On Faith, Works, Eternity and the Creatures We Are

by André Barbera, Miles Hollingworth

Overview

In this volume André Barbera considers the question of faith, how an individual may act faithfully, and what good (if any) is faithful action. Drawing on the letters of the Apostle Paul and the work of philosophical thinkers such as Søren Kierkegaard, Barbera explores numerous aspects of faithful living, from religion, original sin, and tests of faith, to the power of prayer, and even the concept of atheism.

In particular, Barbera formulates a postulate drawn from Augustine's Confessions: God is not bound by time. The person of faith, however, is enslaved by time. Augustine's expression “faith seeking understanding” stakes the claim,” but the mode of faith and the end of faith are inherently contradictory. The faithful person waits in pursuit, choking. Works, the anxiety of faith, ensue.

Barbera concludes that the person of faith engages in endless trial, struggle, and contradiction, but in so doing attempts to produce a meaningful life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501356063
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/23/2020
Series:	Reading Augustine
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.38(d)

About the Author

André Barbera is a Tutor at St John's College, USA.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

1 Introduction to the Problems 1

Postulate: God is not bound by time 13

2 Is Time? 15

3 Kinds of Faith 29

4 Faith as Pursuit of Knowledge 41

5 Faith and Works 57

6 Faith and Time, or Choking on Faith 67

Code of Conduct 78

7 The Individual 81

8 Heaven and Rewards 87

9 Religion and Fellowship 95

Original Sin and Loneliness 99

10 Tests of Faith 103

11 Solace, Miracles, and the Power of Prayer 115

12 Crucifixion and Resurrection 125

The Canaanite Woman 134

13 Atheism and the Face of Christ 139

14 Concluding Remarks 143

15 The Coroner of Jerusalem 151

Bibliography 154

Index of Scripture 158

Index 161

Editorial Reviews

This is a deeply felt study of the meaning of faith, how it is experienced and made manifest, and its object/objective. From the Christian perspective, this leads to a consideration of the ways in which the person of faith tries to both know and understand God in the fullness of time, the Incarnation, and Jesus the man and the Son of God. A rich array of perspectives is considered, ranging from scripture, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, and Calvin to such later theologians as Kierkegaard, Buber, Barth, Tillich, Bonhoeffer, and Altizer, complemented by Kant, Hegel, Heidegger, and even Cervantes, Melville, and Faulkner. This book will challenge and enlighten the Christian reader, but it will also profit readers interested in epistemology, ontology, religious experience in general, or in fact anyone interested in responding to the Delphic oracle's pronouncement: 'Know thyself!'”” —THOMAS J. MATHIESEN, Indiana University, USA

“André Barbera has produced a sophisticated philosophical reflection on the meaning of faith in believers bound by time. In doing so, he follows Augustine's guiding problem of time and an eternal creator in a remarkable way. Barbera's rigorous presentation of philosophical questions around time in connection with faith will make his work of interest not just to readers of Augustine's Confessions, but also to existentialist theologians, as well as to anyone seeking to understand their faith.” —GABRIEL PIHAS, Rome Institute of Liberal Arts, Italy

From the Publisher