Preparing the Way for a Theological Theology

John Bainbridge Webster PhD, DD, FRSE (1955-2016), was an Anglican priest and theologian. He earned his PhD at the University of Cambridge with a thesis on the German Lutheran theologian Eberhard Jüngel. Webster taught at Durham University (1982-86), Toronto School of Theology (1986-96). He also served as the prestigious Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford (1996-2003). He then moved to the University of Aberdeen (2003-13). From 2013 up until his death, he held a Chair in Divinity at the University of St. Andrews. With Colin Gunton, Webster helped co-found the International Journal of Systematic Theology. Additionally, he served on the editorial boards of the International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church and on the Scottish Journal of Theology Monographs series. Webster was also co-editor for the Oxford Handbook of Systematic Theology (2007).

John Bainbridge Webster is known for his pursuit of a theological theology. The fascinating development of Webster’s quest through his engagement with Eberhard Jüngel, Karl Barth, and Thomas Aquinas is central to this premier study. As will quickly be discovered, Webster’s powerful explication of the Triune God’s resplendent life is not an intellectual exercise done for a select few; theology is church science. Thus, the careful unfolding of Webster’s central doctrinal principles provided in the present volume is instructive for a wide range of readers interested in how Christian divinity can be properly undertaken.