The Light of Faith and Reason

Renowned Scripture scholar Gerhard Lohfink brings the origins and progress of enlightenment to the forefront of Christian faith.

The history of the European Enlightenment did not begin in the 17th century. It started in Greece (something no one doubts), and it began with stories about Abraham and Israel’s exodus from Egypt (something many do not know or disregard). In The Light of Faith and Reason, renowned Scripture scholar Gerhard Lohfink shows the degree to which the Old Testament already affords enlightenment, and how that work of enlightenment was continued and deepened by Jesus and the church. On the basis of this Jewish-Christian history of enlightenment, what is at issue is the rationality of faith, something increasingly the subject of debate today. The description here is not intended to deny the mystery of faith; rather, it is meant to illuminate its rationality.