What is Truth - From the Academy to the Vatican

377 Pages·2008·1.59 MB·English

by  John M. Rist

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WHAT IS TRUTH?
This book studies the nature, growth and prospects of Roman
Catholic culture,viewed as capable ofappropriating allthatisnoble
bothfrominternalandexternalsources.JohnRisttestshisargument
via a number of avenues: man’s creation in the image of God and
historical difficulties about incorporating women into that vision;
the relationship between God’s mercy and justice; the possibility of
Christianaesthetics;theearlydevelopmentoftheseeofRomeasthe
source of an indispensable doctrinal unity for Christian culture; the
searchfortheproperroleoftheChurchinpolitics.
He also argues that such an understanding of Catholic culture is
necessary if contemporary assumptions about inalienable rights and
thevalueofthehumanpersonaretobedefended.Thealternativesare
avalue-free,individualistuniverseontheonehand,andafundamen-
talistdenialofhumannatureandofhistoryontheother.
JOHN M. RIST isEmeritusProfessorofClassicsandPhilosophyatthe
UniversityofToronto,wherehetaughtfrom1959to1980andagain,
followingthreeyearsasRegiusProfessorofClassicsattheUniversityof
Aberdeen,from1983to1996.Since1998hehasbeenpart-timeVisiting
Professor at the Institutum Patristicum Augustinianum in Rome. In
1976hewaselectedaFellowoftheRoyalSocietyofCanada,andin1991
he was elected a life member of Clare Hall, Cambridge. In 1995 he
was the Lady Davis Visiting Professor in Philosophy at the Hebrew
UniversityinJerusalem.Heistheauthorofoveronehundredscholarly
articles and numerous books including Augustine: Ancient Thought
Baptized(1994)andRealEthics(2002).

WHAT IS TRUTH?
From the Academy to the Vatican
JOHN M. RIST
CAMBRIDGEUNIVERSITYPRESS
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Cambridge University Press
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Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
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Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521889018
© John M. Rist 2008
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of
relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place
without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2008
ISBN-13 978-0-511-41384-1 eBook (EBL)
ISBN-13 978-0-521-88901-8 hardback
ISBN-13 978-0-521-71775-5 paperback
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To the memory of Eric Osborn

“WhatisTruth?”,saidjestingPilate,anddidnotwaitforanAnswer.
FrancisBacon