The Sacramental Vision of Edward Bouverie Pusey - (T&t Clark Studies in English Theology) by Tobias A Karlowicz (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Offering a decisive challenge to the older reception of Pusey as a paragon of backwards scholarship, Tobias A. Karlowicz argues that Pusey is properly understood as a penetrating and original theologian whose work anticipated contemporary conversations about the nature of theology, and a pivotal figure in the history of Anglican theology. Karlowicz locates the heart of Pusey's project in a theological perception which looks through the physicality and concreteness of language, to discern Christ at the centre of both Scripture and the physical creation. This 'sacramental vision, ' which grew from Pusey's critique of Christianity's decay and his formative engagement with patristic hermeneutics and ontology, forms his teaching on the sacraments as vehicles for a Christian life of eucharistic self-oblation in union with Christ, and demonstrates the relevance of his thought to contemporary theology.

Review Quotes

"Karlowicz's work is a fascinating reappraisal of Pusey's theology and its legacy ... [the] book is a commendable achievement." --The North American Anglican

"[A] really excellent book." --Church Times

"A comprehensive introduction to Edward Bouverie Pusey's theology at last! Toby Karlowicz's sympathetic and thorough treatment reconfigures our reception of the great 19th-century high churchman. Future scholarship will have to reckon with the deep impact of Pusey's sacramental view of reality on the Oxford Movement. The Sacramental Vision of Edward Bouverie Pusey demonstrates that Pusey's insight in patristic exegesis shaped his views on creation, on union with Christ, and on the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist. Karlowicz makes a compelling case for reclaiming Pusey's sacramental vision today." --Hans Boersma, Nashotah House Theological Seminary, USA

"It is to be hoped that this utterly fascinating book will be widely read and reflected upon in the church and indeed more widely. ... A deeply necessary reminder that the church flourishes only in the context of careful and meticulously reflected-upon theology, which is then put into practice in its devotional and pastoral life." --International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church

"Often vilified in his lifetime and misunderstood or ignored in modern scholarship, Pusey is now vindicated in this distinguished revisionist study. In place of the morbid reactionary of caricature, we discover a profoundly devout, massively learned and consistently irenic theologian, offering a grace-filled understanding of Scripture, the sacraments and the natural world." --Paul Avis, Durham University, UK

"Of the three leaders of the Oxford Movement (Keble, Newman and Pusey) which eventually lead to a more Catholic version of Anglicanism, Pusey is by far the most neglected. Although hugely influential in his own day (he died in 1882), his reputation went into steep decline over the course of the twentieth century. In large part this was due to the difficulty of accessing his thought, developed largely as it was in occasional pieces such as sermons or in response to controversies of the time. In this scholarly and carefully argued book, Toby Karlowicz identifies certain underlying principles in Pusey's thought which offer an alternative to rationalism in a symbolic reading of scripture and sacramental understanding of Christian discipleship. Although these ideas were firmly rooted in Pusey's profound knowledge of early Christianity, Karlowicz brilliantly demonstrates the relevance of such ideas not only to Pusey's own day but also, perhaps more importantly, to contemporary theological debate." --Professor David Brown, University of St Andrews, UK

"In this original and nuanced theological study, Karlowicz overturns the caricature image of Pusey the grim ascetic. He persuasively challenges the view that Pusey retreated from an early liberalism into reactionary clerical obscurantism. He develops the contrary view, adopted by some current scholars, of an essential underlying continuity in Pusey's thought. He reveals a Pusey fired by a sacramental vision of union with Christ, rooted in the Fathers and with striking affinities to 20th century French nouvelle theologie and early 21st century Radical Orthodoxy." --Peter Nockles, University of Manchester, UK

About the Author

Tobias A. Karlowicz is an Anglican Priest who has served several parishes in central Illinois, USA. He holds a PhD from the University of St Andrews, UK.