Christianity Antiquity And Enlightenment

The volume will consist of a series of interpretative studies of Locke’s philosophical and religious thought in historical context and consider his contributions to the Enlightenment and modern liberal thought.

It is commonly accepted that John Locke was the father of the English Enlightenment and the founder of modern political liberalism. These are at best half-truths that, when uncritically employed, have the effect of casting him as the precursor secular modernism, as a thinker with little interest in the themes explored in the several chapters of this book. Here a different Locke appears; a Christian Virtuoso, an experimental natural philosopher who believed that practicing the new science prepared the mind for revealed truth; an eclectic philosopher, who was receptive to the philosophical heritage of Antiquity and subject to its enlightening influence, but who appropriated from ancient philosophical systems only what he found useful to sustain his Christian philosophical program; a biblical theologian who used critical historical methods to recover the original Christian revelation, whose truth Locke never doubted; a Christian dutifully engaged in perfecting his faith; and a pilgrim in this world awaiting the coming of the next. The Lockean path from Christianity through the revival of Antiquity to Enlightenment is shown to be a meandering one that often turned back upon itself. Others, following in his train, would carry it to its destination. The aim of these studies is not to diminish Locke?'s philosophical greatness, which is beyond dispute, but to reveal the unexpected richness of his mind, its complexity, the ambiguities and curious turns of thought that find expression in his writing, and the depth of his thinking.

A comparative analysis of the objections raised against Christianity by late antique philosophers (Celsus, Porphyry, and Julian the Apostate) and Enlightenment freethinkers, focusing on discussions concerning the Bible, the concept of faith, religious coercion, miracles, and morality.

This volume explores the place of antiquity in Enlightenment Europe. It considers the contexts, questions, and agendas that shaped eighteenth-century engagements with the ancient world, shedding new light on familiar figures and recovering forgotten chapters in this European story.

A monumental and exhilarating history of European thought from the end of Antiquity to the beginning of the Enlightenment—500 to 1700 AD—tracing the arc of intellectual history as it evolved, setting the stage for the modern era. With more than 140 illustrations; 90 in full-color. Charles Freeman, lauded historical scholar and author of The Closing of the Western Mind (“A triumph”—The Times [London]), explores the rebirth of Western thought in the centuries that followed the demise of the classical era. As the dominance of Christian teachings gradually subsided over time, a new open-mindedness made way for the ideas of morality and theology, and fueled and formed the backbone of the Western mind of the late Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and beyond. In this wide-ranging history, Freeman follows the immense intellectual development that culminated in the Enlightenment, from political ideology to philosophy and theology, as well as the fine arts and literature. He writes, in vivid detail, of how Europeans progressed from the Christian-minded thinking of Saint Augustine to the more open-minded later scholars, such as Michel de Montaigne, leading to a broader, more “humanist” way of thinking. He explores how the discovery of America fundamentally altered European conceptions of humanity, religion, and science; how the rise of Protestantism and the Reformation profoundly influenced the tenor of politics and legal systems, with enormous repercussions; and how the radical Christianity of philosophers such as Spinoza affected a rethinking of the concept of religious tolerance that has influenced the modern era ever since.

Annotation Contains texts from 112 historians of the last three millennia who discuss the problems, purposes, and methods of history writing. Kelley provides commentary and interpretation. Annotation(c) 2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

Contrary to popular belief, God not only survived the Enlightenment, but thrived within it. By exposing the Enlightenment's close ties to the traditions of the Renaissance, the passions of the Reformation, and the stirrings of globalization, 'God in the Enlightenment' offers a spectral view of the age of lights.

This study examines the changes which took place in the understanding of 'religion' and 'the religions' during the Enlightenment in England, the period when the decisive break with Patristic, Medieval and Renaissance notions of religion occurred. Dr Harrison's view is that the principles of the English Enlightenment not only made a special contribution to our modern understanding of what religion is, but they pioneered, in addition, the 'scientific', or non-religious approach, to religious phenomena. During this period a crisis of authority in the Church necessitated a rational enquiry into the various forms of Christianity, and in addition, into the claims of all religions. This led to a concept of 'religion' (based on 'natural' theology) which could link together the apparently disparate religious beliefs and practices found in the empirical religions.