An Analysis of N.T. Wright's The New Testament and the People of God Wright’s The New Testament and the People of God is the first volume of his acclaimed series ‘Christian Origins and the Question of God’ comprehensively addressing the historical and theological questions surrounding the origins of Christianity. The text outlines Wright's hermeneutical theory and discusses the history of the Jews stressing the close connection with Judaism and developing this to examine the treatment of early Christians. Wright’s work has played a significant role in challenging prevailing assumptions relating to the religious thought of first-century Jews. On a more technical level Wright provides a reappraisal of literary and historical readings of the New Testament. | An Analysis of N. T. Wright's The New Testament and the People of God GBP 6.50 1
An Analysis of St. Augustine's The City of God Against the Pagans The City of God against the Pagans is a central text in the Western intellectual tradition. Made up of twenty-two lengthy books Augustine wrote his masterpiece over a thirteen-year period during which the Western Roman Empire began to unravel. The first ten books are a critique of pagan religion and philosophy while books eleven to twenty-two treat the relationship between the City of God and the Earthly City. Throughout Augustine conveys his mature vision of what it means for a Christian to live in a world with evil. Its arguments and ideas have provoked debate for nearly 1600 years and remains a central text in the disciplines of theology historiography and political theory. | An Analysis of St. Augustine's The City of God Against the Pagans GBP 6.50 1
An Analysis of Soren Kierkegaard's The Sickness Unto Death Søren Kierkegaard’s The Sickness unto Death is widely recognized as one of the most significant and influential works of Christian philosophy written in the nineteenth century. One of the cornerstones of Kierkegaard’s reputation as a writer and thinker the book is also a masterclass in the art of interpretation. In critical thinking interpretation is all about defining and clarifying terms – making sure that everyone is on the same page. But it can also be about redefining terms: showing old concepts in a new light by interpreting them in a certain way. This skill is at the heart of The Sickness unto Death. Kierkegaard’s book focuses on the meaning of “despair” – the sickness named in the title. For Kierkegaard the key problem of existence was an individual’s relationship with God and he defines true despair as equating to the idea of sin – something that separates people from God or from the idea of a higher standard beyond ourselves. Kierkegaard’s interpretative journey into the ideas of despair sin and death is a Christian exploration of the place of the individual in the world. But its interpretative skills inspired generations of philosophers of all stripes – including notorious atheists like Jean-Paul Sartre. | An Analysis of Soren Kierkegaard's The Sickness Unto Death GBP 6.50 1
An Analysis of St. Augustine's Confessions St. Augustine’s Confessions is one of the most important works in the history of literature and Christian thought. Written around 397 when Augustine was the Christian bishop of Hippo (in modern-day Algeria) the Confessions were designed both to spiritually educate those who already shared Augustine’s faith and to convert those who did not. Augustine did this through the original maneuver of writing what is now recognized as being the first Western autobiography – letting readers share in his own experiences of youth sin and eventual conversion. The Confessions are a perfect example of using reasoning to subtly bring readers around to a particular point of view – with Augustine inviting them to accompany him on his own spiritual journey towards God so they could make their own conversion. Carefully structured the Confessions run from describing the first 43 years of Augustine’s life in North Africa and Italy to discussing the nature of memory before moving on to analyzing the Bible itself. In order the sections form a carefully structured argument moving from the personal to the philosophical to the contemplative. In the hundreds of years since they were first published they have persuaded hundreds of thousands of readers to recognize towards the same God that Augustine himself worshipped. | An Analysis of St. Augustine's Confessions GBP 6.50 1
An Analysis of Moses Maimonides's Guide for the Perplexed Written by the great medieval Jewish philosopher Maimonides The Guide of the Perplexed attempts to explain the perplexities of biblical language—and apparent inconsistencies in the text—in the light of philosophy and scientific reason. Composed as a letter to a student The Guide aims to harmonize Aristotelian principles with the Hebrew Bible and argues that God must be understood as both unified and incorporeal. Engaging both contemporary and ancient scholars Maimonides fluidly moves from cosmology to the problem of evil to the end goal of human happiness. His intellectual breadth and openness makes The Guide a lasting model of creative synthesis in biblical studies and philosophical theology. | An Analysis of Moses Maimonides's Guide for the Perplexed GBP 5.99 1
An Analysis of Gustavo Gutiérrez's A Theology of Liberation Peruvian priest Gustavo Gutiérrez wanted to solve the problem of how the church could conduct itself to improve the lives of the poor while consistently positioning itself as politically neutral. Despite being a deeply religious man Gutiérrez was extremely troubled by the lukewarm way in which Christians in general and the Catholic Church in particular acknowledged and supported the poor. In A Theology of Liberation he asked what he knew was an awkward question and came to an awkward answer: the Church cannot separate itself from economic and political realities. Jesus showed his love for the poor in practical ways – healing the sick feeding the hungry liberating the oppressed. His example showed Gutierrez that economic political social and spiritual development are all deeply connected. His problem-solving prowess then led him to conclude that the church had to become politically active if it was to confront poverty and oppression across the world. For Gutierrez the lives of the poor and oppressed directly reflect the divine life of God. | An Analysis of Gustavo Gutiérrez's A Theology of Liberation GBP 6.50 1
An Analysis of Baruch Spinoza's Ethics Baruch Spinoza’s Ethics is a dense masterpiece of sustained argumentative reasoning. It earned its place as one of the most important and influential books in Western philosophy by virtue of its uncompromisingly direct arguments about the nature of God the universe free will and human morals. Though it remains one of the densest and most challenging texts in the entire canon of Western philosophy Ethics is also famous for Spinoza’s unique approach to ordering and constructing its arguments. As its full title – Ethics Demonstrated in Geometrical Order – suggests Spinoza decided to use the rigorous format of mathematical-style propositions to lay out his arguments just as the Ancient Greek mathematician Euclid had used geometrical propositions to lay out the basic rules of geometry. In choosing such a systematic method Spinoza’s masterwork shows the crucial aspects of good reasoning skills being employed at the highest level. The key use of reasoning is the production of an argument that is well-organised supports its conclusions and proceeds logically towards its end. Just as a mathematician might demonstrate a geometrical proof Spinoza sought to lay out a comprehensive philosophy for human existence – an attempt that has influenced generations of philosophers since. | An Analysis of Baruch Spinoza's Ethics GBP 6.50 1