I plan to publish it for discussion in short installments as Catholic-Orthodox caucus threads. The Protestants as well as non-Christians are very welcome, but I ask all to maintain the caucus discipline: no interconfessional attacks, no personal attacks, and no off-topic posts.
I would summarize these few chapters briefly.
The book layout is given here, and then the central question is formulated:
what cause or necessity, in sooth, God became man, and by his own death, as we believe and affirm, restored life to the world; when he might have done this, by means of some other being, angelic or human, or merely by his will
Chapter II is interesting in that it explains the relationship between faith and reason, and adopts this twofold methodology. First, we are to understand that faith precedes reason while reason completes faith:
As the right order requires us to believe the deep things of Christian faith before we undertake to discuss them by reason; so to my mind it appears a neglect if, after we are established in the faith, we do not seek to understand what we believe.
Secondly, it is useful to adopt an extreme skeptic attitude in reasoning about the faith:
Suffer me, therefore, to make use of the words of infidels; for it is proper for us when we seek to investigate the reasonableness of our faith to propose the objections of those who are wholly unwilling to submit to the same faith, without the support of reason.
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. For later review.
This should be interesting. The West (Catholic and most non Catholics) view the Incarnation in a legal sense, the East does not.
A great thing to review.
Please ping me with future installments. I am an infant Orthodox. Thanks!
keep alive