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5.0 out of 5 stars
Thorough and Careful Scholarship; A signal Contribution to Theological Thought on Theodicy, July 15, 2010
This review is from: Summa Mataphysica set: GOD and EVIL plus GOD and GOOD (Summa Metaphysica, 2 Volume Set) (Hardcover)
GOD AND EVIL: Thorough and Careful Scholarship
David Birnbaum's scholarly work is a careful and thorough piece of scholarship on an arcane subject that, in these days of the mass natural and man-made disaster, has even the general public scratching its head. As a Christian who had pretty carefully researched the literature on the subject of theodicy, I was very much surprised to find here numerous sources previously unknown to me--most of them Jewish scholarly works that add much to the intellectual material with which to work.
I highly recommend this book to anyone seriously interested in theodicy--and also recommend it to those with merely a thoughtful interest in the subject.
GOD AND GOOD: A signal contribution to theological thought on theodicy
David Birnbaum's newest book, Summa Metaphysica II: God and Good, is a companion to his earlier work, Summa Metaphysica I: God and Evil. In these academically-acclaimed works, the author reconciles the mystery of God and the human condition, with a new metaphysical paradigm that is the first work to meaningfully go beyond Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica (c. 1265-72).
In doing so, the author addresses a number of key issues in his newest book, including:
What ignited the cosmos?
Is there God?
If yes, what actualized God?
If God, why Auschwitz?
If no God, why a universe?
What is the purpose of man, God and the cosmos?
If God, what is the core of the divine?
Is there Intelligent Design?
If yes, how?
Is our reality real?
What is the core dynamic of the cosmos?
What is man's role in the cosmic order?
In essence, the author's "Quest for Potential theory" argues that the "combined potentials for love, life, intellectuality, spirituality and, indeed, for an infinitely Perfect Divine, ignited, birthed, nurtured and projected the cosmos onward on its quest towards infinity."
The author's content is deep enough to challenge Thomas Aquinas; his creative style of presentation and thoroughly contemporary expression make it as appealing to a fan of modern poetry as to a graduate student in theodicy. This work is being used by a number of seminaries for academic course material. As such, it is a signal contribution to theological thought in the area, which is both readable by interested non-specialists and a challenge to the academic community.
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