Minimal Theologies: Critiques of Secular Reason in Adorno and Levinas . By Hent de Vries
Abstract
Book Reviews details of Aelredâs ideas, thus making Aelredâs own texts more accessible, Sommerfeldtâs book is written with an easily accessible style, which assumes that the reader does not come with the full complement of medieval assumptions about the nature of humans, God, or the cosmos. The book also leads the re-reader of Aelred to find deeper insights concerning the connections between the array of Aelredâs writings. Sommerfeldtâs work truly shows its scope in the variety of Aelredian texts cited and quoted. His footnotes and quotations include the full range of Aelredâs works: his sermons, theological and spiritual treatises, and historical works. For anyone who is interested in medieval theological anthropology, the topic of friendship with God, or Aelred of Rievaulx, Sommerfeldtâs book would be a delightful addition to their library. doi:10.1093/jaarel/lfl039 Advance Access publication January 29, 2007 Andrea Janelle Dickens United Theological Seminary Minimal Theologies: Critiques of Secular Reason in Adorno and Levinas. By Hent de Vries. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005. 720 pages. $24.95. De Vriesâ thesis is that theology, minimally understood, is an unavoidable supplement to critical thought; indeed, secular reason makes claims for which it cannot give an adequate account on its own terms.