Dust Bound for Heaven: Explorations in the Theology of Thomas Aquinas - Softcover

Reinhard Hutter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0802867413 ISBN 13: 9780802867414

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2012

Synopsis

In Dust Bound for Heaven Reinhard Hütter shows how Thomas Aquinas's view of the human being as dust bound for heaven weaves together elements of two questions without fusion or reduction. Does humanity still have an insatiable thirst for God that sends each person on an irrepressible religious quest that only the vision of God can quench? Or must the human being, living after the fall, become a "new creation" in order to be readied for heaven?

Hütter also applies Thomas's anthropology to a host of pressing contemporary concerns, including the modern crisis of faith and reason, political theology, the relationship between divine grace and human freedom, and many more. The concluding chapter explores the Christological center of Thomas's theology.

About this title

About the Author:

Reinhard Hütter is professor of Christian theology at Duke Divinity School. His other books include Reason and the Reasons of Faith (with Paul J. Griffiths) and Ressourcement Thomism: Sacred Doctrine, the Sacraments, and the Moral Life.

Review:

Matthew Levering
-- University of Dayton
"This book by Reinhard Hütter draws us into the very heart of what it means to be an ecclesial theologian in the contemporary academy. The fullness of the theological vocation here is seen with rare clarity and with the boldness that befits a soul on fire for union with the triune God."

Thomas Hibbs
-- Baylor University
"Distinguish to unite, advised Jacques Maritain. In an exemplary way, Hütter's new book brings the unifying wisdom of St. Thomas to bear on a wide range of topics, even as it contributes to hotly contested contemporary disputes. In its range and its integrated approach, Dust Bound for Heaven exhibits precisely what Maritain asked for. This is a book to be studied and enjoyed."

Bruce D. Marshall
-- Southern Methodist University
"Hütter's pages are suffused with a sense of gratitude and discovery, and with a deep confidence in Thomas, who can teach even us about God and ourselves, if we would let him. In the exceptional range of these essays, Hütter shows once again that there seems to be no question on which Thomas fails to shed needed light - from human emotions to politics to the nature of the university, as well as the most basic and difficult questions of theology."

Thomas Joseph White, O.P.
-- Thomistic Institute, Dominican House of Studies
"Aquinas claimed that the office of the wise person is to order human thought so as to understand all secondary realities in light of God. Reinhard Hütter's Dust Bound for Heaven offers one of the best examples of this kind of living Thomism in our time, demonstrating why St. Thomas's work has perennial value."

Theology 
“This collection of interrelated essays reflects Reinhard Hütter’s keen interest in the theological thrust of Thomas Aquinas’s anthropology. . . .  Rather than distancing him from contemporary concerns, this theological thrust makes Aquinas more relevant than ever.”
 
Louvain Studies 
“Hütter’s thought is often surprisingly original and well-worth considering. . . . If Aquinas’ thought is indeed due for an unprecedented ressourcement, this book will undoubtedly play a vital role in such a movement.”
 
Reviews in Religion and Theology 
“Thoughtful and ambitious. . . . A compelling case for the value of the ressourcement of Thomas Aquinas. Hütter exhibits a masterful command of the ins and outs of contemporary disputes in Aquinas scholarship. What is more, Hütter serves as a model theologian. He is not simply a scholar but is a proper theologian, meaning one who employs both faith and reason toward their proper ends, namely the worship of the triune God. This book is his invitation to the reader to follow.”
 
Catholic Library World 
“A lucid and eloquent work. . . . It is a well-balanced and insightful presentation. . . . An important book.”

 

About this edition

• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0802867413
• ISBN 13: 9780802867414
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 521