Act and Being: Towards a Theology of the Divine Attributes

After two thousand years of theological discussion there seems to be little clarity about the kind of being that God is. “Act and Being” — Colin Gunton’s last book before his untimely death in spring 2003 — explores this topic with brilliance, offering a fresh, meaningful understanding of the defining characteristics of the deity. In discussing the attributes of God, Gunton brings a unique combination of theology and philosophy to bear on this central topic of Christian thought. He first reviews past attempts to unpack the nature of God, showing how most fail as cogent, relevant teaching. He then outlines the facets of a new, intellectually stimulating, profoundly biblical portrait of the divine being. In the course of his book Gunton also discusses the adequacy of theological language, compares the Greek and Hebrew views of divinity, and shows the difference that the Trinity makes to our understanding of the divine attributes.