Richard Hooker and the Vision of God
Exploring the Origins of 'Anglicanism'
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Published:25th Jul '13
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
A valuable study of the writings of the leading Elizabethan divine, reinterpreting his contribution to the development of Christian thought and ecclesiology. Charles Miller's rigorous and sensitive examination of Richard Hooker's theology makes a valuable addition to the field of study of the cleric, one of the founding theologians of modern Anglicanism. Miller examines Hooker's works in detail, leading the reader through different facets of his vision of God: creation, Scripture, the sacraments, and practices of Christian devotion. Hooker's theology challenges an increasingly time-bound, relativistic approach to doctrine and truth; his sources were as wide, as ancient, and as modern as Hooker could make them. Miller's thoughtful analysis is informed throughout by an understanding of the context of Hooker's theological development against the backdrop of continental Calvinism and the remnants of Roman Catholicism in England. The growth of interest in Hooker among specialists has been accompanied by an abandonment of the serious study of Hooker's thought among theological students, clergy and theologians. Miller's work addresses this lack; Hooker's insights must not be forgotten in the daily distribution of theological food to Christian people. A study which attunes readers to Hooker's particular theological 'voice' and teaches its value both in his own context and as a present-day interlocutor, this volume will be of great interest to Christians and theological students alike.
[...] it is good to welcome this clearly written and thorough account and appraisal of Hooker's work [...]. This is a book I would commend warmly to all interested in Hooker's legacy and its potential use in current ecumenical debate and relationships. -- David Carter * Churches Together in England *
Charles Miller presents what is essentially a more systematic and concise exposition of Hooker's Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity than the author himself ever managed. [...] [Hooker's] own thought, substantial yet undogmatic, should be better known by Anglican clergy and ordinands. His teaching on the need to deploy reason in exposition of Scripture remains especially pertinent. Because Hooker wrote in paragraphs, not sentences, Miller's guide, although descriptive, could spread understanding of his work effectively. -- David Grumett * Times Literary Supplement, 25th October 2013 *
Miller works extensively with the most recent and most influential scholarship in the field of Hooker studies and manages to do so while also providing his own take on Hooker's theology as he describes it under each topic heading ... Miller is to be commended for his clear and succinct summarises of both Hooker's own writing and also of the secondary literature available by which to interpret Hooker ... this work will prove to be a helpful reference point for new and continuing students of the ideas of Richard Hooker. -- Dustin Resch, Briercrest College and Seminary, Reviews * Religion and Theology, Vol 21, Issue 2, (March, 2014) *
Miller packs plenty of scholarship, both new and old, into the book while avoiding getting bogged down in academic disputes...This book is now the best advanced introduction to the subject. -- Nigel Voak * Journal of Ecclesiastical History, Vol 65, Issue 3, (July, 2014) *
ISBN: 9780227174005
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
350 pages