Light of Faith and Reason : Israel, Jesus, and the Enlightenment

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 seventeenth 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 that is 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.

Gerhard Lohfink (1934-2024) was professor of New Testament exegesis at the University of Tübingen. His many award-winning books include Why I Believe in God, All My Springs Are in You,The Most Important Words of Jesus, Between Heaven and Earth, The Forty Parables of Jesus, No Irrelevant Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, Is This All There Is?, The Our Father, and Prayer Takes Us Home, all from Liturgical Press.