The most important work of the towering intellectual of the Middle Ages, Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae remains one of the great seminal works of philosophy and theology, while extending to subjects as diverse as law and government, sacraments and liturgy, and psychology and ethics. This volume of the Summa Theologiae contains some of the most famous treatements of St. Thomas on sin, law, and grace.

Focusing on John Milton’s Paradise Lost , this book investigates the metaphorical identification of nature with a court of law – an old and persistent trope, haunted by ancient aporias, at the intersection of jurisprudence, philosophy and literature. In an enormous variety of texts, from the Greek beginnings of Western literature onward, nature has been described as a courtroom in which an all- encompassing trial takes place and a universal verdict is executed. The first, introductory part of this study sketches an overview of the metaphor’s development in European history, from antiquity to the seventeenth century. In its second, more extensive part, the book concentrates on Milton’s epic Paradise Lost in which the problem of the natural law court finds one of its most fascinating and detailed articulations. Using conceptual tools provided by Hannah Arendt, Walter Benjamin, Hans Blumenberg, Gilles Deleuze, William Empson and Alfred North Whitehead, the study demonstrates that the conflicts in Milton’s epic revolve around the tension between a universal legal procedure inherent in nature and the positive legal decrees of the deity. The divine rule is found to consolidate itself by Nature’s supplementary shadow government; their inconsistencies are not flaws, but rather fundamental rhetorical assets, supporting a law that is inherently "double- formed". In Milton’s world, human beings are thus confronted with a twofold law that entraps them in its endlessly proliferating double binds, whether they obey or not. The analysis of this strange juridical structure can open up new perspectives on Milton’s epic, as well as on the way legal discourse tends to entangle norms with facts and thus to embed itself in human life. This original and intriguing book will appeal not only to those engaged in the study of Milton, but also to anyone interested in the relationship between law, history, literature and philosophy.

Through a careful engagement with evolutionary and psychological literature, this study argues that tendencies towards vice are, more often than not, distortions of the very virtues that are capable of making us good.

In this elegant new book, the sequel to his earlier, much praised treatment of the Devil, Philip Almond reveals that - whether in Judaism, Christianity or Islam - God is seen to be at once utterly beyond our world yet at the same earnestly desiring to be at one with it. In the Christian chapter of this story the paradox arguably reaches its improbable zenith: in the fragile form of a human being the infinite became finite, the eternal temporal. The way these and other metaphysical tensions have been understood is, the author demonstrates, the key to unlocking the entire history of religion in the West. Expertly placing the narrative of divine presence within the wider history of ideas, Almond suggests that the notion of a deity has been the single greatest conundrum of medieval and modern civilization. In this rich, nuanced appraisal, 'God' is shown to be more complex and fascinating than ever before.

A Clear and Concise Exploration of the Doctrine of Justification from Thomas R. Schreiner When we see the fallenness of the world, it is often challenging to understand how sinners can stand before a holy God, but the gospel gives hope—justification that comes through Jesus Christ. This doctrine is essential to the gospel but has sparked countless academic and theological disagreements throughout church history, even contributing to the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century. In this addition to the Short Studies in Systematic Theology series, Thomas R. Schreiner examines the biblical and historical background of the doctrine of justification. Schreiner explores it throughout church history and analyzes both the Old and New Testament teachings. By examining the relationship between justification and other doctrines of salvation—such as redemption, reconciliation, adoption, and sanctification—Schreiner shows how it gives peace, assurance, and joy to sinners through Jesus and hope for life today. Accessible: Designed to be short and approachable, this text is an ideal resource for college students, pastors, and thoughtful laypeople Part of the Short Studies in Systematic Theology Series: Other titles include The Person of Christ; Glorification; and The Doctrine of Scripture Written by Thomas R. Schreiner: A renowned biblical scholar and professor who has authored or edited numerous books, including Run to Win the Prize; The Joy of Hearing; and Covenant and God's Purpose for the World

Das Thema des in englischer Sprache verfassten The Myth of the State – dem letzten Werk, das Cassirer vor seinem Tod im Manuskript zum Abschluss bringen konnte – ist die Wiederkehr des politischen Totalitarismus, dem er selbst nur durch Emigration entkam. Der Text belegt, dass die in der Philosophie der symbolischen Formen entwickelte »Kritik der Kultur« auch den Rahmen für eine Theorie des Politischen absteckt und dazu nötigt, auf anthropologischer Ebene die Einheit von »animal symbolicum« und »zoon politikon« zu denken. Cassirer beginnt mit einer Analyse der destruktiven Macht des mythischen Denkens. Er untersucht seine Struktur, seine Beziehung zur Sprache, seinen affektiven Charakter und seine soziale Funktion. Im Anschluss beschreibt Cassirer in einem ideengeschichtlichen Aufriß die Hauptlinien der politischen Theorien von Platon bis zum frühen 19. Jahrhundert, um dann im letzten Teil die Wiedergeburt des Mythos im 20. Jahrhundert zu behandeln. Cassirer schließt, dass der politische Mythos nicht endgültig überwunden, sondern nur »gezähmt« werden kann. Dazu kann die Philosophie beitragen, jedoch nicht, indem sie ihn argumentativ zu widerlegen versucht, sondern indem sie ihn verstehen und so bekämpfen hilft. Eine deutsche Übersetzung – Vom Mythus des Staates – ist in der Philosophischen Bibliothek (Band 541) lieferbar.

Americans are ruled by an unwritten constitution consisting of executive orders, signing statements, and other quasi-laws designed to reform society, Bruce Frohnen and George Carey argue. Consequently, the Constitution no longer means what it says to the people it is supposed to govern and the government no longer acts according to the rule of law.