Essays by a modern Jesuit martyr challenge the way that theology should be done and the gospel should be lived. Ignacio Ellacur a, a Spanish Jesuit theologian, philosopher, and rector of the University of Central America in San Salvador, was one of the key intellectual authors of liberation theology. On November 16, 1989 he and other members of the Jesuit community of the university were massacred by Salvadoran army troops. This volume offers twelve important essays by Ellacur a, at last providing English-speaking readers with a comprehensive introduction to his theological thought. Traditional topics such as Christology, ecclesiology, theological method, and spirituality are interwoven with reflections on colonialism, liberation, religion and politics, the philosophy of Xavier Zubiri, and the legacy of Archbishop Oscar Romero in a volume that not only chronicles the thought of one of the most fertile minds of the last century, but challenges the way theology should be carried out for the century to come.
The Liberating Philosophy of Ignacio Ellacuría: Historical Reality, Humanism, and Praxis is the first systematic work on the philosophy of Ignacio Ellacuría to be published in English so far. The Spaniard-Salvadorian philosopher—murdered in Salvador in 1989 by the military—maintains that philosophy is a permanent task grounded in metaphysics as first philosophy, as developed within a historical reality and a preferential option for the poor. As explored by this collection edited by Luis Arturo Martínez Vásquez, Randall Carrera Umaña, and Luis Rubén Díaz Cepeda, Ellacuría's theory is a critical and practical proposal immersed in the colonial history of Central America, but its explanatory and normative power extends to oppressed people all around the world. The contributors to this volume, coming from Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Salvador, and Costa Rica, analyze Ellacuría's philosophy of liberation in conjunction with radical realism and strength, describing it as "a philosophy created by people concerned with the problems and history of our land—such as our colonial past, systemic poverty and dependency—and… responding to these concerns can offer alternatives for a true liberation of all the dominated peoples of the world."
On November 16, 1989, On the campus of El Salvador's University of Central America, six Jesuits and two women were murdered by members of the Salvadoran army, An army funded and trained by the United States. One of the murdered Jesuits was Ignacio Ellacuría, The university's Rector and a key, although controversial, figure in Salvadoran public life. From an opening account of this terrible crime,Paying the Priceasks, Why were they killed and what have their deaths meant? Answers come through Teresa Whitfield's detailed examination of Ellacuría's life and work. His story is told in juxtaposition with the crucial role played by the unraveling investigation of the Jesuits' murders within El Salvador's peace process. A complex and nuanced book,Paying the Priceoffers a history of the Church in El Salvador in recent decades, An analysis of Ellacuría's philosophy and theology, An introduction to liberation theology, and an account of the critical importance of the University of Central America. In the end, Whitfield's comprehensive picture of conditions in El Salvador suggest that the Jesuits' murders were almost inevitable. A crime that proved a turning point in El Salvador's civil war, The murders expressed the deep tragedy of the Salvadoran people beyond suffering the heartless cruelty, violence, and deceitfulness of a corrupt military and their patrons in the U.S. government. Whitfield draws on her extensive research of Jesuit archives and private papers, Ellacuría's diaries, documents declassified by the U.S. government, and 200 interviews conducted with sources ranging from Jesuits to Salvadoran military officers, U.S. officials and congressmen to human rights campaigners. Author note:Teresa Whitfieldspent several years in El Salvador And The United States researching the murders and has also produced a television documentary of the incident, broadcast in more than eight countries. She is currently a freelance writer and television producer based in London.
"Father Ignacio Ellacuria, SJ, president of the University of Central America, leading Latin American philosopher, and liberation theologian, was assassinated with five Jesuit companions and two women on November 16, 1989. Love That Produces Hope brings together leading authorities on key aspects of Ellacuria's thought. The book introduces readers to the groundbreaking life and thought of Ignacio Ellacuria. His biography and writings embody late twentieth-century transformations and tensions that reshaped the life of the Catholic church among the crucified peoples of Central America. Love That Produces Hope evaluates the significance of Ellacuria's work, particularly his impact on theology, philosophy, and education. Ellacuria found hope in his faith that God's grace sustains the tenacious struggle of millions of men, women, and children to nurture those they love in the face of poverty and an uncertain future."--Publisher's website.
Exploring the nature of Christian salvation, known as soteriology, and its relation to Christian action, this insightful account thoroughly discusses theologian and martyr Ignacio Ellacuría's perspectives on the character of Christian discipleship and controversies over liberation theology. Recognizing philosophical, Christological, and ecclesiological dimensions, the volume carefully analyzes the complexities of topics that include praxis as real discipleship, transforming realities and contesting orthodoxies, and the impact of Ellacuría's theological legacy.
The vital, definitive account of the lives and work of the Jesuit community of the University of Central America, their commitment to the poor, and the price they paid.
In Thinking Prayer, Andrew Prevot presents a new, integrated approach to Christian theology and spirituality, focusing on the centrality of prayer to theology in the modern age. Prevot's clear and in-depth analysis of notable philosophical and theological thinkers' responses to modernity through the theme of prayer charts a new spiritual path through the crises of modernity. Prevot offers critical interpretations of Martin Heidegger, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Jean-Louis Chr tien, Johann Baptist Metz, Ignacio Ellacur a, and James Cone, among others, integrating their insights into a constructive synthesis. He explains how doxological and contemplative forms of prayer help one avoid dangers associated with metaphysics, including nihilism, conceptual idolatry, and the concealment of difference. He considers the powerful impact that the prayers of oppressed peoples have on their efforts to resist socioeconomic and racialized violence. The book upholds modern aspirations to critical freedom, while arguing that such freedom can best be preserved and deepened through prayerful interactions with the infinite freedom of God. Throughout, the book uncovers the contemplative dimensions of postmodern phenomenology and liberation theology and suggests how prayer shapes liberative ways of thinking (theology) and living (spirituality) that are crucial for the future of this crisis-ridden world. "Andrew Prevot presents a range of theological and philosophical interlocutors with a depth of scholarly knowledge that makes the reading of these pages an engaging tour of the last eighty years of theological and philosophical thought. There is insightful analysis of the text's announced focus on prayer, a theme that is usually addressed in popular books on practical theology but rarely in a sophisticated monograph like the present work. The impressive achievement of Thinking Prayer is the sweeping range of its scholarship, presented in interpretive sophistication and communicated in flourishing style." --John Thiel, author of Icons of Hope: The "Last Things" in Catholic Imagination "Drawing on an impressive range of theological and philosophical sources, Andrew Prevot argues for the indispensability of prayer to both Christian theology and social praxis. He insists that, more specifically, Christian theology and social praxis must be rooted in the 'spirituality that emerges from the prayerful struggles of many Christian communities of the poor and oppressed.' Such a preferential option for the poor itself demands a reintegration of theology and spirituality. The sustained intellectual rigor, spiritual depth, and prophetic courage of this scholarship will no doubt establish Prevot as a leading voice among a new generation of Christian theologians." --Roberto Goizueta, Margaret O'Brien Flatley Professor of Catholic Theology, Boston College "This ambitious and ultimately successful book will fundamentally change how theologians understand prayer. Prevot handles the most complex philosophical and theological figures with skill, from Heidegger to Balthasar, from Cone to Marion. Writing about prayer tends to be fluffy or dismissive, but Prevot manages to be both rigorous and graceful. As the title advertises, this book brings together thought and prayer--lucidly, powerfully, and elegantly. It is a must-read for all theologians thinking and praying today." --Vincent Lloyd, Syracuse University "With clarity, breadth, and depth, Andrew Prevot reintroduces the subject of prayer within theology as the quest for a synthesis of prayer with thought. It is unusual for a scholar to dare--and to have the intellectual patience needed--to bring Hans Urs von Balthasar on doxology and his postmetaphysical interlocutors into nuanced engagement with German political theology, with Latin American liberation theology, but above all and to the greatest effect, with the heritage of the narratives and music of African American s
Volume five of a ten volume set which provides full and detailed coverage of all aspects of philosophy, including information on how philosophy is practiced in different countries, who the most influential philosophers were, and what the basic concepts are.
Argentinean philosopher, theologian, and historian Enrique Dussel understands the present international order as divided into the "culture of the center" -- by which he means the ruling elite of Europe, North America, and Russia -- and "the peoples of the periphery" -- by which he means the populations of Latin America, Africa, and part of Asia, and the oppressed classes (including women and children) throughout the world. In 'Philosophy of Liberation,' he presents a profound analysis of the alienation of peripheral peoples resulting from the imperialism of the center for more than five centuries. Dussel's aim is to demonstrate that the center's historic cultural, military, and economic domination of poor countries is 'philosophically' founded on North Atlantic onthology. By expressing supposedly universal knowledge, European philosophies, argues Dussel, have served to equate the cultural standards, modes of behavior, and rationalistic orientation of the West with human nature and to condemn the unique characteristics of peripheral peoples as "nonbeing, nothing, chaos, irrationality." Hence, Western philosophies have historically legitimated and hidden the domination that oppressed cultures have suffered at the hands of the center. Dussel probes multinational corporations, the communications media, and the armies of the center with their counterparts among the Third World elite. The creation of a just world order in the future, according to Dussel, hinges on the liberation of the periphery, based on a philosophy that is able to "think the world" from the perspective of the poor and to reclaim the Third World's distinct cultural inheritance, which is imbedded in the popular cultures of the poor. Apart from the liberation of the periphery, there will be no future: "the center will feed itself on the sameness it has ingrained within itself. The death of the child, of the poor, will be its own death." This is a disquieting but stimulating book for scholars and advanced students of philosophy, ethics, liberation theology, and global politics.
