A Heart of Flesh: William Desmond and the Bible
Ebook
The Irish philosopher William Desmond is one of the most compelling and adventurous Christian thinkers of our time. The essays gathered here undertake a journey through the Bible with Desmond that ranges across biblical theology, philosophy of religion, metaphysics, ethics, aesthetics, political theory, and literary studies. Some of the essays examine the place of the Bible in Desmond's thought, considering his readings of the creation, the Abraham cycle, and the Beatitudes. Other essays bring Desmond's ideas to bear on broad questions that emerge from the Bible about philosophy and revelation, exegesis, theopoetics, eschatology, and tyranny. Still others bring Desmond into conversation with influential philosophers who engage (or conspicuously do not engage) the Bible, such as Hegel, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Heidegger, and Tillich. Together, these essays show the rich possibilities of approaching the Bible with Desmond. All take their bearings from Desmond's "metaxological" approach, which does not seek to claim the final word, which attends to the text rather than simply imposing on it, and which allows for an ongoing dialogue.
/ Contributors: Ryan G. Duns, SJ / Caitlin Smith Gilson / Joseph K. Gordon / William Christian Hackett / Steven E. Knepper / Renee Kohler-Ryan / Andrew Kuiper / Brendan Thomas Sammon / Terence Sweeney / Ethan Vanderleek / Erik van Versendaal / Robert Wyllie
"For non-specialists, continental philosophy can be an imposing thing, filled with abstruse thinkers, neologisms, and the latest trendy European name. But this collection should prompt even the most determined avoiders of continental thought to reconsider. Uniformly strong, these essays demonstrate the immense fruitfulness of reading Scripture through William Desmond's lenses. This book is a breakthrough that left me eager for more and deeply grateful to Desmond and the authors."
--Matthew Levering, chair of theology, Mundelein Seminary
"The fertile depths of William Desmond's metaxological metaphysics are increasingly being discovered and excavated in rapidly expanding secondary literature, spanning his imposing and demanding corpus. However, Steven Knepper's volume A Heart of Flesh breaks new ground through tapping the resources and potential of metaxological thinking in relation to biblical texts. Cyril O'Regan's foreword alone justifies the existence of this volume. And yet there is so much more in this superb collection of essays. Highly recommended."
--Philip John-Paul Gonzales, lecturer in philosophy, St. Patrick's Pontifical University
"This is a well-wrought collection of reflections, gathered under the well-informed and judicious editorship of Steven Knepper. Its different contributions offer the reader many insights on an impressive range of themes, handled with due consideration and attentive thoughtfulness. I am much taken with its offering of a diversity of surprising illuminations on matters theological and philosophical, both old and new. Very warmly recommended."
--William Desmond, chair in philosophy, Villanova University
- Title: A Heart of Flesh: William Desmond and the Bible
- Authors: Cyril O'Regan, Steven E. Knepper, William Franke
- Publisher: Cascade Books
- Print Publication Date: 2023
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666799194, 9781666738452, 166673845X, 9781666799187, 1666799181, 166679919X
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666799194
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-12-05T21:55:36Z
Steven E. Knepper is an associate professor in the Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies at Virginia Military Institute. He is the author of Wonder Strikes: Approaching Aesthetics and Literature with William Desmond (2022).