Burrus, summarizing the argument of Maurice Wiles, notes: “For Wiles, the viability of Arianism, whether in fourth-century Egypt or eighteenth-century England, was partly dependent on the existence of a worldview that could accommodate ‘spirits’ mediating between divine . . . . Continue Reading »
Like many other fathers, Athanasius described heretics as Jews - in his case, the Arians. He had, as I read Athanasius, biblical and theological reasons for saying so. When Newman repeats the link between Judaism and Arianism in his book on the Arians, the emphasis is racial. Jews are a . . . . Continue Reading »
In The Quest for Community , Robert Nisbet - no wild-eyed lefty he - argues, following Karl Polyani, that ” Laissez faire . . . was brought into existence. It was brought into existence by the planned destruction of old customs, associations, villages, and other securities, by the force . . . . Continue Reading »
How is circumcision a seal of the righteousness of faith (Romans 4:11). Augustine ( Contra Faustum ) says this: Circumcision was performed on the eighth day. The eighth day is the day of Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus resurrection is for our justification (Romans 4:25). Hence, . . . . Continue Reading »
INTRODUCTION Our understanding of the Spirit’s work is often truncated. We think the Spirit works “personally” but miss the “political” work of the Spirit. For Micah, though, the Spirit is a Spirit of justice, power, and political courage. THE TEXT “Hear . . . . Continue Reading »
Islamicists are often accused of elevating political conflicts into cosmic ones. They can’t help “religionizing” conflict, given their pre-modern, irrational, non-secular assumptions. Then Andrew Sullivan writes, shortly after 9/11: “What is really at issue here is the . . . . Continue Reading »
Critics often complain that Supreme Court decisions have removed contentious issues from the political arena, where they can be debated and decided by citizens and their representatives. That is, it appears, no accident. In a 1969 article on the Harvard Law Review that was cited in . . . . Continue Reading »
In a lengthy review of the career of Justice Hugo Black, Philip Hamburger ( Separation of Church and State ) lays out his clan connections and the anti-Catholic animus that motivated his views on politics and law. One supported boasted that Black had visited “Klaverns” all over . . . . Continue Reading »
In his majority opinion in the 1940 Minersville School District v. Gobitis case, which dealt with the question of whether school districts could require students to salute the American flag, Felix Frankfurter wrote: “The ultimate foundation of a free society is the binding tie of cohesive . . . . Continue Reading »
In his book on Dostoevsky, Nicholas Berdyaev sets up a series of comparisons and contrasts between Dostoevsky and Nietzsche. Both recognize that man as he has been conceived in earlier ages is dead. Both know that man is “terrible free.” Both know that Humanism has . . . . Continue Reading »
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