humanism as comprised by the three aspects of Renaissance humanism, social
humanism, and anthropological humanism. Darren Provost portrays the
prince of humanists, Erasmus, whosePhilosophia ChristianiProvost unfolds
through a close reading of theEncheridion, showing that Erasmus’s literary
and educational efforts are ultimately in service of the Christian struggle to
attain Christlikeness. Thefifth chapter by Torrance Kirby connects both
portraits by pointing to the source of humanistic energies shared by both
thinkers, namely participation in the divine through union with God. Kirby
shows how the sacramental hermeneutics of reformers in the Church of
England promoted a vigorous‘culture of persuasion’, which in turn fostered
the emergence of an early instance of‘public sphere’of discourse as the
mediating conduit between individuals and community and even between
subject and rulers.
The next set of contributions, chapters 7 to 9, provide contextual descrip-
tions of humanistic education. Reminding us of the abiding importance of
the theological roots that gave rise to liberal arts education, Zimmermann
proposes that with the diminishing credibility of scientism and secularism,
embracing a hermeneutic view of truth allows a re-envisioning of Christian
humanism together with the renewal of the humanities. In chapter 8, David
Lyle Jeffrey complements Zimmermann’s account by showing the biblical
influence on humanities education in Western intellectual history. Jeffrey
makes the convincing case that the rich tradition of liberal learning in the
West is profoundly indebted to Christian humanism. Athens, as it turns out,
has a lot to do with Jerusalem. Brett Foster concludes this section by describing
the freedom and creativity with which Renaissance poets drew on classic
literary learning in order to express and embody their Christian educational
ideals. According to Foster, syncretism with pagan sources, their imitation
(i.e. appropriation), and collaboration with other humanists throughout his-
tory were central elements in the communal vision of the Christian life for
which education through literature and poetry was to prepare the way.
The book ends with three important chapters on modern Christian
humanism as it emerged in the church’s theological struggle fruitfully to engage
modernity. Chapter 10 offers the reader a Roman Catholic perspective on
Christian humanism. Martin Schlag explores the impact of Christian human-
ism on the modern and, in the West, increasingly secularized world. He argues
that, despite its shortcomings, the Catholic Church has preserved the tradition
of Christian humanism, especially with Vatican II and its major inspiration by
the‘nouvelle’theologians Yves Congar, Henri de Lubac, and also through the
work of the philosopher Jacques Maritain. The chapter concludes with a
discussion of Christian humanism’s importance for economics and politics.
In chapter 11, Thomas Howard introduces the reader to the nineteenth-
century humanist Ignaz von Döllinger, who sought to appropriate the Chris-
tian humanist tradition for the modern university. Howard shows us that
14 Jens Zimmermann