The Teachings of Modern Orthodox Christianity on Law; Politics; and Human Nature examines how modern Orthodox Christian thinkers have answered the most pressing political; legal; and ethical questions of our time. It discusses the enduring teachings of important Orthodox Christian intellectuals of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Leading contemporary scholars analyze these thinkers' views on the nature and purpose of law and authority; the limits of rule and obedience; the care of the needy and innocent; the ethics of war and violence; and the separation of church and state; among other themes. A diverse and powerful portrait of Orthodox Christian legal and political thought; this volume underscores the various ways Orthodox Christian intellectuals have shaped modern debates over the family; the state; religion; and society. The book concentrates on Russian philosophers Vladimir Soloviev (1853-1900) and Vladimir Lossky (1903-1958); Russian theologian Nicholas Berdyaev (1874-1948); Russian nun and social reformer Mother Maria Skobtsova (1891-1945); and Romanian theologian Dumitru St?niloae (1903-1993).
#1676921 in Books 1974-10-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 .38 x 5.42 x 8.22l; #File Name: 023108336X128 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Bill and CarolA must for any zen practice. It will be read more than once.12 of 13 people found the following review helpful. An important portrayal of the meaning of "Faith"By James M. CorriganFor me; the highlight of this text is its depiction of faith; not as a blind grasping towards the truth; but as trust with conviction. The difference is important in today's world where the meaning of faith has been eviscerated of its positive affirmation of a path - conviction arising from a sure understanding; rather than just an adopted belief - to become more a label of anti-experiential assertion. Thus in today's world to have faith is to believe in the absence of evidence; while in this context to have faith is to have become permeated with the enlightened aspect of Suchness. The value of a text such as this is not the programmatic ideas that it presents; but the underlying understanding that these ideas point to. If one merely forms an attachment to the conceptual ideas; one is not developing faith.The translator's introduction and commentary; much of which is taken from a few Chinese and Korean scholars; but especially that of Fazang; is generally excellent. One caveat is that there are a few places within the text where the typographic style of setting off the commentary from the base text is not adhered to (ex. top of pg 65 of reprint edition); potentially confusing the reader.The introduction to the reprint edition by Abé is suspect. He starts with a whopper of a misunderstanding when he states: "... the Awakening of Faith boldly posits as the ultimate reality the minds of sentient beings in their everyday existence." The "minds" (plural and individuated) are presented as the permeation of ignorance and not the "ultimate reality". So I recommend caution in reading these remarks.James CorriganAn Introduction to Awareness1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. great readBy mikerich928This book was a great read; and I think an important one for anyone interested in looking into mahanaya buddhism; or buddhism in general. The major concepts of buddhist thinking are presented here along with the author's help in deciphering meaning from the more difficult or unclear paragraphs. This is invaluable as a lot of buddhist concepts and style of writing can be difficult to grasp. I take refuge in this book :)
