Post-Metaphysics and the Paradoxical Teachings of Jesus: The Structure of the Real(301 American University Studies)

Post-Metaphysics and the Paradoxical Teachings of Jesus: The Structure of the Real uncovers the authentic voice-print of Jesus’ teachings on the Kingdom of God and thereby outlines a new approach to theological language after the ‘end of metaphysics’. By showing that the paradoxical ‘deep structure’ of Jesus’ most radical teachings survives the Death of God and the deconstruction of metaphysics in twentieth-century continental philosophy, this book aims to reconstruct the original teachings of Jesus in a way that can begin a new conversation on what it means to be a Christian in a post-Christian world, while drawing on a remarkable range of supporting material, including John D. Caputo’s award-winning theological appropriation of Derrida’s deconstruction, the pioneering work of John Dominic Crossan on the parables of Jesus, and the novel insights of Jesus Seminar scholars Robert Funk and Branden Scott. Beginning with questions surrounding the ‘end of metaphysics’ in Martin Heidegger’s existentialist philosophy and moving on to the ethico-political dimensions of Derrida’s work, this volume examines Nicholas of Cusa’s notion of God as the coincidence of opposites, Buddhist genius Nagarjuna’s dialectic of Emptiness, and the Hindu concept of non-duality in raising the possibility of a post-metaphysical theology. Following an original unpacking of the parables of Jesus, the central thesis is woven together with reference to Moltmann’s important work on the crucified God, as well as Kierkegaard and the Absolute Paradox, negative/mystical theology in the Christian tradition, twentieth-century Japanese philosopher Nishida Kitaro, and aspects of Nietzsche, Thomas Aquinas, Plato, Aristotle, Meister Eckhart, G. K. Chesterton, Slavoj Zizek, and Ken Wilber.

About the Author :
The Author: Cameron Freeman earned his Ph.D. in philosophical theology from Flinders University of South Australia and the Adelaide College of Divinity. After travelling overseas as a post-doctoral researcher, he is currently a teacher, independent scholar, and freelance writer with a keen interest in the historical Jesus, interfaith dialog between East and West, and the contemplative dimensions of Christianity.

Review :
«In this fascinating book, Cameron Freeman has done two things usually considered to be between the improbable and the impossible. First, he says something new and interesting about the parables of Jesus by pondering them not just as discrete stories but as a total discourse. Second, he challenges the long-held ascendancy of philosophy over theology by using the deep structure of that parabolic complex as normative not just for Christian theology but even for post-modern philosophy itself.» (John Dominic Crossan – world renowned New Testament scholar, best-selling author and co-founder of the Jesus Seminar) «Cameron Freeman breathes a new life of interaction with the Word into the familiar stories of Jesus that we so easily and dangerously think we understand. Freeman shows how continuously subverting is the teaching of Jesus towards all complacency and all attempts to tame that radical knowing of God that is the Gospel and that has changed the way human beings see God and themselves. With intelligence and careful scholarship this book also transmits that first thrill of seeing what Jesus is really getting at and the relief of seeing superficial interpretations collapse.» (Father Laurence Freeman – director of the World Community of Christian Meditation and widely published author) «Cameron Freeman is an original and imaginative thinker. In this book, he works creatively at the intersection of post-modern philosophy and biblical scholarship to show how the richly paradoxical language and practice of Jesus can take us beyond apparent philosophical impasse into fresh and rich theological insights. (Denis Edwards – Catholic Theologian and Senior Lecturer in Theology at Flinders University) «This work undercuts the assumption that post modernism’s criticism of Western metaphysics leads to either nihilism or atheism. Dr. Freeman takes to heart the criticism of Heidegger and Derrida and uses their insights to illuminate the heart of the Christian message making it accessible to the post modern mind. It is an invaluable contribution that will set the pace of theology well into the future.» (Rev. Gregory J. Mayers, C.Ss.R., Zen Teacher of the Sanbo-Kyodan Religious Foundation and of the Empty Cloud Sangha, Director of the East-West Meditation Program at Mercy Center in Burlingame, CA.)