About the Book
This reader guides students through this difficult topic, with seven chapters representing an in-depth treatment of a sub-topic within theological anthropology. Starting with an overview and specific methods for this subject, the overall discussion focuses on the exegetical-theological problem of the imago dei. The following chapters offer examination of topics such as: human ontology, freedom and limit, gender and sexuality, personhood and identity and worship and desire.
Throughout this reader, the editors include texts from the patristic, medieval, Reformation and modern eras, while also providing a blend of bible commentary, theological discourse and philosophy. The texts used for this study include thinkers such as Gregory of Nyssa, Kathryn Tanner, Karl Barth, Augustine, Martin Luther, John Paul II, Sarah Coakley and David Kelsey. Each chapter contains an introduction, research/discussion questions and suggestions for further reading.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
1 Sources and Methods
Text 1: Claus Westermann, The Human in the Old Testament
Text 2: Werner Georg K ü mmel, Man in the New Testament
Text 3: J. Patout Burns, Theological Anthropology
Text 4: Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics
Text 5: Kathryn Tanner, “On the Difference Theological Anthropology Makes”
Text 6: Ada Mar í a Isasi-D í az, “Elements of a Mujerista Anthropology”
2 The Image of God
Text 1: Augustine of Hippo, The Literal Meaning of Genesis
Text 2: Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae
Text 3 John Calvin, “Commentary Upon Gen. 1:26-28”
Text 4: Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics
Text 5: Mary McClintock Fulkerson “The Imago Dei and a Reformed Logic for a Feminist/Womanist Critique”
Text 6: Colin Gunton “The Human Creation: Towards a Renewal of the Doctrine of the Imago Dei”
Text 7: Michael S. Horton, “Image and Office Human Personhood and the Covenant”
3 Human Ontology
Text 1: Tertullian, A Treatise on the Soul
Text 2: Gregory of Nyssa, On the Making of Humanity
Text 3: Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica
Text 4: Hans Walter Wolff, “Nephesh” in Anthropology of the Old Testament
Text 5: Wolfhart Pannenberg, Systematic Theology
Text 6: Nancey C. Murphy, “Nonreductive Physicalism: Philosophical Issues”
Text 7: Alvin Plantinga, Against Materialism
4 Free Will
Text 1: Gregory of Nyssa “Sixth Sermon on the Beatitudes”
Text 2: Augustine, On Grace and Free Will?
Text 3: Anselm: On Free Will
Text 4: Desiderius Erasmus, On the Freedom of the Will, & Martin Luther “On the Bondage of the Will”
Text 5: William GT Shedd, Dogmatic Theology
Text 6: Peter G.H. Clarke, “Determinism, Brain Function and Free Will”
5 Gender and Sexuality
Text 1: Gregory of Nyssa, On Virginity
Text 2: Augustine, Of the Good of Marriage
Text 3: Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae
Text 4: Martin Luther, The Estate of Marriage
Text 5: John Paul II, Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body
Text 6: Rosemary Radford Ruether, “Can a Male Saviour Save Women?”
Text 7: Sarah Coakley, “The Eschatological Body: Gender, Transformation, and God”
6 Human Personhood
Text 1: John Zizioulas, “Human Capacity and Human Incapacity: A Theological Exploration of Personhood”
Text 2: Harriet A. Harris, “Should we say that personhood is relational?”
Text 3: Robert Spaemann, Persons: The Difference between “Someone” and “Something”
Text 4: Robert Jenson, Systematic Theology
Text 5: David H. Kelsey, Eccentric Existence: A Theological Anthropology
7 Worship and Desire
Text 1 Bernard of Clairvaux On Loving God
Text 2: John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion
Text 3 William James The Varieties of Religious Experience
Text 4: Fergus Kerr, Immortal Longings
Text 5: Uffe Schjoedt, “The Religious Brain: A General Introduction to the Experimental Neuroscience of Religion”
Author Index
Subject Index
About the Author :
Marc Cortez is Professor of Theology at Wheaton College, Wheaton, USA.
Michael P. Jensen is the Rector of St Mark’s Anglican Church, Darling Point, Sydney, and teaches theology at the Sydney College of Divinity
Review :
What does it mean to be fully human, living before God and neighbor even as we are connected to the rest of creation? Questions and possibilities raised in theological anthropology are always stimulating and unendingly relevant. Thankfully, in this new volume readers are invited into this rich conversation, hearing different voices representing ancient wisdom and contemporary concerns. All the key aspects of theological anthropology are touched upon here, providing the context for meaningful reflection and discussion that is sure to follow. I have been waiting for an updated primary source volume on anthropology that covered more than Patristic and medieval sources while still valuing those honored voices – I now finally have that volume in my hands! Students and Professors will be very thankful to Marc Cortez and Michael Jensen for this well-organized and ably presented gift.
This anthology is both creative and comprehensive, providing resources on classic themes in theological anthropology while also reimagining the field in fresh ways. The voices are both ancient and contemporary, offering an overview of a long conversation about the nature of the human. An excellent classroom resource.
The Psalmist asked, ‘What are human beings that you are mindful of them?’ This reader provides an excellent collection of judiciously chosen and introduced responses to this and related questions from a variety of patristic, medieval, Reformation, modern, and contemporary theologians. The editors have done well to sub-divided the Psalmist’s question into seven areas, including imago Dei, freedom, sexuality, and personhood as well as a welcome concluding section on worship and desire. The editors have included both the usual suspects (e.g., Augustine, Calvin, Barth) and contemporary voices that engage what the sciences are saying about humanity, making this reader a fine choice for both survey courses and advanced seminars.