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In this collection of essays, Michel René Barnes offers a new reading of the character and development of Latin Trinitarian theology in the fourth and fifth centuries. Although Augustine is the principal focus, he is treated here as an inheritor of an earlier Latin tradition. Antecedent theologians, most notably including Marius Victorinus, are given a revised interpretation, and Augustine himself is explored from multiple angles.At every turn, developments in Augustine¿s thought are shown to be a response to the anti-Nicene theologies of the period. Most significantly, this view decries the modern ¿systematic¿ tendency to engage with Augustine only though a simplified version of late-nineteenth-century categories. This accusation invites the question of how far modern theology can actually engage with Patristic theology at all, but Barnes offers a way forward.

With the theme of relationship receiving renewed attention in a variety of areas, theological expressions of the subject are also being brought back into the spotlight. Although the concept of a personal relationship with God is a common Christian expression, it is often poorly defined. Here, Michael Berra draws on the Swiss theologian Emil Brunner to redefine and rehabilitate the analogy of relationship.Basing his study primarily on Brunner¿s seminal work Truth as Encounter, Berra proposes that relationship ought to be the central motif for the whole of theology. He investigates the theme in light of modern relationship science, arguing that God-human interaction categorically meets the definition of a relationship, and that it is existentially intended to be intimate. Scholars and church leaders will find in Berräs approach a refreshing voice in this dynamic field.

T.F. Torrance¿s Conflict and Agreement in the Church gathers together his most influential essays and articles on topics relating to ecumenism. Himself involved heavily in the ecumenical movement, he wrote that ¿ours must be the task of learning together again how to confess, like the early Church, faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and God in all its breadth and length and height and depth, and therefore in the overflowing love of God.¿ Out of this conviction grew a comprehensive doctrine of the Church ¿in which our differences are lost sight of because they are destroyed from behind by a masterful faith in the Saviour of men.¿In this second volume, Torrance¿s thought on inter-denominational cooperation in light of the Church¿s mission is presented. He begins by suggesting that ¿the lines of conflict and agreement in the Church coincide less and less with the frontiers of the historic communions¿. This opens the door for greater union between those communion, but also exposes significant challenges to unity within them. Addressing the major debates on the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist, along with the priesthood and biblical exegesis, Torrance proposes a constructive way forward sealed by ¿reconciliation in the Body and Blood of Christ¿.

T.F. Torrance¿s Conflict and Agreement in the Church gathers together his most influential essays and articles on topics relating to ecumenism. Himself involved heavily in the ecumenical movement, he wrote that ¿ours must be the task of learning together again how to confess, like the early Church, faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and God in all its breadth and length and height and depth, and therefore in the overflowing love of God.¿ Out of this conviction grew a comprehensive doctrine of the Church ¿in which our differences are lost sight of because they are destroyed from behind by a masterful faith in the Saviour of men.¿In this second volume, Torrance¿s thought on inter-denominational cooperation in light of the Church¿s mission is presented. He begins by suggesting that ¿the lines of conflict and agreement in the Church coincide less and less with the frontiers of the historic communions¿. This opens the door for greater union between those communion, but also exposes significant challenges to unity within them. Addressing the major debates on the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist, along with the priesthood and biblical exegesis, Torrance proposes a constructive way forward sealed by ¿reconciliation in the Body and Blood of Christ¿.

In this third volume of papers from Thomas Merton¿s conferences during his decade (1955-1965) as novice master at the Cistercian Abbey of Gethsemani, his insight into the liturgical pattern of the Christian year and beyond is presented in fresh detail. Merton¿s own commitment to this central dimension of Christian life is clear, and nowhere more so than in his work introducing students to the patterns that would mark their lives as monks.Though dating from the period just before the liturgical reforms of Vatican II, Merton's commentaries remain pertinent. The thoroughly annotated text is preceded by an extensive introduction situating this material in the context of Merton's lifelong writing on liturgy. Moreover, as his former student Br. Paul Quenon notes in his foreword, this context is one deeply rooted in Merton¿s understanding of Scripture. ¿These notes . . . take us into one man's lifetime of reflection and seasoned experience of the Church Year.¿

In his characteristic accessible and clear style, R.H. Warring offers a guide for the radio amateur to many of the things one ought to know when tackling a radio project. Warring describes and illustrates the design and working characteristics of the basic electronic ¿blocks¿ from which radio receivers can be constructed and shows the reader how to incorporate additional simple circuits, such as volume and tone controls, and automatic gain control, to build upon these basic blocks. Straightforward calculations are provided to determine the values of components like resistors, capacitors and inductances to optimise your results.Building and Designing Transistor Radios will equip you with the skills and knowledge properly to understand transistor radios. Special attention is paid to the transistor, the most important component, which the author provides insightful advice on. By understanding the operating characteristics of the radiös different elements, the reader can learn how to devise circuits so that they perform most efficiently. With 80 diagrams, no excessively complicated circuitry, and minimal mathematical calculations included, this book first published in 1977 remains perfect for amateurs and enthusiasts.

Who were Shakespeare¿s ¿Friend¿ and the ¿Dark Lady¿? Why did Donne risk his life and ruin his career for a seventeen-year-old girl? Why did Wordsworth¿s sister retire to her bed on his wedding day?Writing never takes place in a vacuum and much of the finest poetry in the English language has been inspired by particular people - patrons, spouses, lovers, friends, or just casual acquaintances. Whether relegated to an obscurity they do not deserve or thrust into prominence they did not seek, their importance to the creative process is inescapable.In Where All the Ladders Start, Julian Lovelock discusses with characteristic incisiveness and enthusiasm nine major British poets and the real lives behind their most significant works. Along the way he shows how poetry has developed over the past four hundred years and provides suggestions for further reading, while for convenience all of the relevant poems and extracts are reproduced in full. Written for both the seasoned reader and the student encountering these poems for the first time, Lovelock¿s analysis will inspire and entertain in equal measure.

Some of the greatest works of Western literature have been inspired or influenced by powerful Christian themes. In this fresh evaluation of this relationship and its development over the last two millennia, Ambrose Mong studies a series of authors representative of the changing epochs. Augustine, Dante and Milton all wrote to serve the needs of the Christian community, and combine their religious themes with scholarly excellence. Meanwhile Shakespeare¿s plays and Coleridge¿s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, though not specific to the Christian faith, nevertheless betray the dominant Christian values and imagery of their time. Finally, in Dostoevsky¿s The Brothers Karamazov and Greene¿s The Power and the Glory, Christianity is put under scrutiny, reflecting the increasing insecurity of its place in society. Throughout, Mong also shows that the themes in these works are to a certain extent universal. Creation, sin, suffering and forgiveness are perennial human concerns, beyond the exclusive purview of Christianity, and these texts serve to challenge Christian assumptions as much as they are influenced by them. Always thorough and sensitive to the unique context of each writer, Mong¿s analysis provides an important grounding in the way Western literature has shaped and been shaped by the religion of its day.

In Worship, Its Theology and Practice, Jean-Jacques von Allmen establishes the broader framework of a doctrine of worship, to then see how it can be applied in practice. The book¿s two parts, ¿Problems of Principle¿ and ¿Problems of Celebration¿, allow for a holistic approach to worship in all its forms. Covering a wide range of liturgical study, von Allmen places regular Sunday worship in its historical and theological context, affirming its nature as the ¿recapitulation of the history of salvation¿ and a sacred sign of Christ¿s presence, while fully acknowledging its practical role in building the Church. In this new edition, von Allmen¿s work is brought up to date with a Foreword by Ronald Andrew Rienstra. There is also a new index, enabling scholars to locate key concepts and themes with ease. At its core, Worship, Its Theology and Practice remains acutely relevant, with its vision of an experience of worship comprised of deeper participation and simple obedience to Jesus Christ.

In clear and concise fashion, A Companion to the Bible provides explanation of many terms and key themes within the Bible. Grounding the definitions with textual references, Jean-Jacques von Allmen enriches our theological understanding by concentrating on a limited number of longer articles with abundant cross-referencing. This approach allows for a greater depth in knowledge for all readers.Written in an accessible style, this book is for layfolk and scholars alike. As von Allmen himself writes, the book¿s aim is to facilitate this ¿one thing needful¿ - to encounter, through Holy Scripture, Jesus Christ the Word of God.

"The Industrial Revolution provided the greatest increase in living standards the world has ever known while propelling Britain to dominance on the global stage. In Forging Modernity, Martin Hutchinson looks at how and why Britain gained this prize ahead of its European competitors. After comparing their endowments and political structures as far back as 1600, he then traces how Britain, through better policies primarily from the political Tory party, diverged from other European countries. Hutchinson's Harvard MBA allows a unique perspective on the early industrial enterprises - many successes resulted from marketing, control systems and logistics rather than from production technology alone, while on a national scale the scientific method and commercial competition were as important as physical infrastructure. By 1830, through ever-improving policies, Britain had built a staggering industrial lead, half a century ahead of its rivals. Then the Tories lost power and policy changed forever. In his conclusion, Hutchinson shows how changes welcomed by conventional historians caused the decline of Industrial Britain. Nevertheless, the policies that drove growth, ingenuity and rising living standards are still available for those bold enough to adopt them."

In To Will and To Do, twentieth-century French thinker Jacques Ellul presented his landmark theological contribution, yet the full text has never before been available in English. Incorporating recent insights on Ellul, and benefitting from the discovery of a lost manuscript, this new publication remedies this, combining a fresh translation of Volume One with a first English translation of Volume Two. Together, the two volumes constitute the first part of Ellul's planned four-part treatment of Christian ethics. In Volume Two, Ellul examines the origin of the problem of Good and Evil, surveys the contemporary morality of Western society, and provocatively sketches the paradox of an impossible and yet necessary Christian ethics. In Volume Two, he carries this discussion forward, outlining the characteristics and conditions of Christian ethics, and analysing the relationship between ethics, the legal texts of the Bible, and dogmatic theology. He concludes by reimagining the theological use of the ¿analogy of faith¿ for scriptural interpretation. Throughout, Ellul remains in dialogue with Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Paul Ricoeur and others, helping to cement To Will and To Do as a major intervention in twentieth-century theological ethics.

What will be the final destiny of humanity? At God¿s final judgement, will all be saved, or only a few? How does Christian eschatology affect Christian political action in the here and now? And what is the destiny of each individual facing the prospect of earthly death? In these essays, Sergius Bulgakov brings the resources of scripture and tradition to bear on these vital questions, arguing for the magnificent final restoration of all creatures to union with God in a universal salvation worthy of the infinite scope of Christ's redemption. Combining practical theology with doctrinal questions, Bulgakov provides on the one hand insight into how Christians can strive to bring God's kingdom to earth in anticipation of the peace and justice of the heavenly Jerusalem. On the other, he offers profound theological reflections on the nature of human death and Christ's accompaniment of all humans in their dying, based on his own near-death experience. Although originating firmly within the Russian Orthodox tradition, Bulgakov¿s sensitive and incisive writing will shed new light for all on eschatology in all its facets: personal, political, and universal.

Is the mind just a by-product of the brain? Or is mind the fundamental reality, which creates matter? In The Priority of Mind, Keith Ward mounts a definitive defence of mind as prior to matter. In an accessible style, he unpacks the sources and abilities of the mind, situates it in the wider world, or cosmos, and proposes a relation between mind and virtue, and the nature of mind after death. Along the way, he explores the different philosophical approaches to the mind-matter question taken by thinkers over time, settling on idealism as the teaching of most classical philosophers, and as most consistent with modern science. Lay readers and scholars alike will relish Ward¿s clear, methodical exposition, and his counterarguments against the materialist narrative that dominates much of popular philosophical thinking today.

¿Merton still matters¿, writes Paul R. Dekar about Cistercian monk Thomas Merton. Calling people to act justly, love kindness and walk humbly, Merton used his contemplative practice to see beyond what disrupts and divides us from one another to find the truth of our common humanity - unity in our creation in the image of God. In Thomas Merton and the New World, Dekar focuses primarily on two issues of concern to our current world. First, he studies Merton¿s warnings of the abuse that stems from unmindful and irresponsible use of technology, and its ecological devastation. Second, he examines Merton¿s thinking on racial injustice in the mid-1960s through his correspondence with his allies and contemporaries - James Baldwin, for example.Using Micah 6:8 to arrange Merton¿s focus on justice, lovingkindness, and humility, with input from Merton¿s dialogue with Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Rachel Carson and others, Dekar demonstrates just how prophetic and transferable Merton¿s teachings remain.

Kairos is used in the New Testament to signify a pivotal moment in history: a critical time of judgement and opportunity where chaos must be faced and one must change their ways before it becomes irreparable. Confronted by the Covid-19 pandemic and mandatory isolation, John de Gruchy felt a similar need to adapt and respond. In doing so, he found a deepening in his desire for authentic humanity, genuine community, and the opportunity affirm his conviction that true humanity is rooted in God, wisdom, and the struggle for justice.Mixing theology, history, anecdote, spirituality, social commentary, and practical suggestions, This Monastic Moment reflects on this period, and argues that now is the opportune time to embrace the opportunity God has given to receive the coming kingdom in greater fullness. This urgency echoes St Benedict of Nursiäs call to ¿listen¿, ¿wake up¿, and ¿run¿ while there is still light before ¿the darkness of death¿. With consideration given both to contemplation and action, to prayer and justice, de Gruchy¿s own personal pilgrimage provides the tools to embark upon, or aid, your own.

The story of how the map of New Zealand emerged is a fascinating one. The first full map of the islands was published in London in 1773, which might seem the natural starting point, but over the preceding 150 years, fragments of charts and intelligence about New Zealand ricocheted around various parts of the world. In A Draught of the South Land, Paul Moon provides the first comprehensive account of this piecemeal process. Moon¿s investigation covers several continents over more than a century, and reveals the personalities, blunders, strategic miscalculations, scientific brilliance, and imperial power-plays that were involved. Above all, he examines the roles played by explorers and traders, M¿ori and European rulers, scientific societies and military groups, as well as specialist cartographers and publishers. At a time when maps as colonial tools, enablers of trade and objects of curiosity are being studied anew, his careful analysis and engaging narrative will be of interest to scholars everywhere.

Oliver Cromwell stands at the gateway of modern history; his resolute Puritanism formative to concepts of political and religious liberty, the development of democracy, and the individual¿s duty to resist tyranny. In The Lord Protector, Robert S. Paul traces Cromwell¿s political career, from his early influences and political experience, to the English Civil Wars, his brutal conquest of Ireland and campaigns in Scotland.Where some historians present Cromwell in extremes, either as a scheming power-hungry tyrant, or as a noble hero, Paul seeks to understand the Lord Protector through the religious context of the seventeenth century, removed from the typical historical readings of his contemporaries. In order to understand Cromwell¿s career, Paul¿s investigation focusses his study through the extent to which Cromwell shared the theological beliefs common to his time. This relationship between his religion and political action provides an estimate of Cromwell as a man of faith, statesman and ruler.

In Philip of Spain and the Netherlands, C.J. Cadoux discusses the expression of moral judgements regarding leading figures in major historical events. Indeed, Cadoux, using the case of the Dutch Revolt, questions whether it is possible at all to assess moral quality without adequate knowledge of the relevant facts, at least.First published in 1947, Cadoux¿s approach presents all history, whether national or personal, from a disinterested approach. This consistency of approach allows for a clear and concise depiction of events and persons that is not skewed by an overbearing opinion. He posits that in the great struggle between Spain and the Netherlands in the sixteenth century, a new ethic of Christian mercy is discernible. Cadoux concludes his book by asking the reader ¿in whose behaviour there can be seen some promise of better and humaner things?¿, reinforcing the inherent difficulty that remains when passing moral judgement.

Since antiquity, theology has frequently gone hand in hand with the study of the heavens. Speculation regarding the plurality of worlds, and the possibility of intelligent life beyond Earth, has posed questions for, and been stimulated by, Christian theology. Advancements in astronomy and astrophysics now reveal a vast universe containing trillions of galaxies. Each new exoplanet discovered brings with it a new context in which to consider the place of humanity, and the role of divinity in relation to creatures. In particular, the Christian doctrines of the incarnation and redemption must be understood afresh in light of the likelihood of extraterrestrial life.In Exotheology, Joel L. Parkyn examines the twin historic developments in scientific and theological thought on extraterrestrials from antiquity to the twenty-first century. In doing so he demonstrates a consistent pattern of theological formulations that allow for a distinct relation between Christianity and extraterrestrial life, but this has so far been without sufficient resolution. Applying concepts from anthropology, psychology and sociology to putative extraterrestrials, he explores in new depth the implications of contact, and argues for a ¿divine pedagogy¿ of potential modalities of supernatural presence and action with extraterrestrial intelligences.

In The Doctrine of the Incarnation Opened, an abridgement of Edward Irving¿s (1792-1834) sermons, readers have fresh access to and insightful comment on Irving¿s distinctive views regarding the person of Jesus Christ. The book follows the sermons in a logical progression: the goal and method of the incarnation, the events of the incarnate life and the death of Christ, and the effects of the incarnation. For Irving, God the Son¿s assumption of a fallen human nature was of the upmost importance, and garnered most attention. This view also dominates Irving¿s soteriology, according to which the incarnate Son takes over the human will, reforming the very origin of sin, and offers obedience to the Father as a sacrifice of praise. Irving¿s radical Christological thought informed the thinking of notable theologians such as John McLeod Campbell, Thomas F. Torrance, and Karl Barth. With an introduction by G. McFarlane and a critical response by J.D. Cameron, The Doctrine of the Incarnation Opened provides an accessible format to engage with Irving¿s influential thoughts and ideas.

Dating from the first century, the Didache offers a unique window into early Jewish Christianity. Its Jewish-Christian author seeks to mediate the Torah for the text¿s gentile recipients, steering diplomatically between the Scylla and Charybdis of the Law-observing church in Jerusalem and Paul¿s more open teaching. The Didache is thus very clear that gentile believers do not need to convert to Judaism, but at the same time its author argues that the Torah - particularly the second table of the Decalogue - is universal. The Deuteronomic paradigm of the ¿Way of Life¿ against the ¿Way of Death¿ applies to all.In Torah for Gentiles? Daniel Nessim explores this juxtaposition in depth. How is Jesus¿ ¿easy yoke¿ to be held alongside the strenuous commands of Mosaic Law? What does it mean to attain perfection? The path the Didache offers is not as straightforward as one might suppose, yet both Jews and Christians would recognize its moral basis as largely the same as that which underpins Judaeo-Christian values today. Moreover, the Christian community it describes, from a time when that community still looked very much to its Jewish forebears, makes it a fascinating example of the origins of Christian life and worship.

Given the increasing number of old people, the proliferation of books about old age is hardly surprising. Most of these come from cultural historians or social scientists and, when those with a literary background have tackled the subject, they have largely done so through what are known as period studies. In Blasted with Antiquity, David Ellis provides an alternative. Skipping nimbly from Cicero to Shakespeare, and from Wordsworth to Dickens and beyond, he discusses various aspects of old age with the help of writers across European history who have usually been regarded as worth listening to. Eschewing extended literary analyses, Ellis addresses retirement, physical decay, sex in old age, the importance of family, legacy, wills and nostalgia, as well of course as dying itself. While remaining alert to current trends, his approach is consciously that of the old way of teaching English rather than the new. Whether ¿blasted with antiquity¿ like Falstaff in Henry IV Part Two, or with the ¿shining morning face¿ of an unwilling student, his accessible and witty style will appeal to young and old alike.