Denys Alan Turner (born 5 August 1942) is a British-born American

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

and

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. He is Horace Tracy Pitkin Professor of

Historical Theology Historical theology is the study of the history of Christian doctrine. Stanley Grenz, Grenz, Guretzki and Nordling describe it as, "The division of the theological discipline that seeks to understand and delineate how the church interpreted Scri ...

emeritus at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

having been appointed in 2005, previously having been

Norris–Hulse Professor of Divinity The Norris–Hulse Professorship of Divinity is one of the senior professorships in divinity at the University of Cambridge. History The Norrisian chair was founded in 1777 by a bequest from John Norris. Among the original stipulations of the beq ...

at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. He earned his

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

degree in

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

from the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. He has written widely on

political theory Political philosophy or political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships between them. Its topics include politics, l ...

and

social theory Social theories are analytical frameworks, or paradigms, that are used to study and interpret social phenomena.Seidman, S., 2016. Contested knowledge: Social theory today. John Wiley & Sons. A tool used by social scientists, social theories rela ...

in relation to

Christian theology Christian theology is the theology of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. Such study concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theology, theologian ...

, as well as on

medieval thought Medieval philosophy is the philosophy that existed through the Middle Ages, the period roughly extending from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century until after the Renaissance in the 13th and 14th centuries. Medieval philosophy, ...

, in particular,

mystical theology Mystical theology is the branch of theology in the Christian tradition ...

and

Christian mysticism Christian mysticism is the tradition of mystical practices and mystical theology within Christianity which "concerns the preparation f the personfor, the consciousness of, and the effect of ..a direct and transformative presence of God" ...

. Prior to his position at Cambridge, he was Professor of Theology and Head of Department at the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

and has also held Head of Department at the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

. Turner also worked at

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

and

Manhattanville College Manhattanville College is a private university in Purchase, New York. Founded in 1841 at 412 Houston Street in lower Manhattan, it was initially known as Academy of the Sacred Heart, then after 1847 as Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart ...

, New York. He is currently a visiting professor at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

. Turner has three children:

Ruth Ruth (or its variants) may refer to: Places France * Château de Ruthie, castle in the commune of Aussurucq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France Switzerland * Ruth, a hamlet in Cologny United States * Ruth, Alabama * Ruth, Ar ...

, John, and Brendan.

Bibliography

Books

* ''On the Philosophy of Karl Marx'', Dublin: Sceptre (1968), pp. 93. * ''Marxism and Christianity'', Oxford: Blackwell (1983), pp. 256. Paperback edn. 1984. * ''Eros and Allegory'', Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications (1995), pp. vi + 471. * ''The Darkness of God: Negativity in Christian Mysticism'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (1995), pp. xi + 278. Paperback edition published September, 1998. Fourth impression, November, 1999. Electronic edition, 2002. * ''Faith Seeking'', London: SCM (2002), pp.xiii + 146. * ''Faith, Reason, and the Existence of God'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2004), pp. xix + 271. * ''Julian of Norwich, Theologian'', New Haven: Yale University Press (2011), pp. 304. . . * ''Thomas Aquinas: A Portrait'', New Haven: Yale University Press (2013) *

Articles

*Can a Christian be a Marxist https://www.jstor.org/stable/43246378 June 1975. ''

New Blackfriars ''New Blackfriars'' is an academic journal published by John Wiley & Sons that is formally linked with the English Province of the Order of Preachers (also known as the Dominican Order). The journal was launched in 1920 as a monthly review called ...

''.

Critical studies and reviews of Turner's work

;''God, Mystery, and Mystification'' *

References

External links