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Tradition and Apocalypse

An Essay on the Future of Christian Belief

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About this listen

In the 2,000 years that have elapsed since the time of Christ, Christians have been as much divided by their faith as united, as much at odds as in communion. And the contents of Christian confession have developed with astonishing energy. How can believers claim a faith that has been passed down through the ages while recognizing the real historical contingencies that have shaped both their doctrines and their divisions?

In this carefully argued essay, David Bentley Hart critiques the concept of "tradition" that has become dominant in Christian thought as fundamentally incoherent. He puts forth a convincing new explanation of Christian tradition, one that is obedient to the nature of Christianity not only as a "revealed" creed embodied in historical events but as the "apocalyptic" revelation of a history that is largely identical with the eternal truth it supposedly discloses. Hart shows that Christian tradition is sustained not simply by its preservation of the past, but more essentially by its anticipation of the future. He offers a compelling portrayal of a living tradition held together by apocalyptic expectation - the promised transformation of all things in God.

©2022 David Bentley Hart (P)2022 Tantor Christianity History Tradition
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DBH is here at his most loquacious which makes this a hard listen. However, there is so much here to profit from, I have ordered a hard copy. His argument is both convincing and significant, and deserving of wide acceptance. One hopes that such insight will not only describe more accurately the sense in which truth comes to us in a living tradition, but also become a part of what shapes and moves us towards its final form, yet to be revealed. Thank God for DBH!

Brilliantly argued teleological view of tradition

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