David Bentley Hart (born 1965) is a writer, philosopher, religious studies scholar, critic, and theologian with academic works published on a wide range of topics including Christian metaphysics, philosophy of mind, classics, Asian languages, and literature. In 2015, Hart was granted a Templeton Fellowship at the University of Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study with research and a conference focused on the philosophy of mind. His translation of the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

was published by Yale in 2017 (with a 2nd edition in 2023). A prolific essayist, he has written on topics as diverse as art, literature, baseball, religion, philosophy, consciousness, problem of evil,

apocatastasis In theology, apocatastasis () is the restoration of creation to a condition of perfection. In Christianity, it is a form of Christian universalism that includes the ultimate salvation of everyone—including the damned in hell and the devil. The ...

, theosis, fairies, film, and politics. His fiction includes ''The Devil and Pierre Gernet: Stories'' (2012) as well as two books from 2021: ''

Roland in Moonlight ''Roland in Moonlight'' is a 2021 autobiographical fairy tale by philosopher and religious studies scholar David Bentley Hart. Following a narrative framework taken from an eventful period of over a decade in the author's real life, the book cons ...

'' and ''Kenogaia (A Gnostic Tale)''. Hart also maintains a popular subscription newsletter ''Leaves in the Wind'' that includes a YouTube channel where he posts conversations with other writers. Hart is an

Orthodox Christian Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churche ...

Career and life

Academic career

Hart earned his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree from the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the Flagship un ...

, his

Master of Philosophy The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil m ...

degree from 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 ...

, and his

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...

and

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

degrees from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with College admission ...

. He has taught at the University of Virginia, the

University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' ...

Duke Divinity School The Divinity School at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, is one of ten graduate or professional schools within Duke University. It is also one of thirteen seminaries founded and supported by the United Methodist Church. It has 39 regul ...

, and

Loyola College in Maryland Loyola University Maryland is a private Jesuit university in Baltimore, Maryland. Established as Loyola College in Maryland by John Early and eight other members of the Society of Jesus in 1852, it is the ninth-oldest Jesuit college in th ...

. He served as visiting professor at

Providence College Providence College is a private Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the local diocese, it offers 47 undergraduate majors and 17 graduate programs. It requires all of its undergradua ...

, where he also previously held the Robert J. Randall Chair in Christian Culture. During the 2014–2015 academic year, Hart was Danforth Chair at

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...

in the Department of Theological Studies. In 2015, he was appointed as Templeton Fellow at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

Institute for Advanced Study. and is currently a collaborative scholar in the departments of Theology and German for Notre Dame. As a philosopher and a religious studies scholar, Hart's work engages

classical Classical may refer to: European antiquity *Classical antiquity, a period of history from roughly the 7th or 8th century B.C.E. to the 5th century C.E. centered on the Mediterranean Sea *Classical architecture, architecture derived from Greek and ...

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

and

continental European Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

philosophy,

philosophy of mind Philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that studies the ontology and nature of the mind and its relationship with the body. The mind–body problem is a paradigmatic issue in philosophy of mind, although a number of other issues are ad ...

philosophical 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. Som ...

and

systematic theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topi ...

, patristic texts, South and East Asian culture, religion, literature, philosophy and

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

Literary writing

Noted for his distinctive, humorous, pyrotechnic and often combative prose style, Hart has been described by the conservative writer Matthew Walther as "our greatest living essayist". He has written essays on subjects as varied as

Don Juan Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni ( Italian), is a legendary, fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. Famous versions of the story include a 17th-century play, ''El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra'' ...

Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (russian: link=no, Владимир Владимирович Набоков ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian-American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Bor ...

Charles Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticism inherited ...

Victor Segalen Victor Segalen (14 January 1878 – 21 May 1919) was a French naval doctor, ethnographer, archeologist, writer, poet, explorer, art-theorist, linguist and literary critic. He was born in Brest. He studied medicine and graduated at the Navy ...

Leon Bloy Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fr ...

William Empson Sir William Empson (27 September 1906 – 15 April 1984) was an English literary critic and poet, widely influential for his practice of closely reading literary works, a practice fundamental to New Criticism. His best-known work is his firs ...

, David Jones, and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

. Two of his books, ''A Splendid Wickedness'' (2016) and ''The Dream-Child's Progress'' (2017), are collections devoted to non-theological essays. They also include several short stories. In 2012, ''The Devil and Pierre Gernet'', a collection of his fiction, was released by

Eerdmans William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company is a religious publishing house based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1911 by Dutch American William B. Eerdmans (November 4, 1882 – April 1966) and still independently owned with William's daught ...

. His short stories have been described as "

Borgesian Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, as well as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known bo ...

" and are elaborate metaphysical fables, full of wordplay, allusion, and structural puzzles. Hart added two books to his fiction works in 2021: ''

'' and ''Kenogaia (A Gnostic Tale)''. His book ''Roland in Moonlight'' has a largely autobiographical framework while consisting primarily of dialogs with his dog Roland (pictured here) as well as accounts of his fictional great uncle Aloysius Bentley (1895-1987). Hart had written previously about both Roland and Aloysius in essay form: with Aloysius in 2011 and Roland in 2014. Describing ''Roland in Moonlight'' for a review in ''Church Times'',

John Saxbee John Charles Saxbee (born 7 January 1946) is a retired Anglican bishop. He was the Bishop of Lincoln in the Church of England between 2001/2 and 31 January 2011.

(former Bishop of Lincoln) wrote: "Sometimes, a book defies description or, rather, refuses to settle into a conventional genre. David Bentley Hart’s prodigious mind and imagination has given us just such a book. Perhaps, here, ''Sophie’s World'' meets ''Alice through the Looking-Glass'', or ''Don Quixote'' meets ''The Wind in the Willows''."

Awards and reception

Hart's first major work, ''The Beauty of the Infinite'', an adaptation of his doctoral thesis, received acclaim from the theologians

John Milbank Alasdair John Milbank (born 23 October 1952) is an English Anglican theologian and is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Nottingham, where he is President of the Centre of Theology an ...

Janet Soskice Janet Martin Soskice (born 16 May 1951) is a Canadian-born English Roman Catholic theologian and philosopher. Soskice was educated at Somerville College, Oxford. She is professor of philosophical theology and a fellow of Jesus College at the Uni ...

Paul J. Griffiths Paul J. Griffiths (born 1955) is an English-born American theologian. He was the Warren Professor of Catholic Thought at Duke Divinity School. Life and career Griffiths was born in London, England, on 12 November 1955. Griffiths has held appo ...

, and

Reinhard Hütter Reinhard Hütter (born 1 November 1958 in Lichtenfels, Bavaria) is a Christian theologian and Professor of Fundamental and Dogmatic Theology at The Catholic University of America. During the 2012–2013 academic year, he held The Rev. Robert J. Rand ...

William Placher William Carl Placher (1948–2008) was an American postliberal theologian. He was Follette Distinguished Professor in the Humanities at Wabash College Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded ...

said of the book, "I can think of no more brilliant work by an American theologian in the past ten years."

Geoffrey Wainwright Geoffrey Wainwright (1939 – 17 March 2020) was an English theologian. He spent much of his career in the United States and taught at Duke Divinity School. Wainwright made major contributions to modern Methodist theology and Christian liturgy, ...

said, "This magnificent and demanding volume should establish David Bentley Hart, around the world no less than in North America, as one of his generation's leading theologians." On May 27, 2011, Hart's book ''

Atheist Delusions ''Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and Its Fashionable Enemies'' is a 2009 book by the theologian, philosopher, and cultural commentator David Bentley Hart. The book explores what Hart identifies as historical and popular misconceptions ...

'' was awarded the Michael Ramsey Prize in Theology by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and was praised by the agnostic philosopher

Anthony Kenny Sir Anthony John Patrick Kenny (born 16 March 1931) is a British philosopher whose interests lie in the philosophy of mind, ancient and scholastic philosophy, the philosophy of religion, and the philosophy of Wittgenstein of whose literary ...

: “Hart has the gifts of a good advocate. He writes with clarity and force, and he drives his points home again and again. He exposes his opponents’ errors of fact or logic with ruthless precision.”

Oliver Burkeman Oliver Burkeman (born 1975) is a British author and journalist, formerly writing the weekly column ''This Column Will Change Your Life'' for the newspaper '' The Guardian''. In 2021, he published '' Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mort ...

, writing in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' in January 2014, praised Hart's book ''The Experience of God'' as "the one theology book all atheists really should read". ''

'' was chosen by A.N. Wilson as his November 2021 “Book of the Year” for the ''Times Literary Supplement''. Wilson described this "dialogue with the author's dog Roland, who turns out to be a philosopher of mind, with a particular bee in his bonnet about the inadequacy of materialist explanations for 'consciousness'" as "probably the dottiest book of the year" while noting that "I KEEP returning to it." In 2022, the

Catholic Media Association The Catholic Media Association, formerly the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada, is an association of American and Canadian newspaper and media specialists specialized on reporting on the Catholic Church. Founded in 1911, it ...

awarded a first place prize to ''Kenogaia (A Gnostic Tale)'' in the category of “Escapism” for authors from other traditions.

Personal life

Family

Hart is married and has one grown son with whom he co-wrote the children's book ''The Mystery of Castle MacGorilla''. He has two brothers: Addison Hodges Hart (also an author) and Fr. Robert Hart (rector of Saint Benedict's Anglican Catholic Church in Chapel Hill, NC).

Faith community

Hart converted at the age of 18 from

high-church The term ''high church'' refers to beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, liturgy, and theology that emphasize formality and resistance to modernisation. Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term originat ...

Anglicanism to

Eastern Orthodoxy Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonica ...

. In 2017, Hart served on a special commission of Orthodox theologians for the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I to help compose “For the Life of the World: Toward a Social Ethos of the Orthodox Church” and to coauthor the preface. Hart is regularly invited to work with leaders in his church around the world.

Political affiliations

Hart is a

Christian socialist Christian socialism is a religious and political philosophy that blends Christianity and socialism, endorsing left-wing politics and socialist economics on the basis of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. Many Christian socialists believe cap ...

as well as a

democratic socialist Democratic socialism is a left-wing political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self-management withi ...

and an anarcho-communist. Hart has been a member of the

Democratic Socialists of America The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a Left-wing politics, left-wing Democratic Socialists of America#Tendencies within the DSA, multi-tendency Socialism, socialist and Labour movement, labor-oriented political organization. Its roots ...

. On August 8, 2020, Hart wrote:

I’m basically an anarchist and communalist. I believe that all that lilies of the field nonsense that Jesus preached was more than a daydream; and I think the longing for strict social hierarchy ...as an antidote to modernity is simply a longing for a reprise of the same sins that created modernity.

On April 3, 2022, Hart wrote:

In my heart of hearts, I want to vote for someone whose entire political philosophy is derived from John Ruskin by way of Kenneth Grahame, with lashings of William Cobbett, Gilbert White, and William Morris; failing that, I want to enjoy the luxury of writing in Wendell Berry on every ballot. But the imminent collapse of the civil order of the entire world doth make pragmatists of us all. I long for the day, however, when I can return to my posture of airily insouciant disdain for the whole system and can again cast votes only for hopeless third party candidates with a clear conscience. But I suspect I will die before that day comes.

Selected bibliography

Books

* ''You Are Gods: On Nature and Supernature''. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2022. * ''Tradition and Apocalypse: An Essay on the Future of Christian Belief''. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. 2022. * ''Kenogaia (A Gnostic Tale)''. Brooklyn, NY: Angelico Press. 2021. * ''

Roland In Moonlight ''Roland in Moonlight'' is a 2021 autobiographical fairy tale by philosopher and religious studies scholar David Bentley Hart. Following a narrative framework taken from an eventful period of over a decade in the author's real life, the book cons ...

''. Brooklyn, NY: Angelico Press. 2021. * ''Theological Territories: A David Bentley Hart Digest''. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press. 2020. * ''The Mystery of Castle MacGorilla''. With Patrick Robert Hart. New York: Angelico Press. 2019. * ''That All Shall Be Saved: Heaven, Hell, and Universal Salvation''. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press: 2019. *''The New Testament: A Translation''. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press: 2017. * ''The Hidden and the Manifest: Essays in Theology and Metaphysics''. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. 2017. * ''The Dream-Child's Progress and Other Essays''. New York: Angelico Press. 2017. * ''A Splendid Wickedness and Other Essays''. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans: 2016. * ''The Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, Bliss''. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press: 2013. * ''The Devil and Pierre Gernet: Stories.'' Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans: 2012. * ''

: The Christian Revolution and Its Fashionable Enemies''. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2009. * ''In the Aftermath: Provocations and Laments''. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans: 2008. * ''The Story of Christianity: An Illustrated History of 2000 Years of the Christian Faith.'' London: Quercus: 2007. * '' The Doors of the Sea.'' Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans: 2005. * ''The Beauty of the Infinite: The Aesthetics of Christian Truth.'' Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans: 2003.

Translations

* ''The New Testament: A Translation.'' Yale University Press: 2017 (2nd edition in 2023). *

Erich Przywara Erich Przywara (12 October 1889, Katowice28 September 1972, Hagen near Murnau) was a Jesuit priest, philosopher, and theologian of German-Polish origin, who was one of the first Catholics to engage in dialogue with modern philosophers, especial ...

, ''Analogia Entis: Metaphysics: Original Structure and Universal Rhythm.'' Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans: 2014. In collaboration with John R. Betz. * "Was liegt jenseits des Kapitalismus? Eine christliche Untersuchung" in ''Pflug Magazin'' 3 (Sommer 2019). * "The Peach Blossom Spring: A Translation (and apologia)"] by Tao Yuanming (Tao Qian—Tao the Recluse). ''Leaves in the Wind''. October 31, 2021.

Articles (selected)

* "Reality Minus" in '' The New Atlantis (journal), The New Atlantis'' (Spring 2022) * "Three Cheers for Socialism: Christian Love & Political Practice" in ''

Commonweal Commonweal or common weal may refer to: * Common good, what is shared and beneficial for members of a given community * Common Weal, a Scottish think tank and advocacy group * ''Commonweal'' (magazine), an American lay-Catholic-oriented magazin ...

'' (February 2020). * "Divorce, Annulment, & Communion" in ''

'' (August 2019). * "What Lies Beyond Capitalism? A Christian Exploration"] in ''Plough Quarterly'' 21 (Summer 2019). * "Quentin Tarantino's Cosmic Justice" in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' (August 6, 2019). * "Can We Please Relax About 'Socialism'?" in ''

'' (April 27, 2019). * "The New York Yankees Are a Moral Abomination" in ''

'' (July 14, 2018). * "Everything you know about the Gospel of Paul is likely wrong" in ''

Aeon The word aeon , also spelled eon (in American and Australian English), originally meant "life", "vital force" or "being", "generation" or "a period of time", though it tended to be translated as "age" in the sense of "ages", "forever", "timel ...

'' (January 8, 2018.) * "Christians and the Death Penalty" in ''

'' (November 2017). * "Are Christians Supposed to be Communists?" i
Archived
from the

Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows the user to go "back in time" and s ...

. ''

'' (November 4, 2017). * "The Illusionist" in '' The New Atlantis (journal), The New Atlantis'' (Summer/Fall 2017) * "From a Vanished Library" in ''

First Things ''First Things'' (''FT'') is an ecumenical and conservative religious journal aimed at "advanc nga religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society". The magazine, which focuses on theology, liturgy, church history, religio ...

'' (April 2017). * 'We need to talk about God', ''

Church Times The ''Church Times'' is an independent Anglican weekly newspaper based in London and published in the United Kingdom on Fridays. History The ''Church Times'' was founded on 7 February 1863 by George Josiah Palmer, a printer. It fought for the ...

'' (an independent

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

newspaper), February 2016. * "Christ's Rabble" in ''

'' (September 2016). * "Habetis Papam"], ''

'' (December 2015). * "The Myth of Schism" in ''Clarion Journal'' (June 2014). * "Therapeutic Superstition" in ''

'' (November 2012). * Response to critiques of ''The Beauty of the Infinite'' by Francesca Murphy and

John A. McGuckin John Anthony McGuckin (born 1952) is a British theologian, church historian, Orthodox Christian priest and poet. Education McGuckin attended Heythrop College from 1970 to 1972, graduated from the University of London with a divinity degree in ...

, ''

Scottish Journal of Theology The ''Scottish Journal of Theology'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal of systematic, historical and biblical theology. It was established in 1948 by Thomas F. Torrance and J. K. S. Reid. Former editors-in-chief include Iain Torrance ...

'' 60 (February 2007): 95-101. * "Daniel Dennett Hunts the Snark" in ''

'' 169 (January 2007). * Contribution to "Theology as Knowledge: A Symposium" in ''First Things'' 163 (May 2006): 21–27. * "The Lively God of Robert Jenson" in ''First Things'' 156 (October 2005): 28–34. * "The Anti-Theology of the Body" in '' The New Atlantis (journal), The New Atlantis'' 9 (Summer 2005): 65–73. * "The Soul of a Controversy" in ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' (April 1, 2005). * "Tsunami and Theodicy" in ''First Things'' 151 (March 2005): 6–9. * "The Laughter of the Philosophers" in ''First Things'' 149 (January 2005): 31–38. A review loosely structured around ''The Humor of Kierkegaard'' by

Thomas C. Oden Thomas Clark Oden (1931–2016) was an American Methodist theologian and religious author. He is often regarded as the father of the paleo-orthodox theological movement and is considered to be one of the most influential theologians of the 20th c ...

, containing a long excursus on

Johann Georg Hamann Johann Georg Hamann (; ; 27 August 1730 – 21 June 1788) was a German Lutheran philosopher from Königsberg known as "the Wizard of the North" who was one of the leader figures of post-Kantian philosophy. His work was used by his student J. G. ...

. * "God or Nothingness" in ''I Am the Lord Your God: Christian Reflections on the Ten Commandments'' Carl E. Braaten and

Christopher Seitz Christopher R. Seitz (born 1954) is an American Old Testament scholar and theologian known for his work in biblical interpretation and theological hermeneutics. He is the senior research professor of biblical interpretation at Toronto School of T ...

, eds. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2005: 55–76. * "The Offering of Names: Metaphysics, Nihilism, and Analogy" in ''Reason and the Reasons of Faith.''

and

, eds. London: T. & T. Clark, 2005: 55–76. * "Tremors of Doubt" in ''The Wall Street Journal'' (December 31, 2004). This article was the seed for the book '' The Doors of the Sea''. * "Ecumenical Councils of War" in ''

Touchstone Touchstone may refer to: * Touchstone (assaying tool), a stone used to identify precious metals * Touchstone (metaphor), a means of assaying relative merits of a concept Entertainment * ''Touchstone'' (album), a 1982 album by Chick Corea * T ...

'' (November 2004). * "The Pornography Culture" in '' The New Atlantis (journal), The New Atlantis'' 6 (Summer 2004): 82–89. * "Freedom and Decency" in ''First Things'' 144 (June/July 2004): 35–41. * "An Orthodox Easter" in ''

'' (April 9, 2004) (in "Houses of Worship"). * "Religion in America: Ancient & Modern", ''

The New Criterion ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' (March 2004). * "A Most Partial Historian" in ''First Things'' 138 (December 2003): 34–41. A review of ''Religion and Public Doctrine in Modern England Volume III: Accommodations'' by

Maurice Cowling Maurice John Cowling (6 September 1926 – 24 August 2005) was a British historian and a Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge. Early life Cowling was born in West Norwood, South London, son of Reginald Frederick Cowling (1901–1962), a patent agent ...

. * "Christ and Nothing" in ''First Things'' 136 (October 2003): 47–57. * "The Bright Morning of the Soul: John of the Cross on Theosis", ''Pro Ecclesia'' (Summer 2003): 324–45. * "Thine Own of Thine Own: the Orthodox Understanding of Eucharistic Sacrifice" in ''Rediscovering the Eucharist: Ecumenical Considerations'' Roch A. Kereszty, ed. (Paulist Press, 2003): 142–169. * "A Gift Exceeding Every Debt: An Eastern Orthodox Appreciation of Anselm's ''Cur Deus Homo''", ''Pro Ecclesia'' 7.3: 333–348. * "The Mirror of the Infinite: Gregory of Nyssa on the ''Vestigia Trinitatis''", ''

Modern Theology ''Modern Theology'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Wiley. It publishes articles, review articles, and book reviews in the area of theology, with an ecumenical editorial policy. Abstracting and indexing The journal is abstracted ...

'' 18.4 (October 2002): 542–56. * "No Shadow of Turning: On Divine Impassibility", ''Pro Ecclesia'' (Spring 2002): 184–206. * Contribution to "The Future of the Papacy: A Symposium" in ''First Things'' (March 2001): 28–36. * "The 'Whole Humanity': Gregory of Nyssa's Critique of Slavery in Light of His Eschatology", ''Scottish Journal of Theology'' 54.1 (2001): 51–69. * "Analogy" in ''Elsevier Concise Encyclopaedia of Religion and Language'' (Elsevier Press, 2001). * "The Writing of the Kingdom: Thirty-Seven Aphorisms towards an Eschatology of the Text", ''

'' (Spring 2000): 181–202. * "Matter, Monism, and Narrative: An Essay on the Metaphysics of Paradise Lost" ''Milton Quarterly'' (Winter 1996): 16–27.

Book reviews (selected)

* "Mind Over Matter" in ''Commonweal'' (January 2019). A review of Lloyd P. Gerson's translation of ''

The Enneads The ''Enneads'' ( grc-gre, Ἐννεάδες), fully ''The Six Enneads'', is the collection of writings of the philosopher Plotinus, edited and compiled by his student Porphyry (270). Plotinus was a student of Ammonius Saccas, and together th ...

'' by

Plotinus Plotinus (; grc-gre, Πλωτῖνος, ''Plōtînos''; – 270 CE) was a philosopher in the Hellenistic philosophy, Hellenistic tradition, born and raised in Roman Egypt. Plotinus is regarded by modern scholarship as the founder of Neop ...

. * "Shock of the Real" in ''First Things'' (November 2017). A long essay-review of Natasha Lehrer's translation of "Équipée" by

. * "Empson in the East" in ''First Things'' (May 2017). A review of "The Face of the Buddha" by

. * "Our Atheism is Different" in ''Commonweal'' (June 2016). A review of ''Battling the Gods'' by Tim Whitmarsh. * "Dante Decluttered: A review of The Divine Comedy" in ''First Things'' (November 2013). A review of Clive James' translation of "The Divine Comedy". * "Inside the mind of the Archbishop of Canterbury" in The Times Literary Supplement (March 2008). A review of Rowan Williams's "Wrestling with Angels," edited by Mike Higton. * "Con Man" in ''The New Criterion'' (September 2006): 124. A review of "The Theocons: Secular America under Siege" by Damon Linker. * "Beyond Disbelief" in ''The New Criterion'' (June 2005): 78–81. A review of "The Twilight of Atheism" by

Alister McGrath Alister Edgar McGrath (; born 1953) is a Northern Irish theologian, Anglican priest, intellectual historian, scientist, Christian apologist, and public intellectual. He currently holds the Andreas Idreos Professorship in Science and Religio ...

. * "Roland Redivivus" in ''First Things'' 150 (February 2005): 44–48. A review of ''

Orlando Innamorato ''Orlando Innamorato'' (; known in English as "''Orlando in Love''"; in Italian titled "''Orlando innamorato''" as the " I" is never capitalized) is an epic poem written by the Italian Renaissance author Matteo Maria Boiardo. The poem is a ro ...

'' by

Matteo Maria Boiardo Matteo Maria Boiardo (, ; 144019/20 December 1494) was an Italian Renaissance poet, best known for his epic poem '' Orlando innamorato''. Early life Boiardo was born in 1440,

, translated by Charles Stanley Ross. * "The Laughter of the Philosophers" in ''First Things'' 149 (January 2005): 31–38. A review loosely structured around ''The Humor of Kierkegaard'' by

, containing a long excursus on

. * "When the Going was Bad" in ''First Things'' 143 (May 2004): 50–53. A review of ''Waugh Abroad: Collected Travel Writing'' by

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires '' Decl ...

. * "Sheer Extravagant Violence" in ''First Things'' 139 (January 2004): 64–69. A review of ''

Taras Bulba ''Taras Bulba'' (russian: «Тарас Бульба»; ) is a romanticized historical novella set in the first half of the 17th century, written by Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852). It features elderly Zaporozhian Cossack Taras Bulba and his sons An ...

'' by

Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...

, translated by

Peter Constantine Peter Constantine (born 1963) is a British and American literary translator who has translated literary works from German, Russian, French, Modern Greek, Ancient Greek, Italian, Albanian, Dutch, and Slovene. Biography Constantine was born in Lo ...

. * "A Most Partial Historian" in ''First Things'' 138 (December 2003): 34–41. A review of ''Religion and Public Doctrine in Modern England Volume III: Accommodations'' by

. * Review of

Gianni Vattimo Gianteresio Vattimo (born 4 January 1936) is an Italian philosopher and politician. Biography Gianteresio Vattimo was born in Turin, Piedmont. He studied philosophy under the existentialist Luigi Pareyson at the University of Turin, and graduated ...

's ''Belief'', ''The Journal of Religion'' 82.1 (Jan. 2002): 132–133. * "Israel and the Nations" in ''First Things'' 105 (August/September 2000): 51–54. A review of ''Church and Israel After Christendom: The Politics of Election'' by Scott Bader–Saye. * "Review Essay: On Catherine Pickstock's ''After Writing''", ''Pro Ecclesia'' (Summer 2000): 367–372. * "Beyond Reductionism" in ''First Things'' 87 (November 1998): 55–57. A review of ''Religious Mystery and Rational Reflection'' by Louis Dupre.

External links

Leaves in the Wind
Hart's subscription newsletter
Eclectic Orthodoxy
where Hart has been a long-time commenter
David Bentley Hart
Featured Author at ''

'' from 2012 to 2017

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, David Bentley 1965 births 21st-century American essayists 21st-century American theologians 21st-century Christian universalists 21st-century Eastern Orthodox theologians Alumni of Lancaster University Alumni of the University of Cambridge American Christian socialists American Christian theologians American male essayists Christian socialist theologians Christian universalist theologians Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy from Anglicanism Critics of atheism Duke University faculty Eastern Orthodox socialists Eastern Orthodox philosophers Greek Orthodox Christians from the United States Living people Loyola University Maryland faculty Members of the Democratic Socialists of America Patristic scholars Philosophers of mind University of Maryland, College Park alumni University of Virginia alumni University of Virginia faculty 21st-century American male writers

Career and life

Academic career

Literary writing

Awards and reception

Personal life

Family

Faith community

Political affiliations

Selected bibliography

Books

Translations

Articles (selected)

Book reviews (selected)

External links

See also

References