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Figural Reading and the Fleshly God

Figural Reading and the Fleshly God

The Theology of Ephraim Radner

Edited by Joseph L. Mangina and David Ney

Imprint: Baylor University Press

Sales Date: 2025-03-15

488 Pages, 6.00 x 9.00 in

Hardcover
9781481317962
Published: April 2025

$59.99

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Description
Contents
Bio
Praise

Ephraim Radner is one of the most creative and imaginative (if at times deeply unsettling) Christian thinkers of our day. He has offered searching analysis of Christian divisions and advocated tirelessly for the theological interpretation of Scripture as an activity of the church. Up until now, however, awareness of his work has been mostly confined to a small circle of academic specialists.

Figural Reading and the Fleshly God seeks to change that. The book brings together eighteen scholars from across the Christian spectrum--Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, and Eastern Orthodox--to articulate and develop Radner’s greatest theological contributions. The book is divided into three parts, each devoted to a major theme that has animated Radner’s thinking: Scripture, Creation, and the Church. Among the issues touched on are Radner’s understanding of divine grace, his counterintuitive views on time, and his figural approach to preaching, as illustrated by extensive quotations from his sermons.

The collective insights of these scholars produce an attractive, accessible guide to one of the most important theologians of the modern era. By critically engaging Radner’s strong, prophetic voice, the book seeks to preserve and extend his rich theological imagination and vision beyond the scope of his published work. Figural Reading and the Fleshly God is an invitation to all--even those unfamiliar with Radner--to discover why his theology matters for the life of the church today.

Ephraim Radner: A Reader's Guide
Joseph Mangina and David Ney

Introduction
Joseph Mangina and David Ney

A Note on the Cover: Marc Chagall's White Crucifixion
Svetlana Panich

I Scripture
1 For the Sake of My Servant David: Radner and the Israel of God
Christopher Seitz
2 Penitential History: Radner and Hosea on Repentance
Don Collet
3 Fruitful Reading: Radner and the Rule of Hope
Kathryn Greene-McCreight
4 Evangelical Kabbalah: Radner and the Ontology of Scripture
Joseph Mangina
5 The Time of the Word: Radner and the Two-Testament Bible
John Behr
6 When Jesus Saw the Crowds: Radner and Preaching
Annette Brownlee

II Creation
7 Theology among the Beasts: Radner and Particularities
David Ney
8 The Offering of Creation: Radner and Leviticus
Mark Elliot
9 Figuralism as Re-Enchantment: Radner and Modernity
R. R. Reno
10 Apocalyptic Decrescendo: Radner and Pneumatology
Cyril O'Regan

III Church
11 The Hand on the Table: Radner and the Solidarity of God
Rowan Williams
12 Not without Israel: Radner and the Sacrifice of Conscience
Amy J. Erickson
13 The Wounded Shepherd: Radner and the Figure of Jesus
Jeff W. Boldt
14 The Shape of Christ's Body: Radner and the Divided Churches
Joseph D. Small
15 Is Christ Divided? Ephraim Radner and the Figural Form of Christian Unity
Michael Root
16 People of the New Exodus: Radner and Catholic Ecclesiology
Matthew Levering
17 The Grace of Staying Put: Radner and the Conciliar Ecclesiology
Philip Turner
18 The Passion of Personalist Catholicism: Radner and the Sacraments
Christopher Wells

Afterword
George Sumner

Joseph L. Mangina is Professor of Systematic Theology at Wycliffe College, Toronto School of Theology, University of Toronto.

David Ney is Associate Professor of Church History at Trinity School for Ministry and a priest in the Anglican Church of Canada.

Occasionally you encounter a theologian who reminds you why anybody bothers. I am in awe of Ephraim Radner’s erudition, his churchmanship, and the salutary way his work always challenges. This is theology that’s actually worth engaging. Be forewarned: you’ll hobble away with a limp, wounded and covenanted.
~Jason Byassee , Senior Minister of Timothy Eaton Memorial Church in Toronto, Ontario

Ephraim Radner's theological work is widely acknowledged as a uniquely generative, inspiring force in worldwide Anglican Christianity and beyond. However, it is just as widely recognized as difficult, even opaque at times. So we have long needed a volume like this: 'Radner for the Rest of Us,' you might think of it. Here a remarkable assembly of his colleagues, friends, and former students have united like a team of accessible, enthusiastic tutors to help explain what the maestro is up to. It is a gift to us all, and it will send us back to Radner's remarkable oeuvre with fresh eyes.
~Wesley Hill, Associate Professor of New Testament, Western Theological Seminary, Holland, Michigan

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Figural Reading and the Fleshly God

The Theology of Ephraim Radner

Figural Reading and the Fleshly God

The Theology of Ephraim Radner

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