Joseph Ratzinger in Dialogue with Philosophical Traditions

Joseph Ratzinger was one of the most important theologians and Christian thinkers of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. As professor, cardinal, and pope, he engaged with many of the central philosophical, political, and cultural questions of the modern age, bringing to them a perspective shaped by Sacred Scripture, the Fathers of the Church, and the great tradition of Catholic theology. This distinguished volume places his thought in conversation with major philosophers from antiquity to the present, from Aristotle to Žižek. Written by an accomplished group of scholars, its chapters illuminate with insight and subtlety the ways in which Ratzinger’s thought at times converges with these thinkers and at times subjects their positions to a searching critique from within the Catholic intellectual tradition. The editors are to be warmly congratulated on a learned and stimulating collection which shows with great clarity the continuing significance of Ratzinger’s thought for the intellectual and spiritual challenges of the modern world. Strongly recommended. * John Loughlin, University of Cambridge, UK *
Christian theology has evolved through profound and thoughtful dialogue with tradition, as well as with contemporary intellectuals capable of addressing the mysteries of divine-human encounters and the paradoxes of human nature. This volume demonstrates the extent to which Ratzinger's theology is dialogical. Through the insights of leading experts, readers are invited to critically engage with the articulation of complex theological issues in Ratzinger's work and the reasoning behind his arguments. While Tracey Rowland's classic book Ratzinger's Faith can be interpreted in musical terms as a 'variation of a fugue', elaborating on various Ratzingerian motifs, this volume is an impressive series of rhapsodies. Each one further develops the underlying melodies of Ratzinger, depicting the authentic voices of a church singing liturgical music while dealing with worldly affairs. * Mátyás Szalay, Episcopal Theological College of Pécs, Hungary *