By Eleonore Stump (NHC Fellow, 1999–00) Few philosophers or theologians exerted as much influence on the shape of medieval thought as Thomas Aquinas. He ranks amongst the most famous of the Western philosophers and was responsible for almost single-handedly bringing the philosophy of Aristotle into harmony with Christianity. He was also one of the first … Continued
Edited by Norman Kretzmann (NHC Fellow, 1992–93) and Eleonore Stump (NHC Fellow, 1999–00) Among the great philosophers of the Middle Ages Aquinas is unique in pursuing two apparently disparate projects. On the one hand he developed a philosophical understanding of Christian doctrine in a fully integrated system encompassing all natural and supernatural reality. On the … Continued
By ErasmusEdited by Nelson H. Minnich (NHC Fellow, 2004–05) This new volume of the CWE presents three of Erasmus' polemic works against Alberto Pio, Prince of Carpi. A leading diplomat of the period, patron of artists and humanists, and conservative Catholic, Pio continually angered Erasmus by criticizing him for his denunciations of church practices and … Continued
Edited by Eleonore Stump (NHC Fellow, 1999–00) and Norman Kretzmann (NHC Fellow, 1992–93) It is hard to overestimate the importance of the work of Augustine of Hippo and its influence, both in his own period and in the subsequent history of Western philosophy. Many of his views, including his theory of the just war, his … Continued
By Nelson H. Minnich (NHC Fellow, 2004–05) This new collection by Nelson Minnich deals with the general councils of the Catholic Reformation in the late medieval and early modern periods. The volume opens with overviews of the various editions of and current scholarship on these general councils. Three studies then give special attention to the … Continued
By Jill Raitt (NHC Fellow, 1987–88) Focusing on the Colloquy of Montbéliard, a theological debate in 1586 between Lutherans and Calvinists, Raitt explores the complex array of shifting political alliances and religious tensions which characterized the Holy Roman Empire after the Peace of Augsburg. When the Wars of Religion broke out in France, both sides … Continued
By Stanley Hauerwas (NHC Fellow, 1992–93) God knows it is hard to make God boring, Stanley Hauerwas writes, but American Christians, aided and abetted by theologians, have accomplished that feat. Whatever might be said about Hauerwas—and there is plenty—no one has ever accused him of being boring, and in this book he delivers another jolt … Continued
By Marcia L. Colish (NHC Fellow, 1981–82) Early Christianity faced the problem of the human word versus Christ the Word. Could language accurately describe spiritual reality? The Mirror of Language brilliantly traces the development of one prominent theory of signs from Augustine through Anselm of Canterbury, Thomas Aquinas, and Dante. Their shared epistemology validated human language as … Continued
Edited by Harlan R. Beckley (NHC Fellow, 1995–96) During the first half of the twentieth century, John A. Ryan developed and promoted moral arguments for reforming the economy of the United States. He was an advocate of minimum wage legislation and child labor restrictions, and he was very much involved in Franklin D. Roosevelt's New … Continued
By Bernard McGinn (NHC Fellow, 1999–00) "Perhaps no mystic in the history of Christianity has been more influential and more controversial than the Dominican Meister Eckhart. Few, if any mystics have been as challenging to modern readers and as resistant to agreed-upon interpretation." So begins McGinn's much lauded introduction to the intriguing preacher and philosopher. … Continued