Heidegger and Christianity: The Hensley Henson Lectures 1993-94 [Hardcover]

John MacQuarrie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1994 | ISBN-10: 0826406947 | ISBN-13: 978-0826406941 | Edition: First Edition

"Macquarrie has produced an invaluable work for theologians and general readers who are untried in the complexities of Heidegger's formidable corpus". -- John D. Caputo

Product Details

• Hardcover: 135 pages
• Publisher: Continuum Intl Pub Group (Sd); First Edition edition (October 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826406947
• ISBN-13: 978-0826406941
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,831,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I know of no better introduction to Heidegger's thought, July 16, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Heidegger and Christianity: The Hensley Henson Lectures 1993-94 (Hardcover)

MacQuarrie's little monograph should be called "Heidegger Demystified". It is perhaps the best thorough and concise study of the main features and the significance of Heidegger's thought by one of the translators of Being and Time into English. Considering what an industry Heidegger studies have become in American and European universities, this little volume is a wonder how it cuts to the essential features of his thought. I know of no better introduction to the significance of Heidegger. Even George Steiner's little study, a fine fluff piece for the non-philosopher, will have to take a back seat to this treasure

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mistitled Book, February 11, 2006

By 

Reader (Arlington, Virginia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Heidegger and Christianity (Paperback)

This book is a bit of a disappointment. The author, John Macquarrie, is a distinguished Anglican theologian and the translator of "Being and Time." It would be natural to expect that any book by MacQuarrie entitled "Heidegger and Christianity" would analyze the religious implications of Heidegger's philosophy, or discuss Heidegger's influence on Christian theologians such as Karl Rahner. Instead, the bulk of this short book simply summarizes the main themes and conclusions of Heidegger's best-known books and lectures, which were mostly of secular interest. Religion is discussed only in the final chapter, leaving the reader feeling cheated.

On the positive side, MacQuarrie writes clearly and takes a balanced view of Heidegger. He regards the German philosopher as one of the great thinkers of the 20th century, while acknowledging that his tortured language is difficult to interpret, and that his tendency to substitute etymology for logic can open the door to nonsense. It's good to read a writer like MacQuarrie who knows and respects Heidegger's works but who avoids the extremes of Heidegger-worship. This book would be useful as an orientation to the Heidegger corpus. But readers looking for theology, or even for a critical analysis of Heidegger's secular thinking, should look elsewhere.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Being I AM ?, January 26, 2003

By 

calcidius (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heidegger and Christianity (Paperback)

The book starts by noting some of the twists and turns in Heidegger's life and thought; and by showing the importance of Being in the beginnings of western philosophy (but only in the beginning and then quickly forgotten -- according to Heidegger).

The main question in the book (as you probably already know from the title) is whether Heidegger's thought is compatible with Christianity. Of course to answer this question we first needed to know what Heidegger's thought consisted of, which takes up most of the book and makes it worth while even if you don't care if Heidegger can be 'Christianized'.

Although the book is brief (only 121 pages) it covers everything from Being and Time to Time and Being and beyond (which is a long and mystifying way -- or at lest it is without this book). Heidegger's Nazism is also dealt with very briefly, but the main concern in the book, after giving a tour of the philosophy, is the relationship to Christianity. Others before Macquarrie have seen this relationship Etienne Gilson, for example, clamed that Heidegger ' is taking us to the only real metaphysical problem. I believe he could... help us not only to deeper insights into his own thought, but even into that of... Thomas Aquinas'.

It is difficult (at lest for me and I suppose others with similar obsessions) to read Heidegger's attempted retrievals of Being -- that light by which all existing entities are viewed. And not think of biblical passages like Exodus 3:14. I supposes in the end some of Heidegger's thoughts are good for Christianity while some are not (or less obviously so). The ontological difference for the most part probably is; while all the twisting and turning of Being would probably be the end of anything like an orthodox Christianity.

This book doesn't say that Heidegger's philosophy was Christian -- in fact Heidegger said a Christian philosophy was nonsense 'a round square and a misunderstanding' -- but if you want an intro. to his thought or see some potential parallels between his thought and Christianity this is a good book.