Although Pascal was one of the small group of thinkers who influenced Nietzsche profoundly, and although Nietzsche claimed to have Pascal's blood running in his veins, Pascal did not succeed in getting him to share his intense preoccupation with the question of the truth of Christian belief. Not its truth but the value of its effects on mankind became the focus of Nietzsche's vitriolic anti-Christian polemics. This study, one of the very few on the Nietzsche/Pascal relationship, explores and appreciates the religious thought of each. It also assesses the nature and ground of their relationship and investigates the reasonableness of the Faith that divided them.

ON PASCAL, like other titles in the Wadsworth Philosopher's Series, offers a concise, yet comprehensive, introduction to this philosopher's most important ideas. Presenting the most important insights of well over a hundred seminal philosophers in both the Eastern and Western traditions, the Wadsworth Philosophers Series contains volumes written by scholars noted for their excellence in teaching and for their well-versed comprehension of each featured philosopher's major works and contributions. These titles have proven valuable in a number of ways. Serving as standalone texts when tackling a philosophers' original sources or as helpful resources for focusing philosophy students' engagements with these philosopher's often conceptually daunting works, these titles have also gained extraordinary popularity with a lay readership and quite often serve as "refreshers" for philosophy instructors.

This collection of essays is a sequel to the editors' 1976 volume Studies in Nietzsche and the Classical Tradition. Philosophers, theologians, and literary historians discuss important aspects of Nietzsche's attack on Judaism and Christianity. The book contains studies of his view of biblical figures, Luther and Pascal as well as comparisons of his thought with that of Spinoza, Lessing, Heine, and Kierkegaard. Nietzsche's critique of the Old Testament, the Jewish religion of the diaspora, and historical Christianity are also investigated. Of the eighteen articles included here, thirteen were prepared expressly for this volume--five were translated from German, one from French, and one from Hebrew. Contributors to this volume are: Eugen Biser, Harry Neumann, Israel Eldad, Charles Lewis, Jorg Salaquarda, Joan Stambaugh, Max L. Baeumer, Brendan Donellan, Diana Behler, Sander L. Gilman, Gerd-Gunther Grau, Josef Simon, James C. O'Flaherty, Bernd Magnus, Georges Goedert, Hans Lung, and Karl Barth.

God Owes Us Nothing reflects on the centuries-long debate in Christianity: how do we reconcile the existence of evil in the world with the goodness of an omnipotent God, and how does God's omnipotence relate to people's responsibility for their own salvation or damnation. Leszek Kolakowski approaches this paradox as both an exercise in theology and in revisionist Christian history based on philosophical analysis. Kolakowski's unorthodox interpretation of the history of modern Christianity provokes renewed discussion about the historical, intellectual, and cultural omnipotence of neo-Augustinianism. "Several books a year wrestle with that hoary conundrum, but few so dazzlingly as the Polish philosopher's latest."—Carlin Romano, Washington Post Book World "Kolakowski's fascinating book and its debatable thesis raise intriguing historical and theological questions well worth pursuing."—Stephen J. Duffy, Theological Studies "Kolakowski's elegant meditation is a masterpiece of cultural and religious criticism."—Henry Carrigan, Cleveland Plain Dealer

Dr. Lonning now deals with the dilemma of contemporary theology. The theological dilemma differs from one time to the next, not because the contents of our faith are subject to historical alterations, but rather because the framework of human comprehension changes and colors the approaches of different people to the problems at different times. One of the author's main themes is Christianity's 'offense' against man's selfsufficiency, and in the final, title essay he makes clear the real relevance of sin and revelation, often misplaced in the minds of those who have been occupied with the problem of faith. Christianity itself is not a problem, but it confronts man with a problem, the 'existential' problem, himself. What we can have from Theology is not deliverance from all problems, but 'a basic clarity, which makes it possible to exist in the problems without losing confidence and courage.' In the preceding essays on Luther, Pascal, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche, Dr. Lonning guides us through the various paths of orthodoxy and heterodoxy, showing how the 'givenness' of Christianity and the variability of theological expression have interacted in the past. -Publisher