Robert Wilken

Augustine and Tradition

Theology

“So vast is the space that Augustine occupies in Christian memory that few recognize he stands in the midst of a cloud of witnesses. Anyone who has studied Augustine has pondered how he came to be the churchman and thinker we know from his many books, essays, and sermons. In this collection of original essays on Scripture and liturgy, North African writers like Tertullian, Greek philosophers like Plato, Eastern Christian thinkers like Origen, and Latin bishops like Ambrose, the reader will be introduced to the lively spiritual and intellectual world that nourished Augustine's theological imagination.”

Beware the Evil Eye Volume 4

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“The evil eye does not discriminate. In this the final volume of his monumental study, John Elliott shows, as no one before, that the evil eye was ubiquitous not only in the ancient Near East, but also in postbiblical Judaism and in early Christianity. No matter how much the learned elite thundered against what they considered old wives' tales, they were powerless to break their hold on the people. This is no mean achievement and Elliott's confident command of the literary and archaeological sources will delight readers.”

Christian Doctrine and the Old Testament

Theology

“Gary Anderson is a rare creature among biblical scholars. A savant of the historical-critical method and a serious student of theology, he is also at home in the history of biblical interpretation. All three skills are on display in Christian Doctrine and the Old Testament, and readers will delight in tracking Anderson's march through the Scriptures with high theological concepts in hand. There is a freshness and originality here that few biblical scholars can match.”

Essays in Theology of Culture

Theology

“Robert Jenson begins these essays with art and architecture and ends with the Eucharist. Along the way he touches almost every question thoughtful Christians have pondered these last three decades, from church and society to the doctrine of the Trinity to the mass media. This is a wise book, profound and earthy on human matters, yet sophisticated on theological ones. Jenson is a man of the academy whose home is the church, a systematic and analytic thinker who loves the arts. He recognizes a good argument, yet he speaks from experience. In this book he writes with conviction and style about real questions — the kind we wonder about when we are in conversation only with ourselves.”

First and Second Peter, Jude

Theology

“When the Scripture is read in the liturgy, it is heard as a living voice. But when expounded in a commentary, it is too often read as a document from the past. This fine series unites the ancient and the contemporary by offering insight into the biblical text—verse by verse—as well as spiritual application to the lives of Christians today.”

First Corinthians

Theology

“When the Scripture is read in the liturgy, it is heard as a living voice. But when expounded in a commentary, it is too often read as a document from the past. This fine series unites the ancient and the contemporary by offering insight into the biblical text—verse by verse—as well as spiritual application to the lives of Christians today.”

Francis, a New World Pope

History & Biography

“Here is a book on the new pope to be enjoyed now and cherished later. . . . What makes this book such a pleasure to read is that it includes selections from his earlier speeches and writings -- on the city of Buenos Aires, on the economy, on a girlfriend of his before he 'discovered [his] religious vocation,' on humility, on single mothers, on the tango, on soccer, and more. And then there are illuminating comments on the man from people in Argentina -- a lawyer, a student, a priest, and others. Francis, a New World Pope is a unique introduction to the man who is now Pope Francis.”

Heavenly Participation

Theology

“Theology at its best, says Hans Boersma, is less interested in comprehending the truth than in participating in it. Skillfully marshalling passages from the church fathers and medieval theologians and drawing judiciously on contemporary evangelical and Catholic thinkers, Boersma shows that theology is not primarily an intellectual enterprise but a spiritual discipline by which one enters into the truth and is mastered by it. Though this 'sacramental tapestry,' as he calls it, is as old as the church, it is refreshing to have it presented anew in this engaging book.”

Introducing Medieval Biblical Interpretation

Theology

“This is not simply a book about the past. It is a sly way of showing how to interpret the Bible today. Ian Levy, a learned scholar thoroughly at home in medieval culture and thought, introduces contemporary Christians to the deep spiritual world that opens up when the Bible is read as the Word of God.”

Lying

Theology

“The great temptation in writing about lying is to find a way beyond the Augustinian dictum that a lie is wrong under any circumstances. Griffiths resists the temptation and does so with intelligence, wisdom, theological acuity, and, one should gratefully add, deep sympathy for human limitations and weakness. This is a challenging and rewarding book, unlike any written in modern times on the topic.”

On Thinking the Human

Philosophy

“Known best for his many theological books, Robert Jenson is here caught musing — in the study, as he walks out of a movie theater, in an art gallery, before an icon in a church, upon hearing terrible news of heartrending events — and, like all of us, he reflects on the things that touch us most deeply: our own death, consciousness, freedom, what is real, wickedness, love. . . Jenson's mind makes stimulating company.”

Second Corinthians

Theology

“When the Scripture is read in the liturgy, it is heard as a living voice. But when expounded in a commentary, it is too often read as a document from the past. This fine new series unites the ancient and the contemporary by offering insight into the biblical text—verse by verse—as well as spiritual application to the lives of Christians today. I particularly like the sidebars inserted into the text called ‘Living Tradition’ that feature memorable sayings from great Christian teachers or brief explanations of puzzling terms and ideas.”

Stewardship & the Economy of God

Work, Money & Leadership

“For many Christians, the term 'stewardship' means fundraising. Paradoxically, with the advent of the environmental movement, it has acquired another sense: stewardship as care for the earth. In this learned but accessible book, John Reumann shows how the modern 'secular' use of the term actually derives from the Bible and Christian tradition . . . He constructs a theology of stewardship that is at once faithful to the Scriptures and applicable to the lives of Christians today.”

The Descent of God

“Hallman's book is unusual and timely. Hallman is a systematic thinker, not a historian, yet he has taken the time to read the early Christian sources attentively, and his conclusions are surprising and provocative. In a sense this book is a theological version of candid camera: it sets forth those things that early Christian thinkers are not supposed to have said.... In an age in which historians of Christian thought ignore contemporary thinkers, and systematic theologians act as though Christian thought began with the Enlightenment, The Descent of God is a challenge to both brands of obscurantism.”

The Early Church at Work and Worship - Volume 3

History & Biography

“Since the middle of the last century, no scholar of early Christianity has been more respected, even revered, than Everett Ferguson. He has displayed in his life and his many writings that the gift of the early church to Christians today is not only its theological ideas, but its testimony to the lived reality of Christian faith. In this edifying volume of essays, with essays on psalm-singing, spiritual sacrifice, the art of praise, active and contemplative lives, Ferguson, a wise teacher of our age, invites readers to contemplate the depth and richness of the church’s first teachers.”

The Irony of Modern Catholic History

History & Biography

“A richly rendered, deeply learned, and powerfully argued account of two centuries of profound change in the church and the world, The Irony of Modern Catholic History reveals how Catholicism offers twenty-first century essential truths for our survival and flourishing. "Weigel has an eye for a good story. Whether discussing the affairs of popes and princes, of conclaves and concordats, he seems always to come up with a telling anecdote or witty utterance to brighten the historical account. For a lively and informative overview from the 18th century to the present, The Irony of Modern Catholic History is the book to read.”

The Love That Is God

Christian Living

“Edifying, uplifting, instructive—these are the words that came to mind as I read The Love That Is God. Frederick Bauerschmidt’s book is a spiritual and theological meditation on the radical claim that God is love—presented through the stories and images of the Scriptures and the wisdom of the church’s beloved teachers: Augustine, Catherine of Siena, Julian of Norwich, John Chrysostom, Richard of St. Victor, Thomas Aquinas, Thérèse of Lisieux, Dorothy Day.”

The Way That Leads There

Theology

“There is no Christian thinker writing in English today that I enjoy reading more than Gilbert Meilaender, and this new book is no exception. In the company of St. Augustine he ponders what it means to live a mature Christian life. The charm is found not only in Meilaender's wisdom (winnowed by experience) but also in his inventive selection of passages from Augustine (often unnoticed by others) and in the leisurely pace of his prose. Nothing is hurried as Meilaender patiently teases out the issues without rushing to conclusions. This is a book that invites reflection.”

The Woman, the Hour, and the Garden

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“The best books are short and deep, and this is just such a book. . . . With the help of Christian art and poetry Addison Hodges Hart shows that ‘woman’ is an icon of the gathered community, which leads to the bold conclusion that Christ is indeed married and has taken a bride, the church. This is a book for meditation, to be read slowly with the text of the Gospel in hand.”