The Father of Lights: A Theology of Beauty

by Junius Johnson

Overview

"Every good giving and every perfect gift is from on high, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17). This verse conveys a powerful image of God as the source and referent of all beauty. This book demonstrates how the experience of beauty is related to our inherent longing for the God who is reflected in such moments. Richly informed by Junius Johnson's expertise on Bonaventure and von Balthasar, the book offers a robust, full-orbed theology of beauty, showing how it has functioned as a theological concept from biblical times to the present day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781540964892
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	12/22/2020
Series:	Theology for the Life of the World
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Junius Johnson (PhD, Yale University) is a scholar and writer whose work focuses on historical and philosophical theology. He offers direct teaching over Zoom to adults and younger students through Junius Johnson Academics and is the author of several books, including Patristic and Medieval Atonement Theory and Christ and Analogy: The Christocentric Metaphysics of Hans Urs von Balthasar.

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction
Part 1: The Encounter with Beauty
1. Eternity in Our Hearts: Memory, Beauty, and Divinity
2. The Eyes of Faith: Contuition and Spiritual Vision
3. Beauty and Analogy
Part 2: The Meaning of Beauty
4. Word and Concept: The Nature of Language
5. Concept Squared: The Nature of Metaphor
6. Res and Concept: Things as Signs
7. Res Sacramenti: The Nature of Sacraments
8. Radiant Res: Icons and Ecstasy
Postscript
Index