The Word and the Cross (Perspectives in Continental Philosophy, 22)

In times that have challenged contemporary illusions, many seek to recover the Christian vocabulary of suffering, the cross, and a hope freed of triumphalism and exclusivity. Stanislas Breton presents the nothingnessof the cross in its infirmity and paradoxical power. Blending the poetic with the philosophical, faith with interrogation, mystical and practical, ancient and new, he seeks to lift the cross from its imprisonment in ontologies of abundance and in a history of compromise. The Word and the Cross distills the meditation of a thinker in his prime on the possibility of the Christian and Christianity to find within a principle of a critique and source of renewal.Breton draws first upon Scripture, examining the way in which the cross has been present in our world, beginning with Paul's preaching of it as Logos, folly (moria), and power (dunamis). In a startlingly original interpretation, Breton first interrogates the emergence of the cross as Sign of Contradiction in the world of Greek and Jew and then traces its destiny in politics, in theology and in the poignant theater of the fools of Christ.Enriching scriptural exegesis with allusions to neoplatonism, Sufi mysticism, and diverse theologies, Breton offers a more profound understanding of kenosis that privileges the language of service and engagement. Passing beyond philosophies of dissonance and even the via negativa, he argues for a commitment to evangelical justice and human community that demands of the Christian and Christianity, as of all systems and religions, an inner principle of renewal and self-critique.The cross, as a Sign of Contradiction, functions as such a principle. Breton presents it on many levels: spiritual, philosophic, linguistic and poetic. With modesty and power, he focuses upon this mark of interrogation,preparing the way of the Word in our world. The Word and the Cross is the first translation in the United States of this major contemporary French thinker, introducing rich resources for further exploration.

In times that have challenged contemporary illusions, many seek to recover the Christian vocabulary of suffering, the cross, and a hope freed of triumphalism and exclusivity. Stanislas Breton presents the 'nothingness' of the cross in its infirmity and paradoxical power. Blending the poetic with the philosophical, faith with interrogation, mystical and practical, ancient and new, he seeks to lift the cross from its imprisonment in ontologies of abundance and in a history of compromise. The Word and the Cross distills the meditation of a thinker in his prime on the possibility of the Christian and Christianity to find within a principle of a critique and source of renewal.Breton draws first upon Scripture, examining the way in which the cross has been present in our world, beginning with Paul's preaching of it as Logos, folly (moria), and power (dunamis). In a startlingly original interpretation, Breton first interrogates the emergence of the cross as Sign of Contradiction in the world of Greek and Jew and then traces its destiny in politics, in theology and in the poignant theater of 'the fools of Christ.' Enriching scriptural exegesis with allusions to neoplatonism, Sufi mysticism, and diverse theologies, Breton offers a more profound understanding of kenosis that privileges the language of service and engagement. Passing beyond philosophies of dissonance and even the via negativa, he argues for a commitment to evangelical justice and human community that demands of the Christian and Christianity, as of all systems and religions, an inner principle of renewal and self-critique.The cross, as a Sign of Contradiction, functions as such a principle. Breton presents it on manylevels: spiritual, philosophic, linguistic and poetic. With modesty and power, he focuses upon this 'mark of interrogation,' preparing the way of the Word in our world. The Word and the Cross is the first translation in the United States of this major contemporary French thinker, introducing rich resources for further exploration.

In This Lively And Poetic Translation Of Stanislas Breton's Classic The Word And The Cross - The First Work Of This Major French Phenomenologist Of Religion To Be Translated Into English - Breton Addresses The Message Of The Cross In A New Era. Breton Is A Master Of The Dialogue Between Theology And The Philosophical Tradition, And His Book Is A Timely Addition To The Contemporary Debate About Religion And Postmodernism. The Word And The Cross Offers A Searching Re-thinking Of Questions Raised By The Sign Of Contradiction Which Both Challenge And Bring Sober Comfort To Contemporary Thought. Distilled From A Lifetime Of Rigorous Reflection And Mediation, Breton Pursues The Way The Cross, As A Mark Of Interrogation Within Our World, Continually Challenges Our World To A More Profound Engagement In Justice, Openness To The Other, And The Abandonment Of Triumphalism. Drawing Upon Paul's Proclamation That The Foolishness Of The Cross Is Wiser Than The Wisdom Of Philosophy And Upon The Neoplatonic Theological And Mystical Traditions, Breton Presents The Cross Both Rigorously And Poetically As A Principle Of Critique And Renewal For A World In Search Of Community And Engagement.--jacket. A Word Of Folly -- The Theologies Of The Cross -- The Fools Of Christ -- The Cross And The Powers -- The Logic Of The Cross -- The Enigma Of Kenosis -- Johannine Logos, Pauline Logos -- The Cross Today. Stanislas Breton ; Translated With An Introduction By Jacquelyn Porter. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Frontmatter Translator's Introduction (page vii) 1. A Word of Folly (page 1) 2. The Theologies of the Cross (page 12) 3. The Fools of Christ (page 31) 4. The Cross and the Powers (page 47) 5. The Logic of the Cross (page 63) 6. The Engima of Kenosis (page 83) 7. Johannine Logos, Pauline Logos (page 100) 8. The Cross Today (page 117) Appendix: Being, God and the Poetics of Relation: Interview of Stanislas Breton by Richard Kearney (page 129) Index (page 145) In times that have challenged contemporary illusions, many seek to recover the Christian vocabulary of suffering, the cross, and a hope freed of triumphalism and exclusivity. This book presents the nothingnessof the cross in its infirmity and paradoxical power.