In Resurrection Realism, Patrick Fletcher examines the key role played by Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI (2005-2013), in the lively twentieth-century debates over the resurrection. Since Ratzinger has repeatedly claimed to be a follower of Augustine of Hippo, whose theology of resurrection has been so significant in Western Christianity, this book begins by identifying the key characteristics of that theology before studying Ratzinger's theology of resurrection in detail, examining the original sources of both Ratzinger and his German interlocutors, in order to paint the clearest picture to date of Ratzinger's thought on the resurrection. Some issues dealt with include: the development of Ratzinger's thought, the question of Augustinian duality and Thomistic hylomorphism, the salvation of matter, and the nature and identity of the risen body.

Mary the Perfect Contemplative is a fresh and beautiful portrait of the Mother of God. From her immaculate conception to her bodily assumption into heaven, Mary was set apart by God as the vessel of humanity’s redemption. Thrice favored as daughter of the Father, mother of the Son, and spouse of the Holy Spirit, Mary was endowed with supernatural gifts that enabled a contemplative life of grace. Unlike us, she was conceived without sin. Yet her reliance on faith, without the full vision of God’s plan of salvation during her earthly life, makes her for us the perfect model of faith. Pondering in her heart the mysteries she encountered throughout her life, she is the perfect contemplative. Author Barbara Hughes, O.C.D.S., looks to Sacred Scripture as the primary and essential reference for her portrait of our Lady. For colorful detail she draws on two thousand years of Sacred Tradition, sourced in the writings of the church fathers, saints, and theologians. Finally, Hughes finds further depth and exquisite details of Mary’s interior life in the mystical writings of the Carmelite saints and Doctors of the Church. The saints of Carmel—the canonized brothers and sisters of Our Lady of Mount Carmel—are invaluable guides that help us navigate the mystical waters of contemplation and union with God, which Mary exemplifies. Saints John of the Cross and Teresa of Jesus teach us the importance of living by faith, especially when God appears to be absent or when his plans are veiled to the eyes of even the holiest people such as Mary. This book is for all of Mary’s beloved children—to offer them an intimate portrait of their Blessed Mother.

Since the nineteenth century, many philosophical and theological commentators have sought to trace lines of continuity between the Trinitarian thought of Augustine of Hippo (354–430) and G. W. F. Hegel (1770–1831). Many contemporary Christian theologians have also criticized Augustine's Trinitarian theology generally and his doctrine of the Holy Spirit more specifically through this historical lens. At the same time, Hegelian Trinitarian conceptual dynamics have come to exert a strong influence over contemporary Trinitarian theology. In Life in the Spirit, Douglas Finn seeks to redress several imbalances with respect to Augustine, imbalances that have one of their hermeneutic causes in a Hegelian-influenced theological tradition. Finn argues that common readings of Augustine focus too much on his De Trinitate, books 8–15, betraying a modern—and to some extent Hegelian—prejudice against considering sermons and biblical commentaries serious theological work. This broadening of Augustinian texts allows Finn to critique readings of Augustine that, on the one hand, narrow his Trinitarian theology to the so-called psychological analogy and thus chart him on a path to Descartes and Hegel, or, on the other hand, suggest he sacrifices a theology of the Trinitarian persons on the altar of divine substance. Augustine's Trinitarian theology on Finn's reading is one fully engaged with God's work in history. With this renewed understanding of Augustine's Trinitarianism, Finn allows Augustine to interrogate Hegel with his concerns rather than only the other way around. In this ambitious study, Finn shows that Hegel's rendition of Christianity systematically obviates whole swaths of Christian prayer and practice. He does this nonpolemically, carefully, and with meticulous attention to the texts of both great thinkers.