Concise Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Religion, A (Paperback)

~ Anthony Thiselton (Author) "The term denotes an argument that applies 'all the more', or 'with greater force'..." (more)
Key Phrases: kalam tradition, logical currency, models and qualifiers, New York, Ibn Sina, Jesus Christ (more...)

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Product Description

With over three hundred entries and subentries on everything from agnosticism to Zen philosophy, this authoritative encyclopedia from one of the world's most renowned theologians explores all the major themes in the philosophy of religion. Entries identify key thinkers, terms, arguments, and ideas. The volume also features a helpful chronology and an index of names. This encyclopedia was shaped by years of student feedback. Anthony Thiselton asked students what themes, thinkers, and problems in philosophy of religion they found most stimulating and where they needed help, clarification, and explanation. The resulting volume will help other students navigate their studies with greater ease. It is also a handy reference for those seeking quick access to information on a particular person or concept.

About the Author

Anthony C. Thiselton (Ph.D., University of Sheffield) is research professor in Christian theology at University College Chester and emeritus professor of Christian theology at the University of Nottingham. He is the author of seven books, including the NIGTC commentary on 1 Corinthians, The Two Horizons, and New Horizons in Hermeneutics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Baker Academic (July 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801031206
• ISBN-13: 978-0801031205
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,102,368 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful, timely resource for students and teachers, June 28, 2003

By	Scott David Foutz (Evanston, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Concise Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Religion (Paperback)

Anthony Thiselton is a well known name in evangelical circles for his extensive work in contemporary hermeneutics and exegesis through titles such as "New Horizons in Hermeneutics" (1992), "Two Horizons" (1980), and the more recent "The First Epistle to the Corinthians" (2000; New International Greek Testament Commentary Series). Thiselton's most recent work is a compendium of his insights into major figures and trends within contemporary hermeneutical, theological and philosophical thought. And students of these contemporary issues will not be disappointed with the timeliness and depth of the topics covered.

"A Concise Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Religion" is precisely that; an encyclopedia containing over 300 entries and sub-entries relevant to any informed discussion of philosophy of religion. In addition to the classic figures generally present in such discussions, Thiselton brings to the table all those others who are just as relevant and crucial to contemporary discussions. Although it is more than tempting to list all the names covered by Thiselton, I will list only a few I was quick to look up: Austin, Ayer, Barthes, Bergson, Chisholm, Derrida, Hartshorne, Henry, Husserl, Levinas, Malcolm, Plantinga, Quine, Swinburne, Whitehead, and Wolterstorff.

All of Thiselton's articles are cross-referenced to allow you to find other topics related to your inquiry within the encyclopedia. He also intentionally explains "virtually every unfamiliar technical term, and will introduce unfamiliar thinkers". This is an excellent resource for students and laymen. I have used this frequently while writing papers or to gain refreshed insight into the thought of a particular figure mentioned in my other readings.

This book can be recommended for students of theology and philosophy, and will be of particular interest to those pursuing contemporary theology, hermeneutics, postmodern theology, historical theology, and philosophy of religion. The book's intent is to provide a contemporary, up-to-date textbook for university level students in these fields. Thus it may prove helpful to teachers striving to expose their students to these same issues.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable Resource on the Philosophy of Religion, December 21, 2009

By	Mike Robinson "Mike A Robinson" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Somewhere in your personal library there is an encyclopedia or dictionary of philosophy for quick access to terminology and concepts (if you are a student or scholar of philosophy). Anthony Thiselton, for example, compiled "A Concise Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Religion." The author provides essays on an astonishing diverse collection of topics and religious/philosophical ideas.

This volume has been endorsed by Nicholas Wolterstorff, Craig Bartholomew, and John Webster.

The sagacious Wolterstorff recommends this work with the following comment: "I find it astonishing that anyone today could be so learned in so many fields and that this learning would be so accurate and so lucidly expressed."

The sections are so readable that I found myself partaking of this text like I usually do popular nonfiction books.

The author in this single volume has entries on:

- Analytical philosophy
- Evolution
- Syllogism
- Certainty and doubt
- Popular proofs for the existence of God
- Hermeneutics
- Empiricism
- Science and religion
- Immutability of God
- Myth
- Evil
- Islamic, Jewish, and Hindu philosophy
- and countless other consequential philosophical topics.

This is an outstanding resource offering a wide range of entries in a clear and concise manner. It is marvelous pedagogy and engaging philosophy.

Important figures discussed in this volume are:

- Wittgenstein
- Descartes
- Locke
- Hume
- Kant
- Fichte
- Hick
- Freud
- and numerous other famous key thinkers.

Lucid, solid, dependable, and delightful.
The Necessary Existence of God: The Proof of Christianity Through Presuppositional Apologetics

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise, Erudite, and Accessible, February 14, 2006

By	Derrick A. Peterson (Oregon) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Anthony C. Thistleton is one of the rare thinkers of our generation that has the ability to extend their knowledge over a vast array of philosophical and theological topics, and yet maintain the ability to keep them in focus and synthesize them for the edification of others. His past works, which include Two Horizons in Hermeneutics, its sequel New Horizons in Hermeneutics, and the NIGTC commentary on 1 Corinthians, are all themselves examples of the scholarly level of Thistleton's work, and his latest, A Concise Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Religion is no dissapointment.

Containing several hundred entries, including (but, of course, not limited to) entries on thinkers such as Riceouer, Barth, Derrida, Foucoult, Pannenberg, Moltmann, Heidegger, Hegel, Feuerbach, Fichte, Aquinas, Augustine, Lyotard, Plantinga, Scotus, and Freud, and entries on various topics such as Evil (e.g. Theodicy), Causality, Contingency, Demythologization, marxist critique of religion, hermeneutics, postmodernism, The Five Ways of Aquinas, etc...

Thistleton is especially strong in areas of explaining post-modern thinkers and hermeneutics, but quite adept in all other areas (except, perhaps, his explanations of eastern philosophies, which he admits is not his strong area, but are nonetheless sufficient for their purpose, and do not seem excessively truncated when compared to the other articles)

The cross-referencing of the articles makes it especially easy, not only to see the interrelations between thinkers and schools, but is a helpful tool for organization that makes accessing the information a snap.

The only critique I have of this book is a problem that I have of encyclopedias of philosophy and theology in general, that because of the territory covered, the amount of depth in each article is limited. On some occasions also, Thistleton despite his careful indexing or definition of terms in other areas, sometimes uses vocabulary particular to the thinker that he is explaining without expounding on the specific meaning of the term. This is rare, however, and often if the term is not specifically defined, it's usage is made clearer by the context in which it is presented.

This book will be an invaluable asset to all students studying theology and philosophy, and is a key asset, especially as an auxillary source.

For a fuller reference, I recommend Audi's Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, which has multiple contributors and fuller individual articles, albeit with much less emphasis on specifically Christian schools and terms.