By Faith Alone: The Medieval Church and Martin Luther

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Lev Shestovs By Faith Alone confronts Eastern and Western European conceptions of faith through Russian literature, ancient and medieval philosophy, and Christian theology. Written from 1910-1914, this first English-language translation brings together important early writings on the medieval church and Martin Luther. Shestov reconciles the Greek notion of rational truth with Biblical revelation by drawing on a wide range of ancient, medieval, philosophical and theological sources from Plato to Hegel, Tertullian to Saint Augustine , and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux to William of Ockam. He argues that rational truth has skewed Christian belief by determining knowledge and truth in ways that prize the mind over the world. This approach marks a turning point in the evolution of Shestovs existential thought. It establishes a basic division that became central to Shestovs later work, between Athens as reason and Jerusalem as faith. By Faith Alone provides a crucial piece of the puzzle in the genesis of Shestovs later and better-known writings on medieval philosophy.

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This important book by Lev Shestov (18661938) is now available in English translation. Coming from the East of Europe Lev Shestov engages with Western theology and especially with Martin Luther and develops a constructive approach to Western Christianity and Western culture. The book is a must to read for all who are interested in intellectual encounters of Eastern and Western European Christianity. * Hans-Peter Grosshans, Professor for Systematic and Ecumenical Theology, University of Muenster, Germany *
Van Trees has produced a fine translation of SOLA FIDE, one of Shestov's most important works. This work adds to our understanding of the genesis of the religious ideas of this major philosopher. * Boris Jakim, Distinguished translator of major 19th- and 20th-century Russian religious thought *

Author Bio

Lev Shestov (1866-1938) was a Russian existentialist philosopher. Stephen P. Van Trees is an independent translator, USA.