The Theology of the Letter to the Galatians by Bruce W. Longenecker (Cambridge University Press, £22.99 (£20.69); 978-1-108-81948-0).
“In The Theology of Galatians, respected New Testament scholar Bruce Longenecker cuts through the complexity of a notoriously opaque text, disentangling and interpreting Paul’s discourse to reveal its multifaceted cosmology, its comprehensive coherence, and its penetrating analysis humanity and the divine. Offering a new interpretation of Galatians, his volume synthesizes the best of four main interpretative alternatives, finding new solutions to scholarly gridlock.”
All Things Are Full of Gods: The mysteries of mind and life by David Bentley Hart (Yale, £12.99 (£11.69); 978-0-300-28549-9). New in paperback
“Writing in the form of a Platonic dialogue, [David Bentley Hart] systematically subjects the mechanical view of nature that has prevailed in Western culture for four centuries to dialectical interrogation. Powerfully rehabilitating a classical view in which mental acts are irreducible to material causes, he argues through the gods’ exchanges that the foundation of all reality is spiritual or mental rather than material. The structures of mind, organic life, and even language together attest to an infinite act of intelligence in all things that we may as well call God.
Doctor of the Church: An introduction to Saint John Henry Newman by Michael Rear (Gracewing, £12.99 (£11.69); 978-0-85244-951-6).
“The significance of saints being declared Doctors of the Church is the recognition by the Church of the depth of their understanding of the Faith, and the orthodoxy and truth of their teaching and writing. They have made an exceptional contribution to theology and the formulation of Christian doctrine; they are resplendent witnesses to the Faith and of great relevance to the Church, not only in their own day but for the future. The prophetic Newman is a guide for our times, not least in his insistence on the vital need for every human being to obey their conscience (listening to the voice of God), and with his teaching on consulting the faithful laity, his emphasis on the heart, on prayer and seeking holiness. Michael Rear’s account of Newman’s life and work is an invaluable introduction to this country’s greatest theologian of modern times.”
Selected by Frank Nugent, of the Church House Bookshop, which operates the Church Times Bookshop.
