The Dialectics of Creation - by Martin G Poulsom (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This book investigates the philosophical components of Christian faith in creation, by analyzing the distinction and the relation between creation and its Creator.The writings of Edward Schillebeeckx and David Burrell supply a terminology of distinction and relation that shapes the discourse, following in the footsteps of Aquinas. Poulsom elucidates the relational dialectic in the thought of Schillebeeckx as a way of thinking about the Creation and offers a helpful comparison with the thought of David Burrell. Relational dialectic is an organizing principle, not only of Schillebeeckx's account of creation, but of his philosophical theology more generally. It can operate as a hermeneutic for his material on praxis and humanism, in a way that resolves some problems noted by other Schillebeeckx scholars. Poulsom's interpretation of Schillebeeckx enriches current approaches to this thinker and offers a significant contribution to thinking on the doctrine of Creation and issues surrounding the 'ontological distinction' which is of major concern in philosophical theology today.

Review Quotes

"Poulsom's philosophically nuanced study offers a much-needed classically oriented Schillebeeckian foundation for exploring the most controversial theological questions evoked by creation science today." -Kathleen McManus, OP University of Portland, USA, Horizons

"Martin Poulsom argues in this insightful book how Edward Schillebeeckx in his theology of creation supports the classical theological insight that the world is not-God and totally other-than-God." --Erik Borgman, Tilburg University, The Netherlands

"In this book, Martin Poulsom has advanced scholarship on a number of fronts ... Poulsom's work will be of great benefit to anyone interested in both cutting-edge and enduring questions of a theology of creation." --Robert J. Schreiter, Catholic Theological Union, USA

About the Author

Martin G. Poulsom SDB is a Salesian of Don Bosco, and a Lecturer in Theology at Heythrop College, University of London, UK.