On Presence
Variations and Reflections
Published on 23. June 2006
Book
Paperback/Softback
144 pages
978-0-8018-8487-0 (ISBN)
Description
The Reverend Ralph Harper, a philosopher and theologian, has been credited with introducing existentialism to North America in 1948 with his work Existentialism: A Theory of Man. Forty years later, Harper delved deeper into the interior life of the human imagination in On Presence: Variations and Reflections. Winner of the 1992 Grawemeyer Award in Religion, On Presence is an insightful articulation of mankind's experience of presence. Drawing from philosophers like Kierkegaard, Heidegger, and Marcel, theologians like Augustine, Aquinas, and Tillich, mystics like Meister Eckhart and John of the Cross, and novelists like Dostoevsky and Proust, this compelling work considers the transcendent and religious dimensions of the ordinary mysteries in everyday life.
Reviews / Votes
The author has drawn us deeper by degrees into an experience of presence as we move from one section to the next. His hope is that by exploring theological and philosophical traditions and the best of modern literature, the dread and boundary situations of life can be balanced by experiences of joy through an ontological intuition of 'presence.' It may be the only book of its kind and is highly recommended as a means to re-explore a lasting theme that is often neglected. -- James C. Harris MLN A beautifully written apologia for an ineffable or indefinable topic. -- Christian Frothingham Anglican Theological ReviewMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore, MD
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 8 mm
Weight
191 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8018-8487-0 (9780801884870)
DOI
10.56021/9780801884870
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Ralph Harper (1916-1996) was an adjunct professor of humanities at the Johns Hopkins University and a rector of St. James Church in Monkton, Maryland. He is the author of twelve books, including The Seventh Solitude, Human Love, The World of the Thriller, The Existential Experience, and Journey from Paradise, which were published by the Johns Hopkins University Press.