexander Campbell

History & Biography

“Foster’s monumental biography of Alexander Campbell presents students of the Stone-Campbell Movement with the distilled judgments of an eminent and prolific historian of the tradition. The book teems with fresh insights into Campbell’s stormy Scots-Irish background, his shaping as a charismatic controversialist on the American frontier, his interpretation of the ‘American Dream’ and of the labor of restoring the ‘ancient order of things’ therein, and the curious chemistry of liberalism and legalism in his agenda for Christian unity. Foster contextualizes Campbell without simply reducing him to a ‘product of his times’ and reveals his complex character as a religious reformer in interactions with friends and nemeses alike. Furthermore, Foster brilliantly reveals the heights scaled by Campbell in American Protestant culture while also exposing the epic failure of his response to chattel slavery in his program to reform American society along Christian lines. This will doubtless be the definitive biography of Alexander Campbell for many years to come.”

Ancient Christian Worship

History & Biography

“Ancient Christian Worship is a wonderfully broad but deep introduction to the sources and complex history of early Christian liturgical traditions. Readers will find here not only an astute interpretation of the backgrounds and foregrounds of early liturgy but also a vivid demonstration of what the various components of early worship services actually looked and sounded like. Here indeed is a treasury of insights into the formative theology of worship.”

Beginnings

Theology

“Beginnings meets a precise need in patristic studies and in the history of early Christian biblical interpretation: the need for a historically astute, theologically sympathetic, and hermeneutically sophisticated analysis of the fathers’ reading of Genesis 1–3. Here at last is a work that truly sets in relief the many layers of meaning that patristic commentators saw in these rich and evocative opening chapters of the Bible. Rather than dismissing their work as premodern, prescientific groping for a valid explanation of the stories of creation and fall, Bouteneff definitively demonstrates the profound theological contextualiza-tion at work in early Christian exegesis of the Genesis cosmogony. This is a superb monograph.”

Biblical Interpretation and Doctrine in Early Christianity

Theology

“These highly specialized essays of Brian Daley, SJ, punctuate a career pattern of unearthing the depth and breadth of patristic engagement of classical philosophical sources and, most importantly, the Bible itself as the inexhaustible font of Christian doctrine and discourse. And as several of the essays will attest, few if any scholars have taken us further along in reclaiming patristic theological interpretation for enriching contemporary hermeneutics and systematics, and for revitalizing the Church’s liturgical and spiritual life.”

Chasing Wind

Arts & Literature

“Nakoff’s rich lines here unveil latent and unexpected depths and mysteries of the natural creation in all its immanent graces. Great poetry evokes a plethora of emotions, and these pieces do not disappoint, prompting wonder, humor, melancholy, hope, and much more. To boot, there is subtle, understated, but profound theological insight in Nakoff’s work which will leave readers hungry for more of his inklings of the new creation dawning.”

From Nothing

Theology

“McFarland’s monograph is arguably the most serious retrieval of the doctrine of creation ex nihilo in recent systematic theology. He successfully dispels the accusation that the doctrine necessarily implies an arbitrary God and convincingly argues, through Christological refocusing, that this key affirmation of Christian faith proclaims how the Creator is ‘not only inexhaustibly rich in God’s self, but also endlessly profligate in sharing this divine plenitude with creatures.’ Through careful rereading of biblical texts and lively conversation with patristic and other sources from the Christian tradition, we are treated to a fresh and incisive analysis of divine transcendence, freedom, providence, and love for the contingent, created ‘other.'”

In Accordance with the Scriptures

Theology

“John Behr has wrested Christian readers from habitually reverting to ‘the Bible’ as a linear sequence of discrete dispensational phases, beginning with creation, climaxing in Christ, and ending with the consummation. Behr asks us to read the Scriptures ‘apocalyptically’ through the lens of the cross, with a view to an eschatological mystery still unfolding. Behr helps us to break through to a whole new vision of how the Scriptures form believers.”

Maximus the Confessor as a European Philosopher

Philosophy

“This rich and diverse set of essays goes far in demonstrating not only the depth and nuance of Maximus the Confessor’s philosophical theology in its own context but its relevance to a wide array of contemporary theological concerns. They indicate very well why the study of Maximus has experienced a profound renaissance in the past several years, as this is a thinker whose stature matches the far more studied figures of Augustine and Aquinas. From metaphysics to theological anthropology, from apophaticism to ethics, this collection is a fine contribution to the expanding research on Maximus and will further generate interest in the Confessor among historical theologians, philosophers, and scholars from a wide variety of disciplines.”

Scripture, the Genesis of Doctrine

Theology

“Frances Young has been instrumental in turning the modern tide toward serious reexamination of early Christian biblical interpretation, especially in her landmark study, Biblical Exegesis and the Formation of Christian Culture (1997). With this new work, she investigates afresh the complex interrelation between Scripture and doctrine, demonstrating multiple factors in play: the communal or ‘school’ context of interpretation; habits of reading Scripture and ‘summarizing’ its core message for the church; matters of hermeneutical and confessional reasoning; and much more. Young’s study will greatly advance ongoing research into Scripture’s integral in virtually every aspect of the life of the early church.”

Theology in the Present Age

Theology

“These welcome essays, in honor of John Castelein, represent the energy of theological renewal among the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ. . . . This collection builds on the Stone-Campbell tradition's commitment to theology essentially as biblical interpretation in the context of the church, but does not hold back from exploring new territories not normally engaged in the earlier intellectual history of this tradition.”