This book explores the relationship between being and time -between ontology and history- in the context of both Christian theology and philosophical inquiry. Each chapter tests the limits of this multifaceted thematic vis-a-vis a wide variety of sources: from patristics (Maximus the Confessor, Gregory of Nyssa) to philosophy (Kant, Kierkegaard, Heidegger) to modern theology (Berdyaev, Ratzinger, Fagerberg, Zizioulas, Yannaras, Loudovikos); from incarnation to eschatology; and from liturgy and ecclesiology to political theology. Among other topics, time and eternity, protology and eschatology, personhood and relation, and ontology and responsibility within history form core areas of inquiry. Between Being and Time facilitates an auspicious dialogue between philosophy and theology and, within the latter, between Catholic and Orthodox thought. It will be of considerable interest to scholars of Christian theology and philosophy of religion.
Andrew T.J. Kaethler is academic dean and assistant professor of theology at Catholic Pacific College. Sotiris Mitralexis is assistant professor of philosophy at the City University of Istanbul and visiting research fellow at the University of Winchester.
Part I. Rethinking Ontology within History 1. Ontology versus Fideism: Christianity's Accountability to History and Society Haralambos Ventis 2. Ontology, History and Relation (schesis): Gregory of Nyssa's Epektasis Giulio Maspero 3. Syn-odical Ontology: Maximus the Confessor's Proposition for Ontology within History and in the Eschaton Dionysios Skliris 4. The Liturgy behind Liturgies: The Church's Metaphysical Form David W. Fagerberg 5. The Kantian "Two-images" Problem, Its Lesson for Christian Eschatology, and the Path of Maximian Analogy Demetrios Harper Part II. Beyond Being and Time: Eschatological Hermeneutics 6. Zizioulas and Heidegger: "Eschatological Ontology" and Hermeneutics Matthew Baker 7. What Does "Rising from the Dead" Mean? A Hermeneutics of Resurrection Maxim Vasiljevic 8. Ecstatic or Reciprocal Meaningfulness?: Orthodox Eschatology between Theology, Philosophy, and Psychoanalysis Nikolaos Loudovikos Part III. Personhood Between Ontology and History 9. The Ontology of the Person - An Outline Christos Yannaras 10. Berdyaev's Solution to History: Redeeming Persons in Historical Love Daniel S. Robinson 11. Joseph Ratzinger's Imago Dei Anthropology in the Reconciliation of Ontology and Salvation History Isabel C. Troconis Iribarren 12. Praying and Presence: Kierkegaard on Despair and the Prolepsis of the Self Chris Doude Van Trosstwijk Part IV. Politics Between Being and Time 13. Mapping the Theo-political: Metaphysical Prolegomenon for Political Theology Jared Schumacher 14. The Eucharist Makes the Church Repent: Eucharistic Ecclesiology and Political Theology Daniel Wright 15. How Realistic Are Christian Politics? A Case for Eschatological Realism Logan M. Isaac
It is in Christ that time and eternity, history and metaphysics, hold together. This Christological conviction-and the relational understanding of reality that it entails-unites Andrew T.J. Kaethler and Sotiris Mitralexis's extraordinary collection of essays. By no means do the authors agree on every point. But the relational ontology of love on display in this book flows from a shared, ever-deepening movement into the triune God of history. -- Hans Boersma, J.I. Packer Professor of Theology, Regent College How we perceive reality and comport ourselves depends on our understanding of temporality. In this important volume, an ecumenical group of noteworthy scholars unfolds for the reader the rich implications of this claim for philosophy, theology, and indeed, for everyday life. A splendid achievement and rewarding read! -- Jens Zimmermann, Canada Research Professor in Humanities, Trinity Western University
