Thomas Weinandy has done an excellent job in this book in introducing Athanasius' theology. A well-known Catholic scholar in historical theology, Weinandy has provided students of theology with a profound historiography of Athanasius' major theological writing. - Calvin Theological Journal

"A reliable, concise introduction to the theology of Athanasius." - International Journal of Systematic Theology

"A sustained and intelligent introduction to Athanasius and his literature, and will rightly appear on all undergraduate patristic bibliographies." - The Journal of Theological Studies

"A very fine theological (as its subtitle emphasizes) introduction to the Alexandrian bishop…[an] accessible, intelligent, and worthy volume, which offers the reader an overview of Athanasius's thought within the context of his full, if at times harried, ecclesiastical life." - Nova et Vetera

"Weinandy offers a summary of Athanasius' central works and a balanced assessment of his theology's merits and contemporary significance…No student of Athanasius should overlook this reliable guidebook to the little Alexandrian's great life and works." - Religious Studies Review

"Weinandy's introduction to Athanasius is an important work, familiarizing the reader with Athanasius' life, writings, and fundamental concerns. Throughout, the centrality of soteriology clearly emerges, whether the topic is the doctrine of the Trinity or the life of Antony. Hopefully this book will serve to bring Athanasius' soteriology more prominently into contemporary discussions alongside the other great masterpieces on this doctrine." - Themelios

Even though the theology of Origen of Alexandria has shaped the Christian Tradition in almost every way, the controversies over his legacy have been seemingly endless. One major interpretative trend, for example, has suggested Origen’s theology is really akin to the heterodox Gnostics against whom he wrote than the actual teaching of the Gospel, since he (supposedly) had a disdainful attitude towards Creation and ultimately saw little redemptive meaning in the Passion. In Cross and Creation: A Theological Introduction to Origen of Alexandria, Mark Therrien offers an original interpretation of Origen’s theology. Focusing on some of Origen’s most important works (especially On First Principles and the Commentary on John, but ultimately making reference to his writings more broadly), this book retrieves and examines some of the foundational pillars of Origen’s theology through close readings and re-examinations of those texts. It examines eight of these theological foundations: God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the end, the soul, the world, the cross, and deification. Moreover, by showing the connections between Origen’s understanding of these foundational pillars, it also shows the coherence of his theology as a whole. Taken collectively, what emerges from these eight chapters is that two doctrines specially shape Origen’s theology: Cross and Creation. As Therrien shows, Origen did not hold contempt for Creation. Rather, Origen thinks that Creation emerges from the very life of God as eternally foreknown and provided for in the person of Christ, the Wisdom of God the Father. Moreover, he also holds that, though fallen, Creation will be restored according to its original, eternal intention in God precisely through the Passion of Jesus Christ on the Cross. The Cross is thus not minimalized in Origen’s theology; it is rather its very center.

Inspiration and Interpretation provides readers with a much needed general theological introduction to the study of Sacred Scripture.

Two principles capture the essence of the Catholic tradition on sexual ethics: that each and every marriage act must remain open to the transmission of life, and that any human genital act must occur within the framework of marriage. In the Catholic tradition, moral sexual activity is institutionalized within the confines of marriage and procreation, and sexual morality is marital morality.

But theologians Todd Salzman and Michael Lawler contend that there is a disconnect between many of the Church’s absolute sexual norms and other theological and intellectual developments explicitly recognized and endorsed in the Catholic tradition, especially since the Second Vatican Council. These developments include the shift from a primary static worldview to a historically conscious worldview, one that recognizes reality as dynamic, evolving, changing, and particular. By employing such a historically conscious worldview, alternative claims about the moral legitimacy of controversial topics such as contraception, artificial reproduction, and homosexual marriage can faithfully emerge within a Catholic context. Convinced of the central role that love, desire, and fertility play in a human life, and also in the life of Christian discipleship, the authors propose an understanding of sexuality that leads to the enhancement of human sexual relationships and flourishing.

This comprehensive introduction to Catholic sexual ethics—complete with thought-provoking study questions at the end of each chapter—will be sure to stimulate dialogue about sexual morality between Catholic laity, theologians, and the hierarchy. Anyone seeking a credible and informed Catholic sexual ethic will welcome this potentially revolutionary book.