Creation and Humanity: The Sources of Christian Theology

by Ian A. McFarland (Editor)

Overview

This major sourcebook provides significant primary readings from the history of Christian theology on the topics of creation and humanity. Beginning with an extended introduction, McFarland fleshes out the topics of creation and humanity in sections such as "God as Creator," "The Human Creature," "Evil and Sin," and "Providence," and provides a brief introduction to each selection that demonstrates its importance and establishes its historical context. This collection will be of special value in classrooms, allowing students to experience firsthand some major works that shaped efforts to forge a sound Christian understanding of creation and humanity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780664231354
Publisher:	Westminster John Knox Press
Publication date:	06/29/2009
Series:	Sources of Christian Theology
Pages:	496
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Ian A. McFarland is Associate Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs and Professor of Theology at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. He is the author of several books, including In Adam's Fall: A Meditation on the Christian Doctrine of Original Sin and The Divine Image: Envisioning the Invisible God.

Table of Contents

Series Introduction vii

Acknowledgments ix

A Note on the Selection and Arrangement of Texts xi

Introduction xiii

Abbreviations xxxiii

Chapter 1 God as Creator 1

1 First Apology Justin Martyr 3

2 To Autolycus, Book 2 Theophilus of Antioch 4

3 On First Principles, Book 1 Origen of Alexandria 7

4 Confessions, Book 11 Augustine 9

5 Breviloquium, 2 Bonaventure 16

6 Summa contra Gentiles, 2:17-19, 38 Thomas Aquinas 24

7 Christian Faith, §§40-41 Friedrich Schleiermacher 30

8 "The Biblical Witness Concerning Creation" Regin Prenter 39

9 "The Doctrine of Creation from Nothing" David Kelsey 47

10 "Creation Out of Nothing" Jurgen Moltmann 65

11 "The Pluri-Singularity of Creation" Catherine Keller 72

12 "Creation 'Ex Nihilo' in Time" Dimitru Staniloae 86

Chapter 2 The Creature 95

1 Against Heresies, Book 5 Irenaeus of Lyons 97

2 On the Making of Humankind Gregory of Nyssa 104

3 Homilies Concerning the Statues John Chrysostom 118

4 Difficulty 41 Maximus the Confessor 123

5 Summa Theologiae, 1.93 Thomas Aquinas 129

6 "Ar'n't I a Woman?" Sojourner Truth 137

7 "The Basic Form of Humanity" Karl Barth 138

8 "Woman as Answer" Hans Urs von Balthasar 148

9 "Toward a Feminist Anthropology beyond Liberalism and Romanticism" Rosemary Radford Ruether 156

10 "From Biological to Ecclesial Existence: The Ecclesiological Significance of the Person" John Zizioulas 161

11 "Contesting the Gendered Subject: A Feminist Account of the Imago Dei" Mary McClintock Fulkerson 173

Chapter 3 Evil and Sin 191

1 On First Principles, Book 1 Origen of Alexandria 193

2 Against the Heathen Athanasius 200

3 The City of God, Book 14 Augustine of Hippo204

4 On Evil, Quest 3 Thomas Aquinas 215

5 Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 2, Chapter 1 John Calvin 230

6 The Interior Castle, 1 Teresa of Avila 239

7 Christian Faith, §§69, 71-72.2 Friedrich Schleiermacher 247

8 "The Kingdom of Evil" Walter Rauschenbusch 262

9 "The Reality of Nothingness" Karl Barth 269

10 "Sin and Man's Responsibility" Reinhold Niebuhr 281

11 "The Human Situation: A Feminine View" Valerie Saiving 289

12 "God and Black Suffering" James H. Cone 304

13 "The Furies and the Goodness of God" David Ray Griffin 315

14 "Redeeming Sin-Talk" Stephen G. Ray Jr. 325

15 "Against Symbols" Rowan Williams 334

Chapter 4 Providence 339

1 Against Heresies, Book 3 Irenaeus of Lyons 341

2 On the Holy Trinity, Book 3 Augustine of Hippo 344

3 Summa Theologiae, 1.22, 103 Thomas Aquinas 353

4 Showings (Long Text) Julian of Norwich 362

5 Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 1, Chapter 16 John Calvin 367

6 Christian Faith, §§46-47 Friedrich Schleiermacher 374

7 "The Christian Belief in Providence" Karl Barth 391

8 The Future of Man Pierre Teilhard de Chardin 399

9 "Why an Evolutionary Process?" John B. Cobb Jr. David Ray Griffin 406

10 "Action and Embodiment" Grace Jantzen 411

11 "The Doctrine of Creation in an Age of Scientific Cosmology" Wolfhart Pannenberg 419

12 "God's Interaction with the World" Arthur Peacocke 429

13 "Is God in Charge?" Kathryn Tanner 435

Permissions 451

Suggestions for Further Reading 453

Index 457