Jean-Luc Marion is one of the world's foremost philosophers of religion as well as one of the leading Catholic thinkers of modern times. In
God Without Being
, Marion challenges a fundamental premise of traditional philosophy, theology, and metaphysics: that God, before all else, must be. Taking a characteristically postmodern stance and engaging in passionate dialogue with Heidegger, he locates a "God without Being" in the realm of
agape
, or Christian charity and love. If God is love, Marion contends, then God loves before he actually is.
First translated into English in 1991,
continues to be a key book for discussions of the nature of God. This second edition contains a new preface by Marion as well as his 2003 essay on Thomas Aquinas. Offering a controversial, contemporary perspective,
will remain essential reading for scholars and students of philosophy and religion. "Daring and profound. . . . In matters most central to his thesis, [Marion]'s control is admirable, and his attunement to the nuances of other major postmodern thinkers is impressive."-
Theological Studies
"A truly remarkable work."-
First Things
"Very rewarding reading."-
Religious Studies Review