Homo dominus redefines what it means to be human. Starting with the component pieces of human uniqueness-cognition, self-awareness, language, technology, aggression, altruism, culture, the arts, and spirituality-it rebuilds the human species using a new conceptual blueprint. Sure to spark debate, Homo dominus offers a new vision of who we are and how we got here. Author Stephen Dennis draws from neuroscience, paleontology, psychology, and sociobiology to show that the impetus of human evolution is our propensity to control events and their consequences. This means simply that our root operating system is built on actions taken to bring perceptions into line with expectations. A pivotal genetic shift driven by ecological instability in the late Miocene era triggered this evolutionary divergence and propelled us out of apedom. From our hardscrabble origins on the forest margins to our current position of global dominance, Homo dominus recasts traditional human evolutionary theory in terms of basic control theory. It is a powerful organizing principle that puts our past in a new context and projects our future in a new light.
This monograph has set itself the goal to examine, outline, elucidate, and supplement the existing body of knowledge concerning a theme from patristic and medieval theology recalled in 1953 by Marie-Dominique Chenu, and that is the assertion that man was created as a replacement for fallen angels (Yves Congar: créature de remplacement; Louis Bouyer: ange de remplacement). The study first shows that the idea of man having being created to take the place of fallen angels was introduced by St. Augustine and developed by other church fathers. It then identifies the typical contexts in which the subject was raised by authors of the early Middle Ages, but goes on to focus on the discussion that developed during the twelfth century (Anselm of Canterbury, the school of Laon, Rupert of Deutz, Honorius of Autun), which represents the high point of the theme under investigation, culminating in the assertion that man is an "original" being, created for its own sake, for whom God created the world – a world which together with, and through, man is destined for the heavenly Jerusalem. The question as to whether man would have been created if the angels had not sinned (cur homo) bears a clear similarity to a further controversy, the origins of which also go back to the twelfth century, and that is whether the Son of God would have become incarnate if man had not sinned (cur Deus homo). Next, the book sheds light on how the subject begins to gradually fade away through the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, both within monastic tradition, which nonetheless held onto Augustine's motif, and within scholastic theology, which asserted that man was created for his own sake. The conclusion summarizes the findings and points to the surprisingly contemporary relevance of the foregoing reflections, particularly in relation to the critique that the Swiss philosopher and theologian Romano Amerio († 1997) offers concerning a statement in the pastoral constitution of the Second Vatican Council (Gaudium et spes 24), according to which man is "the only creature on earth that God willed for itself".
Roger Ascham is often classified as 'a great mid-Tudor humanist' and he is perhaps best known for his role as tutor to Elizabeth I. His most famous works, The Scholemaster and Toxophilus, have been extensively quarried and anthologised in studies on prose style and English humanism. By contrast, his Neo-Latin works that engaged with theology and key Reformation concerns have languished in the shadows of modern scholarship. Ascham's Themata Theologica ('Theological Topics') is one of these, and its content has the potential to open up many an investigative avenue into the intellectual and religious culture of the sixteenth century. This is the first volume to offer a corresponding English translation. The Themata can be dated to the early to mid- 1540s, and was composed by Ascham while still at Cambridge University and serving as a senior fellow at St John's College. The work mainly comprises a compendium of relatively short commentaries on Scriptural verses (both Old and New Testament), many of which developed into expositions on difficult philosophical concepts, such as the notion of felix culpa (literally, 'happy fault') and some of the most intractable theological questions of the day, including the nature of sin, adiaphora ('matters of indifference'), justification and free will. This little-known text offers a rare opportunity to trace the course of Ascham's own religious maturation, but also offers fresh insights into the confessional climate at Cambridge University during one of the most turbulent periods of the Reformation in England.
A great luminary of modern Thomistic studies was Bernard J. Lonergan, S.J. (1904-1984). One of his brightest disciples was William Murnion. Murnion was powerfully drawn to Lonergan's interpretations of the thought of Thomas Aquinas and began to deeply immerse himself in the work and the evolution of the thought of both. After five years of research and writing, Murnion had to interrupt his studies due to professional and personal demands. Several years later he successfully completed and defended a doctoral dissertation which was published only in part. This book is the complete, unrevised, original work. As Murnion observed in his preface, "only the title is modified...the betterto clarify the topic. I suppose I could have massaged the text to incorporate some of the things I have learned about Aquinas in the meantime. But just as it is, I believe it presents a clear and cogent argument for the claim I defended in it about Aquinas's explanation of the act of understanding."
Volume IV presents writings attributed to the “major” prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Dire prophecies of God’s impending judgment are punctuated by portentous visions. Profound grief is accompanied by the promise of mercy and redemption, a promise illustrated best by Isaiah’s visions of a new heaven and a new earth.
What does it mean to "live without why"? This was the advice of Meister Eckhart (ca. 1260-1328), both in his Latin treatises to philosophers and theologians and in his German sermons to nuns and ordinary lay persons. He seems to have meant that we should live and act out of justice or goodness and not in order to gain some reward for our deeds. This message was received with indignation by the Church hierarchy and was condemned by the Pope in 1329. How did Eckhart come to formulate it? And why was it so controversial? John M. Connolly addresses these questions by locating Eckhart's thinking about how to live within the mainstream synthesis of Christian and classical thought formulated in the High Middle Ages. He calls the classical Greek moral consensus "teleological eudaimonism," according to which correct living coincides with the attainment of happiness (eudaimonia). This involves living a life marked by the practice of the virtues, which in turn requires a consistent desire for the correct goal in life. This desire is the core notion of will. In late antiquity Augustine drew on this tradition in formulating his views about how Christians should live. This required grafting onto classical eudaimonism a set of distinctively scriptural notions such as divine providence, original sin, redemption, and grace. In the 13th century these ideas were systematized by Thomas Aquinas in his will-centered moral theology. Eckhart claimed that this tradition was profoundly mistaken. Far from being a wild-eyed mystic or visionary, he argued trenchantly from classical philosophical principles and the Christian scriptures. Connolly proposes that Eckhart's views, long obscured by the papal condemnation, deserve reconsideration today.
The philosopher and theologian, Saint Augustine, one of the Latin Fathers of the Church, created a theological system of great power and lasting influence. His numerous written works, including ‘Confessions’ and ‘City of God’, laid the foundation for much of medieval and modern Christian thought. Delphi’s Ancient Classics series provides eReaders with the wisdom of the Classical world, with both English translations and the original Latin texts. This comprehensive eBook presents Augustine’s collected works, with relevant illustrations, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Illustrated with images relating to Augustine's life and works * Features almost the complete works of Augustine * Concise introductions to the major works * Includes translations previously appearing in the ‘Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers Series’, edited by Philip Schaff * Images of famous paintings inspired by Augustine * Excellent formatting of the texts * Easily locate the chapters or works you want to read with individual contents tables * Provides special dual English and Latin texts of ‘Confessions’ and ‘City of God’, allowing readers to compare the sections chapter by chapter– ideal for students * Features two bonus biographies – discover Augustine's ancient world * Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to explore our range of Ancient Classics titles or buy the entire series as a Super Set CONTENTS: The Translations ON CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE (De doctrina Christiana) CONFESSIONS (Confessiones) THE CITY OF GOD (De civitate Dei) ON THE TRINITY (De trinitate) ENCHIRIDION (Enchiridion ad Laurentium, seu de fide, spe et caritate) ON THE CATECHISING OF THE UNINSTRUCTED (De catechizandis rudibus) ON FAITH AND THE CREED (De fide et symbolo) CONCERNING FAITH OF THINGS NOT SEEN (De fide rerum invisibilium) ON THE PROFIT OF BELIEVING (De utilitate credendi) ON THE CREED: A SERMON TO CATECHUMENS (De symbolo ad catechumenos) ON CONTINENCE (De continentia) ON THE GOOD OF MARRIAGE (De bono coniugali) ON HOLY VIRGINITY (De sancta virginitate) ON THE GOOD OF WIDOWHOOD (De bono viduitatis) ON LYING (De mendacio) TO CONSENTIUS: AGAINST LYING (Contra mendacium) ON THE WORK OF MONKS (De opere monachorum) ON PATIENCE (De patientia) ON CARE TO BE HAD FOR THE DEAD (De cura pro mortuis gerenda) ON THE MORALS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (De moribus ecclesiae catholicae) ON THE MORALS OF THE MANICHAEANS (De moribus Manichaeorum) CONTENTS ON TWO SOULS, AGAINST THE MANICHAEANS (De duabus animabus) ACTS OR DISPUTATION AGAINST FORTUNATUS THE MANICHAEAN (Acta contra Fortunatum Manichaeum) AGAINST THE EPISTLE OF MANICHAEUS CALLED FUNDAMENTAL (Contra epistulam Manichaei quam vocant fundamenti) REPLY TO FAUSTUS THE MANICHAEAN (Contra Faustum) CONCERNING THE NATURE OF GOOD, AGAINST THE MANICHAEANS (De natura boni contra Manichaeos) ON BAPTISM, AGAINST THE DONATISTS (De baptismo) THE CORRECTION OF THE DONATISTS (De correctione Donatistarum) ON MERITS AND REMISSION OF SIN, AND INFANT BAPTISM (De peccatorum meritis et remissione et de baptismo parvulorum) ON THE SPIRIT AND THE LETTER (De spiritu et littera) ON NATURE AND GRACE (De natura et gratia) ON MAN’S PERFECTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS (De perfectione iustitiae hominis) ON THE PROCEEDINGS OF PELAGIUS (De gestis Pelagii) ON THE GRACE OF CHRIST, AND ON ORIGINAL SIN (De gratia Christi et de peccato originali) ON MARRIAGE AND CONCUPISCENCE (De nuptiis et concupiscientia) AGAINST TWO LETTERS OF THE PELAGIANS (Contra duas epistulas Pelagianorum) ON GRACE AND FREE WILL (De gratia et libero arbitrio) ON THE PREDESTINATION OF THE SAINTS (De praedestinatione sanctorum) OUR LORD’S SERMON ON THE MOUNT (De sermone Domini in monte) ON THE HARMONY OF THE EVANGELISTS (De consensu evangelistarum) TREATISES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN (In Iohannis evangelium tractatus) SOLILOQUIES (Soliloquiorum libri duo) ENARRATIONS, OR EXPOSITIONS, ON THE PSALMS (Enarrationes in Psalmos) ANSWER TO THE LETTERS OF PETILIAN, BISHOP OF CIRTA (Contra litteras Petiliani) SERMONS, AMONG WHICH A SERIES ON SELECTED LESSONS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT OUR LORD’S SERMON ON THE MOUNT HOMILIES, AMONG WHICH A SERIES ON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN Selected Latin Texts LIST OF LATIN TEXTS The Dual Texts DUAL LATIN AND ENGLISH TEXTS The Biographies SAINT AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO by Gustav Krüger ST. AUGUSTIN’S LIFE AND WORK from Schaff’s Church History The Delphi Classics Catalogue Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles
