edinburgh university press christian philosophy a-z jul 2006

Christian Philosophy A–Z Daniel J. Hill and Randal D. Rauser A handy guide to the major figures and issues in Christian philosophy from Augustine to the present. This volume covers a broad historical sweep and takes into account those non-Christian philosophers that have had a great impact on the Christian tradition. It concentrates, however, on the issues that perplex Christian philosophers as they seek to think through their faith in a philosophical way and their philosophical beliefs in the light of their faith. Examples of the topics discussed are the question of whether and how God knows the future, whether we actually know that God exists, and what Athens has to do with Jerusalem.The leaders of the recent revival of Christian analytic philosophy, especially Alvin Plantinga, Nicholas Wolterstorff, William Alston and Robert Adams are also included. This book will be of interest to those studying Christian philosophy and to Christians seeking to think philosophically about their faith. Daniel J. Hill is Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Liverpool. Randal D. Rauser is Assistant Professor of Historical Theology,Taylor Seminary, Edmonton,Alberta, Canada Cover design: River Design, Edinburgh Edinburgh University Press 22 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9LF www.eup.ed.ac.uk ISBN 0 7486 2152 0 Daniel J. Hill and Randal D. Rauser barcode Edinburgh Daniel J. Hill & Randal D. Rau ser PHILOSOPHY A–Z SERIES GENERAL EDITOR: OLIVER LEAMAN These thorough, authoritative yet concise alphabetical guides introduce the central concepts of the various branches of philosophy.Written by established philosophers, they cover both traditional and contemporary terminology. Features • Dedicated coverage of particular topics within philosophy • Coverage of key terms and major figures • Cross-references to related terms. Christian Philosophy A–Z Christian Philosophy A–Z Christian Philosophy 18/4/06 12:39 pm Page 1 P1: FCG/SPH P2: FCG/SPH QC: FCG/SPH T1: FCG EUBK021-Hill/Rauser May 30, 2006 17:22 CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY A–Z i P1: FCG/SPH P2: FCG/SPH QC: FCG/SPH T1: FCG EUBK021-Hill/Rauser May 30, 2006 17:22 Volumes available in the Philosophy A–Z Series Epistemology A–Z, Martijn Blaauw and Duncan Pritchard Ethics A–Z, Jonathan A. Jacobs Indian Philosophy A–Z, Christopher Bartley Jewish Philosophy A–Z, Aaron W. Hughes Philosophy of Religion A–Z, Patrick Quinn Forthcoming volumes Aesthetics A–Z, Fran Guter Chinese Philosophy A–Z,BoMou Feminist Philosophy A–Z, Nancy McHugh Islamic Philosophy A–Z, Peter Groff Philosophical Logic A–Z, J. C. Beall Philosophy of Language A–Z, Alessandra Tanesini Philosophy of Mind A–Z, Marina Rakova Philosophy of Science A–Z, Stathis Psillos Political Philosophy A–Z, Jon Pike ii P1: FCG/SPH P2: FCG/SPH QC: FCG/SPH T1: FCG EUBK021-Hill/Rauser May 30, 2006 17:22 Christian Philosophy A–Z Daniel J. Hill and Randal D. Rauser Edinburgh University Press iii P1: FCG/SPH P2: FCG/SPH QC: FCG/SPH T1: FCG EUBK021-Hill/Rauser May 30, 2006 17:22 C  Daniel J. Hill and Randal D. Rauser, 2006 Edinburgh University Press Ltd 22 George Square, Edinburgh Typeset in 10.5/13 Sabon by TechBooks India, and printed and bound in Finland by WS Bookwell A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN-10 0 7486 2212 8 (hardback) ISBN-13 978 0 7486 2212 2 (hardback) ISBN-10 0 7486 2152 0 (paperback) ISBN-13 978 0 7486 2152 1 (paperback) The rights of Daniel J. Hill and Randal D. Rauser to be identified as authors of this work have been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. iv P1: FCG/SPH P2: FCG/SPH QC: FCG/SPH T1: FCG EUBK021-Hill/Rauser May 30, 2006 17:22 Contents Series Editor’s Preface vii Introduction ix Acknowledgements xiii Christian Philosophy A–Z 1 Bibliography 201 v P1: FCG/SPH P2: FCG/SPH QC: FCG/SPH T1: FCG EUBK021-Hill/Rauser May 30, 2006 17:22 This book is lovingly and gratefully dedicated to our respective parents. vi P1: FCG/SPH P2: FCG/SPH QC: FCG/SPH T1: FCG EUBK021-Hill/Rauser May 30, 2006 17:22 Series Editor’s Preface One of the things that Christian philosophy has going for it is a central text, the New Testament, written in Greek. Greek is a highly appropriate language for philosophy, abstract and capable of fine conceptual distinctions, something the more concrete and basic Hebrew of the Old Testament had diffi- culty accomplishing. The traditional conflict between Athens and Jerusalem, between philosophy and religion, was often thus muted in Christianity since their religion was from the start pretty firmly established in Athens, at least linguistically speaking. The development of Christian philosophy was rapid since even in the early Christian communities the growth of the religion took place in a cultural environment where phi- losophy also flourished. Ever since then the ideas and issues of Christianity have been extensively explored using the var- ious philosophical techniques that have arisen within differ- ent philosophical traditions. It is often difficult to understand what is going on in Christian philosophy, though, since the blend of philosophy and religion may make the reader unsure precisely what argument is being presented, or how it is sup- posed to work. It is the aim of Daniel Hill and Randal Rauser’s guide to the vocabulary of the debate to throw light on this and other aspects of Christian philosophy, and we hope that readers will find it useful in gaining a pathway through this interesting intellectual territory. Oliver Leaman vii P1: FCG/SPH P2: FCG/SPH QC: FCG/SPH T1: FCG EUBK021-Hill/Rauser May 30, 2006 17:22 viii P1: FCG/SPH P2: FCG/SPH QC: FCG/SPH T1: FCG EUBK021-Hill/Rauser May 30, 2006 17:22 Introduction Fifty years ago a scan of bookshop shelves would have been as likely to find a dictionary of terms for alchemy as one for Christian philosophy. Indeed, one might well have thought that, though of course there were some Christian philosophers then, they were doomed to the same fate as the dodo. But, in a stunning reversal, today Christian philosophy is among the most vibrant areas of philosophy. While the story of that change is still being written, there are a few key factors. On the negative side, the last fifty years have seen the demise of some historically formidable opponents to Christian philoso- phy, most perspicuously logical positivism and classical foun- dationalism, and this demise is due in significant part to the work of Christian philosophers. On the positive side, there has been a revitalisation of Christian philosophy from a num- ber of sources, including the renewal of Catholic philosophy after the broadening of the Second Vatican Council as evi- dent, for instance, in the diversity of the American Catholic Philosophical Association. Another significant factor is the work of several key philosophers coming out of (or sympa- thetic to important features of) the Dutch Calvinist tradition. Philosophers such as Alvin Plantinga, Nicholas Wolterstorff and William Alston (who, though not a Calvinist, has sympa- thy with the broad approach of Plantinga and Wolterstorff) have provided a formidable body of original philosophical work, all in accord with, or explicitly building upon, their Christian convictions. This new vibrancy led to the founding ix [...]... these has done much to advance the field of Christian philosophy in the UK, not least through the British Society for Philosophy of Religion, which developed out of the UK Society of Christian Philosophers All this means that while alchemy remains an obscure footnote in the history of science, Christian philosophy has emerged as one of the liveliest fields in current philosophy For that reason, the need grows... philosophical fields: philosophy of mind and action, moral philosophy and the history of philosophy, to name but a few In each of these fields her admiration for Aristotle was evident: in the philosophy of mind she rejected substance dualism in favour of the view that the soul was the form of the body, in moral philosophy she defended virtue ethics, and she wrote some papers on Aristotle CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY A–Z... the Society of Christian Philosophers in 1978 and the establishment of its journal Faith and Philosophy in 1984 One of the first articles to be published in this journal, Plantinga’s seminal address ‘Advice to Christian Philosophers’ (Plantinga 1984), has served as a clarion call to a new generation to approach philosophy without apology from a distinctively Christian perspective And Christian philosophers... 1951–; Meyer and Zimmermann 1980; Weisheipl 1980 CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY A–Z 7 Alston, William Payne (1921–): A leading Christian philosopher, a co-founder and past president of the Society of Christian Philosophers and founding editor of the journal Faith and Philosophy, William P Alston also edits the important monograph series Cornell Studies in the Philosophy of Religion, and was President of the... impossible before becoming a Christian, but possible afterwards, though 8 CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY A–Z only thanks to the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit Other Christians claim that altruism is possible, albeit not easy enough to earn one’s place in Heaven thereby See Calvinism; Hobbes, Thomas Further reading: Gauthier 1970; Hobbes 1839–45; Nagel 1970 analytical philosophy See philosophy, analytical analogy:... continue to do so Although North America has seen the greatest growth in Christian philosophy, there has been a slower revival in other English-speaking countries, particularly in the UK In England, Oxford University has, and London University s King’s College had until recently, a ‘named chair’ for philosophy of religion held by an eminent Christian philosopher: the chair at Oxford was held recently by Richard... the individual to the broader Christian community such that individual Christians need not have the resources to defend Christianity so long as there are some individuals within the community that are so able See argument, cosmological; argument, ontological; God, arguments for the existence of CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY A–Z 11 Further reading: Campbell-Jack, McGrath and Evans 2006; Geisler 1976 and 1998 Aquinas,... which is pure matter, and God, who is being itself Thomas also 12 CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY A–Z made significant contributions to aesthetics, politics and philosophy of law For Christian philosophers even today the ‘angelic doctor’ (as he was nicknamed) is still the first port of call when trying to work out a Christian line in some area of philosophy, as is witnessed by the more than 6, 000 commentaries that... faith Christian philosophers differ over the importance and methods of apologetics Some hold that it is a duty on every Christian to be able to give positive arguments in favour of his or her beliefs Others hold that the only duty is to rebut arguments against Christianity A middling position is held by those that claim that the Christian can and ought to provide negative arguments against nonChristian... equally due to those that gave prayer support, especially Steve, Phil, Hugh and Chris Finally, we thank Oliver Leaman, series editor, and the staff of Edinburgh University Press, especially Jackie Jones and Carol Macdonald, for their help and patience Christian Philosophy A–Z A a posteriori/a priori: A belief is a posteriori if it is held on the basis of experience, and is a priori if it is held on a basis . particular topics within philosophy • Coverage of key terms and major figures • Cross-references to related terms. Christian Philosophy A–Z Christian Philosophy A–Z Christian Philosophy 18/4/06 12:39. University Press iii P1: FCG/SPH P2: FCG/SPH QC: FCG/SPH T1: FCG EUBK021-Hill/Rauser May 30, 2006 17:22 C  Daniel J. Hill and Randal D. Rauser, 2006 Edinburgh University Press Ltd 22 George Square, Edinburgh Typeset. Psillos Political Philosophy A–Z, Jon Pike ii P1: FCG/SPH P2: FCG/SPH QC: FCG/SPH T1: FCG EUBK021-Hill/Rauser May 30, 2006 17:22 Christian Philosophy A–Z Daniel J. Hill and Randal D. Rauser Edinburgh University