This Silence Must Now Speak: Letters of Thomas J. J. Altizer, 1995–2015

T. Altizer

Apr 2016 · Springer

About this ebook

Thomas J. J. Altizer is the leading radical theologian of our time. His creative lifework—a steady output of some seventeen books and tens of articles—spans from the late 1950s to the present. In the past few decades, Altizer has written letters on religious, theological, political, and philosophical matters to an international virtual community of scholars and friends who work in a number of disciplines, ranging from British literary theorist David Jasper, to well-known contemporary philosophers such as Richard Kearney, John D. Caputo, and Edward S. Casey. Like the seventeenth century philosopher Marin Mersenne, who was renowned in the age of Descartes for gathering around him a network of brilliant philosophers and scientists through exchanges of written correspondence, so Altizer in his own domain of philosophical theology has acted as a hub for networking talented thinkers and scholars. In these brilliant letters, which take the form of meditative mini-essays, Altizer writes in an accessible, personal, and occasionally confessional manner. They are an intellectual tour de force and provide another entry into engagement with Altizer's thought.

About the author

Thomas J. J. Altizer was the central figure in the 'death of god' debate of the late 1960s, and has continued to develop his distinctive imaginative theology for over fifty years, above all in response to the advent of modern nihilism. In his prolific writings he consistently argues for a Christian atheism that challenges institutional orthodox Christianity at its core. His most recent works are Living the Death of God: A Theological Memoir, The Call to Radical Theology, and The Apocalyptic Trinity.

Mike Grimshaw is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.