The T & T Clark Blog

T&T; Clark Studies in Systematic Theology

I am delighted to announce that Philip G. Ziegler, Professor of Christian Dogmatics at the University of Aberdeen, UK, has joined the Editorial Board for the T&T Clark Studies in Systematic Theology (TSST) series. Ordained in the United Church of Canada, he has held previous academic posts at Princeton University and the Atlantic School of Theology. He is widely published in the field of systematic theology, ethics and Christian doctrine.

T&T Clark Studies in Systematic Theology is a series of monographs in the field of Christian doctrine, with a particular focus on constructive engagement with major topics through historical analysis or contemporary restatement.

Founding Board members Professor Ivor Davidson (University of Aberdeen, UK) and Professor Ian A. McFarland (University of Cambridge, UK) look forward to continuing their work on the TSST series with Philip Ziegler. We will be announcing new titles for the series in due course, please follow the link below to browse existing publications in the series

http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/search?q=t%26t+clark+studies+in+systematic+theology&Gid=1

Liturgy in the 21st Century presented to Cardinal Sarah at Sacra Liturgia

Last week I had the great pleasure to attend the Sacra Liturgia conference in London. The highlight of the conference itself was the opening address by His Eminence Robert Cardinal Sarah -- Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. The Cardinal's address was a bold call for the re-orientation of Catholic liturgy back towards God and, specifically, for a call to return to ad orientem worship. This is where the priest faces liturgical east in common direction with the people. The Cardinal looked at the reforms of the Second Vatican Council in Sacrosanctum Concilium and pointed out that many of the implementations of the reforms went too far, and were fuelled by an agenda that was at odds with what the council really intended. This led to an erosion of understanding about what the sacrifice of the Mass is, and what the Eucharist really means for Roman Catholics. It was a deft, and brilliant, analysis. The Cardinal suggested priests begin/return to ad orientem worship ASAP as a crucial step in reclaiming Catholic understanding of the Mass. He suggested the first Sunday of Advent this year, as we turn to 'face the Lord who comes', as being a good time to start. I, for one, hope that this starts to happen as I agree with the Cardinal's take on this.

Hopefully we will be publishing the proceedings of this year's Sacra Liturgia conference *watch this space*. In the meantime, I'm delighted to introduce Liturgy in the Twenty-First Century: Contemporary Issues and Perspectives, which will be published on 14th July. This is the volume from last year's event in New York, and we presented a copy to Cardinal Sarah in London. The volume considers many aspects of liturgy in the 21st Century, and features contributions from Cardinal Burke, Archbishop Cordileone, Lauren Pristas and many more. On the back, from his address to the conference, Cardinal Sarah says;

'I ask you to be wise, like the householder... who knows when to bring out of his treasure things both new and old, so that the Sacred Liturgy as it is celebrated an lived today may lose nothing of the estimable riches of the Church's liturgical tradition, whilst always being open to legitimate development'

There is also an excellent chapter on the 'youth' and the liturgy, which looks at the phenomenon of the high number of young people who are interested in the traditional liturgy, and questions why this preference is so often dismissed or condescended towards by older generations. Indeed, there is still a prevalent (Blowing in the) wind of people who believe they are experts in liturgy 'to which the youth relates'... despite the fact that their own youth was quite some time ago.

To get your discounted copy please order through our website, and enter the code LITURGY20 to receive a 20% discount.

Pope Francis offers Mass ad orientem in the Sistine Chapel.

Excellent review of Rowan Williams' 'On Augustine' by A.N. Wilson in The New Statesman

Readers of this blog might be interested in a new publication from Bloomsbury's trade division. It's a masterful volume on Augustine by Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury. Don't just take our word for it, A.N. Wilson thinks it's great too:

“This is a book that I have been waiting all my adult life to read - though I did not realise it ... Again and again, I put this book down and wished that it were compulsory reading for all those who, in our public forum, think that they are engaging in intelligible conversations when they are merely mouthing sounds.” –  A N Wilson, New Statesman

“This is a book that I have been waiting all my adult life to read - though I did not realise it ... Again and again, I put this book down and wished that it were compulsory reading for all those who, in our public forum, think that they are engaging in intelligible conversations when they are merely mouthing sounds.” –  A N Wilson, New Statesman - See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/on-augustine-9781472925299/#sthash.9Qz1ACfH.dpuf

http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2016/04/love-god-how-rowan-williams-illuminates-philosophy-st-augustine

Readers might also be interested in the paperback of 'Prayer and Thought in Monastic Tradition: Essays in Honour of Benedicta Ward SLG' edited by Rowan Williams, Santha Bhattacharji and Dominic Mattos, also recently published.

In Memoriam: John Webster

I was very sad to learn that John Webster passed away last week. I have seen many posts from scholars and the feeling of a great loss vibrates throughout the theological community. John Webster published a number of great books with T&T Clark and I feel very honoured to have worked with him for many years.

I know that I shall remember him warmly - he was always a pleasure to work with, approaching delicate and challenging situations with courtesy and patience. I was continually amazed at his quick and thoughtful replies, on manuscripts, proposals and some of my initial ideas for projects; he offered me sound advice and a lot of support over the years.

The last time I spoke to him he mentioned that he was entertaining an idea for a book on the early Christian hymn of praise 'Te Deum' - I would have loved the chance to work with him again. I am very happy to know that he enjoyed reading 'Theological Theology', a festschrift put together by three of his students, filled with scholarly contributions that clearly show love and respect for John and his theology.

Bloomsbury T&T; Clark launches the brand new International Theological Commentary (ITC) Series...

Bloomsbury T&T Clark are delighted to announce that our new International Theological Commentary Series launches today with the first title in the series: Joel ITC by Professor Christopher Seitz, Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Wycliffe College, the University of Toronto in Canada.

To celebrate, we spoke to the series editors, Mike Allen, Associate Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at the Reformed Theological Seminary, USA and Scott Swain, Professor of Systematic Theology at the Reformed Theological Seminary, USA about what we can expect from the series, and their experience (to date!) as series editors...

    

1. This is a brand new series for Bloomsbury T&T Clark. Can you briefly describe it?

The T&T Clark International Theological Commentary seeks to provide theological commentaries on every book of the Bible as well as on other classic texts of the Christian tradition.

 

Our aim for each biblical commentary is an integrated interpretation—historical, literary, and theological—of the canonical form of the text.'

2. This new series complements our established T&T Clark International Critical Commentary Series. How does it differ from and add to this series?

'The ITC is intended to provide a theological complement to the ICC. The volumes will run similar lengths to their companion volumes in the ICC and will treat the text with the same level of rigor and scholarship. Contributors represent a broad ecumenical constituency, Protestant and Roman Catholic, who share a commitment to Nicene Christianity and the belief that the Bible is God’s gift to the church. Beyond that, there are no specific confessional requirements for contributors. Furthermore, the series does not demand a contrastive stance between “theological interpretation of Scripture” and modern historical criticism but instead welcomes a panoply of approaches to relating those ways of interpreting the Bible.'

3. What did it mean to you to establish a new series with Bloomsbury T&T Clark?

'We believe that writing good commentaries which take into account a wide range of available scholarship, both ancient and modern, takes time. This is particularly true in the case of the ITC, because the writing of theological commentaries is still in an “experimental” phase, lacking as of yet clearly established protocols and disciplinary standards. Few publishers these days are willing to commit to long term projects of this sort. Bloomsbury T&T Clark was our first choice for the series because of their extended experience with and commitment to publishing the ICC. We were (and are) therefore thrilled with their support of the new series.'

4. Which aspect of setting up the new series most excited you? i.e. was it the prospect of teasing out previously unexplored areas of traditionally studies biblical books? Or the potential of working with specific people on particular topics?

'We have been encouraged by other projects in theological exegesis and profited much by them (especially other commentary series that have appeared in the last decade). But we have longed for a theological commentary series that would maintain a careful and diligent study of the way the words run, that is, by attending to line by line exegesis of the full scriptural text (rather than, as happens so often, picking and choosing portions on which to comment, often the low-lying fruit theologically). We want to see the practice of theological analysis developed anew by commenting upon the whole counsel of God.'

5. How much sway do the individual authors have for shaping their specific volumes? Is there a template way to approach the biblical books that characterises the series or does this differ in response to the different challenges posed by each biblical book?

'As noted above, we believe theological commentary is still in an “experimental” phase. Therefore, we have asked individual authors to exercise a significant amount of judgment and freedom in shaping their specific volumes. Different authors will bring different theological and hermeneutical perspectives to the text, and they are encouraged to allow the different texts, as well as the different issues they present, to dictate their specific approaches to writing their commentaries. We do not presume to suggest that commentary on Exodus and on Lamentations, or on Psalms and on Romans, ought to look exactly the same. While we do have some thematic and principled convictions regarding reading canonically and ecclesially and doing line-by-line exegesis, we are selecting commentators whose competence and wisdom are trusted to make judgments about useful approaches, organizational patterns, conversation partners, and the like. These similarities and differences will be obvious even in the first two volumes to appear: Christopher Seitz’s Joel and Peter Leithart’s Revelation.'

6. What was the biggest challenge you faced in outlining the series, and where does this series stand in the field of biblical studies?

'We are committed to finding contributors who have skill in both the theological and the exegetical task, and in many occasions the two are not found together.'

'We expect commentators to be able to engage in debate regarding literary details and rhetorical patterns regarding the form of the text as a scripture, and we seek out authors who have judgment shaped by formation in the Christian theological tradition, thereby honouring the text as holy scripture to be received by those marked by faith and love.'

7. How did you begin planning the series? Was it with a wish list of authors and topics? If yes, what were you on the lookout for in particular?

'We began by identifying theologians and biblical scholars who had already published books or even essays that impressed us with their theological-exegetical wisdom. Then we identified books of the Bible that really needed or demanded thoughtful theological exegesis. We started there. And we have been delighted to pair authors with some texts that seem like appropriate steps for them in their wider publishing program. For example, John Barclay will be turning from his decade-long project on Paul and the Gift, which has proven to be so significant, to writing the ITC volume on Galatians in a few years, which, to anyone aware of his ongoing project and development, seems like the perfect canvas on which to continue his interpretive artistry. Andrea Saner, a younger academic who has recently published a remarkable book on Exodus 3:14 (entitled “Too Much To Grasp”) will turn to offer commentary on the entire Book of Exodus, again an obvious next phase in her literary output. Wesley Hill (a highly regarded younger NT scholar who has written on Trinitarian theology and matters of Christian holiness) will be tackling the Johannine Epistles, which address both issues in profound ways. And Grant Macaskill has already penned a remarkable text on Union with Christ in the New Testament; he’ll be commenting upon the Book of Romans. Pairing authors with texts that seem to play on their strengths and further develop their main contributions to theological exegesis excites us very much as editors.'

8. To conclude, in brief: what can readers (that might surprise them!) expect from books in this series?

'We hope that these volumes will help make every biblical book and each line therein significant in the theological study of pastors, laity, academics, and others. There are texts that have low-lying fruit in terms of theological significance; we hope that this series not only offers wise analysis in those places but also shows the power of oft-overlooked texts. We think that being attuned to and in conversation with not only recent exegetical trends but also the deep classical tradition of Christian exegesis will help in that regard.'

If you would like to find out more about the series, then click HERE or on the pictures of the editors above!

If you'd like to buy a copy of Joel ITC, published today, then click the picture!

 

Author Interview - Dom Alcuin Reid on his recently edited 'T&T; Clark Companion to Liturgy'

Note to readers: the T&T Clark Companion to Liturgy was published in December 2015, and has already received some extremely positive reviews. If you want to read more, click HERE! The Companion is currently on sale at a reduced price as our Book of the Month. See HERE for details on how to order your copy using the special discount. And lastly, you may be interested to know that the the Sacra Liturga conference 2016 will be taking place in London 5-8th July. The volume Liturgy in the Twenty-First Century: Contemporary Issues and Perspectives will be published in time for the conference, and can be ordered at registration for a discounted price.

Dom Alcuin, your T&T Clark Companion to Liturgy (our Feb 2016 Book of the Month) has just been published. Can you tell us something about its origins please?

The Companion was the idea of Tom Kraft, a T&T Clark editor some years ago, who wanted a volume in the series which would present something of the status quaestionis of liturgical studies in the Western Catholic Church at the beginning of the twenty first century. Undoubtedly Tom’s approach came in the light of the impetus given to these questions by the election of Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. As Cardinal Ratzinger he had taught for many years that “the true celebration of the Sacred Liturgy is the centre of any renewal of the Church whatever.” Western Catholics have endured a number of decades of liturgical turmoil since the middle of the twentieth century, and what is “the true celebration of the Sacred Liturgy” was then—and still is—very much a live issue.

Tom asked—well really, he insisted—that I compile and edit the volume. That commenced (too many) years of work with many generous contributors and others who gave of their talents eventually to produce what we hope will provide students and those generally interested in Western Catholic liturgy with a resource that contains some of the best theological, historical and pastoral liturgical scholarship available today, which does not ignore the liturgical issues of recent decades, and which will serve as a guide towards further study in these areas.

So what is “liturgy”?

The best answer to that question is found in the first chapter, “Liturgical Theology,” by Professor David Fagerberg of Notre Dame University, USA. Shorter answers are found in the A-Z section of the book. Liturgy is, of course, the public ritual worship of the Church in and through which, in Catholic theology, we hold that Christ acts in a singularly privileged way in our world today. Our optimal participation in the liturgy, our connectivity with this divine action, facilitates our own sanctification and empowers us for Christian life and mission. That’s why Cardinal Ratzinger emphasised that it is the “centre of any renewal of the Church whatever.” If we get the liturgy wrong our connectivity to Christ is impeded. And without optimal connectivity to Christ we, and those so in need of the mission of the Church today in the various and complex situations that the 21st century presents, will lack something essential, we will suffer.

Academically, where does the Companion stand in the field of liturgical studies?

Firstly I must emphasise that this is a companion to liturgical studies in “the Western Catholic tradition.” Some commentators have already noted that this subtitle is unfortunately missing from much of the Companion’s promotional material. The book neither sets out to ignore the Churches of the East nor to minimise their venerable and rich liturgical traditions. Really, another Companion should be commissioned for the great Eastern liturgical tradition.

In the light of what some have termed the “liturgy-wars” of recent decades, contemporary studies in Western liturgy have tended to be fairly ‘safe,’ avoiding critical analysis of the “troubles” following the Second Vatican Council. If you can regurgitate your professor’s take on the liturgical reform following the Council you will pass your seminary course. If you do higher studies in liturgy and do a purely historical analysis of rites or aspects of them, or “engage” with “liturgical sources” (demonstrate a knowledge of ancient liturgical texts), you will receive your degree without difficulty. But should you use history, theology or pastoral practice critically to question the status quo of liturgical thought or practice in your diocese or academic institution, you will often encounter an intolerance that verges on totalitarianism: “Don’t mention the war!” The situation is improving, certainly, but this problem persists amongst a certain generation and school of liturgists.

The Companion moves beyond this academic impasse. Many if not most of its contributors are indeed prepared to “mention the war,” and even to admit that it has occasioned severe casualties. The motivation for this is positive—academically and pastorally. The academic questions to which the situation of Western liturgy since the Council has given rise must be studied. The conclusions of such studies must be taken into account in decisions in respect of future liturgical life and reform. So too the associated pastoral issues must be addressed. Yes, a sound knowledge of liturgical history is very important. The ability thoroughly to engage in liturgical sources is certainly a skill and informs the historical study of liturgy. More important today, however, is the ability critically to engage with the liturgical and theological principles operative in history in making a critical assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of our current ritual and pastoral practice. If the Companion helps to form a generation of liturgical scholars who are open to such an approach it will have made a significant contribution.

What do you think is the Companion's unique contribution?

I think that is, really, the shift from “safe” liturgical study to “critical” liturgical study that I was just talking about. Part III of the Companion, “The Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council,” contains two chapters by Dom Anscar Chupungco OSB (†2013). They take a very different stance to my own chapter and to that of Fr Thomas Kocik in the same section. Students should read them all, attentively and critically. Identifying our different approaches, sources and assumptions will be instructive, indeed I hope it will be formative in acquiring not only a broad appreciation of differing scholars’ stances, but more importantly in developing a critical ability to engage with the sources, underlying principles and realities. This will indeed help to form better scholarship and pastoral practice.

Is there anything else you would like to highlight about the Companion?

The Companion is a large reference book. As such it has many uses—from studying particular chapters according to given interests and needs, to quickly referring to terms and concepts in the A-Z section, as well as making use of its extensive bibliographies for further research. But it also provides something of a course for studies in liturgical theology, history and contemporary issues. Certainly, it does not and could not contain all that one could study— and that is not its purpose. Its purpose is to accompany, to be a companion for, the student of Sacred Liturgy so that he or she will be well equipped to pursue further studies in the field. I hope and pray that we have, at least in part, achieved that aim.

Thank you very much, Dom Alcuin Reid.

The Companion is currently on sale at a reduced price as our Book of the Month. See HERE for details on how to order your copy using the special discount.

T&T; Clark Companion to Liturgy is our 'Book of the Month'!

February’s Book of the Month is our compendium on the history, development and content of the western Catholic liturgy, edited by Dom Alcuin Reid. For the whole of February, we’re offering 35% off the hardback and eBooks.

‘Quo vadis Catholic liturgy?’ This Companion brings together a variety of scholars who consider this question at the beginning of the 21st century in the light of advances in liturgical scholarship, decades of post-Vatican II experience and the critical re-examination in the West of the question of the liturgy promoted by Benedict XVI.

So to claim your discount simply:

• Go to the book’s webpage
• Add a copy of the hardback, PDF e-book or ePub e-book to your 'basket/cart'
• When checking out enter the code LITURGY35 into the discount code box
• Follow checkout steps

Enjoy!

Publishing a Theology Monograph with Bloomsbury T&T; Clark

Yesterday we published the paperback edition of Sven Ensminger's book Karl Barth’s Theology as a Resource for a Christian Theology of Religions. Sven's book was originally published in hardback in our T&T Clark Studies in Systematic Theology series in July 2014. We spoke to Sven about his experience publishing his first book with us, and publishing into this series, and what he is doing next.

1. What particular areas or themes of Theology interested you and led you to write on the subjects covered in your book?

I’ve always been interested in the way Christians can understand and interact with those who are not Christians (be it of a different faith or no faith at all). This was the first step towards a broad subject area. Then, I came across a few quotes that called Barth 'completely unfit for that purpose' – yet that did not at all match the Barth that I had been reading and had come to appreciate. Thus, I had a key figure of Christian theology. It was in this tension that, the ‘what?’ and the ‘who?’ were set, and everything else fell into place soon thereafter. It helped a lot that I really enjoyed reading Barth and loved his language – and still do.

2. How would you describe your book in one sentence?

I would probably say something along the lines of ‘despite what you might have heard, Barth’s theology is a useful tool for Christians in a multi-faith society.’

3. What did it mean to you to publish within the TSST series?

It was a true honour and privilege to become part of this series, and thanks again to the editors and their confidence in my work. What drew me to the series was its mission to publish, ‘monographs in the field of Christian doctrine, with a particular focus on constructive engagement with major topics through historical analysis or contemporary restatement.’ This is what theology needs to be – constructive and applicable to the concrete circumstances in which the believers find themselves – and this will continue to be of great relevance. With my monograph, I am joining great scholars in the series, and, it will be exciting to see (hopefully!) plenty more to come.

4. Which part of writing a book have you enjoyed most?

Probably the detective work. What I mean by that is that it was fascinating to read Barth in German, and then to look at the English if available. At times, this was truly mesmerizing (‘Oh, this is what this is meant to translate!’), at times frustrating (‘No, you cannot translate active voice as passive voice.’), but always entertaining (‘So, how many senses of the word Aufhebung are there?!’).

5. Any tips for people reading the book?

I personally recommend pairing the reading with a dram of Speyside whisky… . Apart from that, going by feedback from friends, I think that the most important piece of advice would be, ‘trust me, I know where I am going with this.’ I tried to be quite meticulous with a lot of the areas (particularly in Barth) that I cover and looked at the same issue from a number of angles (admittedly, this is a technique that I tried to copy from Barth). The drawback can be that I am treading very carefully at times, and readers would want me to move more quickly – but, ‘trust me, I know where I am going with this’ – it is quite carefully constructed, and, every part is there for a reason.

6. Where is your research moving towards?

As the movie ‘Up’ puts it so eloquently, ‘Adventure is out there!’ – and I am convinced that I have only scratched the surface of both Barth studies and Systematic Theology. I continue to be committed to research into Barth’s thought, mostly because, surprisingly enough, there is still a plethora of material that nobody has touched yet. Yet my passion lies also in studying some of the ‘bigger questions’ of theology. I have started to look into the theological virtues and whether they could serve as a framework for undertaking theology. That being said, I continue to be committed to speak to some of the hotly debated issues in society at large, and what particular contribution the Christian community both corporately and individually can make in these discussions.

Thank you very much, Sven! If you would like to read more about the topics discussed by Sven, you can buy the paperback edition at the price of £17.99 here.

The Freedom of a Christian Ethicist now published!

The Freedom of a Christian Ethicist

Edited by Brian Brock and Michael Mawson

Why impact did the Protestant Reformation have on Christian thought and action? This 'distinguished collection' of essays by leading international scholars explores the relevance of the Protestant Reformation and its legacy for contemporary Christian ethics.

'In scope, argumentative power and theological dedication, the explorations of the enduring value of the various Reformation ethical traditions could hardly be bettered.'

-Professor John Webster, University of St Andrews, UK

'This provocative volume - without anxiety, caricature, or triumphalism - adopts a fresh approach by rethinking the distinctive legacies of various Reformation sources themselves.'

-Professor Eric Gregory, Princeton University, USA

 

You can buy the book here!

 

Sanctified by Grace Blog Tour

Books on the Christian life abound. Some focus on spirituality, others on practices, and others still on doctrines such as justification or forgiveness. Few offer an account of the Christian life that portrays redeemed Christian existence within the multifaceted and beautiful whole of the Christian confession.

Sanctified by Grace (Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2014), edited by Kent Eilers and Kyle Strobel, fills that gap. The doctrine of the Christian life developed in the book unifies doctrine and life, confession and practice within the divine economy of grace. Drawing together some of the most important theologians in the church today, Sanctified by Grace achieves what no other theological text offers – a shared work of dogmatic theology oriented to redeemed Christian existence.

This month, Bloomsbury T&T Clark asked several theologians with prominent blogs to share their thoughts on Sanctified by Grace. It is our hope that by gathering bloggers from unique perspectives, we can cultivate fruitful discussion and engagement with this great book. You can find links to our contributors’ blog posts at the bottom of this post.

Our “blog tour” will run until January 29, so please be sure to visit this page throughout that time for updates. We are also offering a 30% discount on the book throughout the duration of the blog tour. To claim your discount, please complete the following steps:

1. Go to the book’s webpage
2. Add a copy of the paperback, PDF ebook or ePub ebook to your 'basket/cart'
3. When checking out enter the code GRACE30 into the discount code box
4. Follow checkout steps

You can also read Eilers’ and Strobel’s introduction to the book here.

 

Sanctified by Grace - The Triune God (CWoznicki Think Out Loud, 19 January 2016)

Sanctified By Grace: A Theology of the Christian Life, A Book Review and Highlight of Suzanne MacDonald’s Doctrine of Election (The Evangelical Calvinist, 19 January 2016)

What Am I Reading? “Sanctified By Grace” (Die Evangelischen Theologen, 20 January 2016)

Book Review: Sanctified by Grace (Out of Bounds, 25 January 2016)

Sanctified by Grace Blog Tour: Election (Mere Orthodoxy, 26 January 2016)

Sanctified By Grace: A Theology of The Christian Life (Marturo, 27 January 2016)

Sanctified by Grace: A Theology of Christian Life (The Scriptorium Daily, 28 January 2016)