Description: The great French Orthodox theologian Olivier Clement draws on his deep study of Hinduism, Buddhism and Indian myths to differentiate the understanding of time and eternity in archaic religions, in Hinduism and in Buddhism, from the Christian and specifically Orthodox understanding of time and eternity.
Brief description: Olivier-Maurice Clément (1921-2009) was one of the foremost Orthodox theologians of the 20th century. He actively promoted the reunification of Christians (he was friends with Pope John Paul II), dialogue between Christians and people of other beliefs, and the engagement of Christian thinkers with modern thought and society. As a history professor, he taught at the Louis-le-Grand lyceum in Paris for a long time. As a professor of the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute (Institut Saint-Serge) he became one of the most highly regarded witnesses to Orthodox Christianity, as well as one of the most prolific. He was a founder of the Orthodox Fellowship in Western Europe, and was the author of thirty books on the life, thought and history of the Orthodox Church, and their meeting with other Christians, the non-Christian religions and modernity. He was responsible for the theological journal, Contacts, and became a Doctor honoris causa at the Institute for theology in Bucharest and at the Catholic University in Louvain.
Review Quotes:
"Olivier Clément is one of the really original Christian minds of the last generation, poetic, visionary, and profound. His work is still exceptionally fresh, offering an exhilarating sense of the scale and beauty of traditional Christianity for our era, and it needs to be far more widely known. This fine translation of an early work of his shows the quality of his mind and imagination and I hope it will whet the appetite of many readers to discover more."
Dr. Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury
"I would highly recommend this book to all those interested in Greek patristics, nouvelle théologie, Russian Orthodoxy, and systematic or dogmatic theology written with soul and insight."
The Englewood Review of Books