On Faith, Works, Eternity and the Creatures We Are - (Reading Augustine) by André Barbera (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In this volume André Barbera considers the question of faith, how an individual may act faithfully, and what good (if any) is faithful action. Drawing on the letters of the Apostle Paul and the work of philosophical thinkers such as Søren Kierkegaard, Barbera explores numerous aspects of faithful living, from religion, original sin, and tests of faith, to the power of prayer, and even the concept of atheism.

In particular, Barbera formulates a postulate drawn from Augustine's Confessions: God is not bound by time. The person of faith, however, is enslaved by time. Augustine's expression "faith seeking understanding" stakes the claim," but the mode of faith and the end of faith are inherently contradictory. The faithful person waits in pursuit, choking. Works, the anxiety of faith, ensue.

Barbera concludes that the person of faith engages in endless trial, struggle, and contradiction, but in so doing attempts to produce a meaningful life.

Review Quotes

"This is a deeply felt study of the meaning of faith, how it is experienced and made manifest, and its object/objective. From the Christian perspective, this leads to a consideration of the ways in which the person of faith tries to both know and understand God in the fullness of time, the Incarnation, and Jesus the man and the Son of God. A rich array of perspectives is considered, ranging from scripture, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, and Calvin to such later theologians as Kierkegaard, Buber, Barth, Tillich, Bonhoeffer, and Altizer, complemented by Kant, Hegel, Heidegger, and even Cervantes, Melville, and Faulkner. This book will challenge and enlighten the Christian reader, but it will also profit readers interested in epistemology, ontology, religious experience in general, or in fact anyone interested in responding to the Delphic oracle's pronouncement: 'Know thyself!'"" --THOMAS J. MATHIESEN, Indiana University, USA

"André Barbera has produced a sophisticated philosophical reflection on the meaning of faith in believers bound by time. In doing so, he follows Augustine's guiding problem of time and an eternal creator in a remarkable way. Barbera's rigorous presentation of philosophical questions around time in connection with faith will make his work of interest not just to readers of Augustine's Confessions, but also to existentialist theologians, as well as to anyone seeking to understand their faith." --GABRIEL PIHAS, Rome Institute of Liberal Arts, Italy

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