Overview

In this elegant new book, the sequel to his earlier, much praised treatment of the Devil, Philip Almond reveals that - whether in Judaism, Christianity or Islam - God is seen to be at once utterly beyond our world yet at the same earnestly desiring to be at one with it. In the Christian chapter of this story the paradox arguably reaches its improbable zenith: in the fragile form of a human being the infinite became finite, the eternal temporal. The way these and other metaphysical tensions have been understood is, the author demonstrates, the key to unlocking the entire history of religion in the West. Expertly placing the narrative of divine presence within the wider history of ideas, Almond suggests that the notion of a deity has been the single greatest conundrum of medieval and modern civilization. In this rich, nuanced appraisal, 'God' is shown to be more complex and fascinating than ever before.

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9781784537654

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Reviews

`Philip Almond's new book offers a lively, inclusive and readable historical survey of the arguments about God - ancient and modern, Christian and non-Christian - which any fair-minded reader will find helpful and engaging. Believer and non-believer alike will find here a succinct and useful guide to the crucial questions that as human beings we all continue to struggle with.' - Richard Harries (Baron Harries of Pentregarth), formerly Professor of Divinity, Gresham College, London, and Bishop of Oxford (1987-2006), author of The Beauty and the Horror: Searching for God in a Suffering World

[A] potent introduction to the idea that God has often meant something more complicated than the caricature (dis)believed by so many. * Los Angeles Review of Books * The perfect introduction. * Neil Griffiths, Review 31 *

`Philip Almond's new book offers a lively, inclusive and readable historical survey of the arguments about God - ancient and modern, Christian and non-Christian - which any fair-minded reader will find helpful and engaging. Believer and non-believer alike will find here a succinct and useful guide to the crucial questions that as human beings we all continue to struggle with.' - Richard Harries (Baron Harries of Pentregarth), formerly Professor of Divinity, Gresham College, London, and Bishop of Oxford (1987-2006), author of The Beauty and the Horror: Searching for God in a Suffering World, `Without going deep into philosophical arguments for the existence of God, Philip Almond offers rather an engaging and deeply informed historical tour through the understandings of God that have emerged in the Middle East and Europe over the past three thousand years. Some of what has been thought and written about God is strange and quirky, and some of it offensive. But Almond never mocks. He always digs down to the fundamental human issues at stake, reminding us that The story of God is the story of the search for ultimate meaning. Though the biography of God is on-going, and philosophy too must play a part, this fine book is still a remarkable achievement.' - Nicholas Wolterstorff, Noah Porter Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology, Yale University, author of Divine Discourse: Philosophical Reflections on the Claim that God Speaks

Author Information

Philip C Almond is Professor Emeritus of Religion and Deputy Director of the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities at the University of Queensland. His previous books include The Witches of Warboys: An Extraordinary Story of Sorcery, Sadism and Satanic Possession (2007), England's First Demonologist: Reginald Scot and 'The Discoverie of Witchcraft' (2011, paperback 2014), The Lancashire Witches: A Chronicle of Sorcery and Death on Pendle Hill (2012), The Devil: A New Biography (2014, cited as one of the Independent's 'Books of the Year: Best Books on Religion', paperback 2015) and Afterlife: A History of Life after Death (2016), all published by I.B.Tauris.

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