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Publication Date: 17 Oct 2019 |
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Publisher: SPCK Publishing |
Page Count: 368 |
Author: NT Wright |
ISBN-13: 9780281081646, 9780281081684, 9780281081691 |
History and Eschatology
Summary of History and Eschatology
'In this extraordinary reappraisal of the traditions of natural theology, N. T. Wright deploys his intellectual energy with surprising punch to address. . . the fundamental problems posed for theology by modernity. Critics may be provoked, but fans will be delighted.’
‘A creative and arresting contribution to natural theology, this book argues for the plausibility of the Christian vision of the relation between God and the world by taking seriously the history of Jesus Christ.’
‘A tour de force, placing history – and Jesus himself! – back at the heart of natural theology.
‘An impressive and timely publication. . . Bold, lively, and accessible, it will generate widespread discussion.’
‘This powerfully argued book deserves to rank as Tom Wright’s crowning achievement.’
Miroslav Volf
‘Wright’s crowning achievement.’
John Cottingham
Building on his critically acclaimed Gifford Lectures, N. T. Wright presents a richly nuanced case for a theology based on a renewed understanding of historical knowledge.
The question of 'natural theology' interlocks with the related questions of how we can conceive of God acting in the world, and of why, if God is God, the world is full of evil. Can specific events in history, like those reported in the Gospels, afford the necessary point from which to answer such questions?
Widely shared cultural and philosophical assumptions have conditioned our understanding of history in ways that make the idea of divine action in history problematic. But could better historical study itself win from ancient Jewish and Christian cosmology and eschatology a renewed way of understanding the relationship between God and the world?
N. T. Wright argues that this can indeed be done, and in this ground-breaking book he develops a distinctive approach to natural theology grounded in what he calls an 'epistemology of love'. This approach arises from his reflection on the significance of the ancient concept of the 'new creation' for our understanding the reality of the world, the reality of God and their relation to one another.