St. Augustine’s Press

Readers will come away from this book with a deeper understanding of the origins of social justice, a sensitivity to the frequent abuses of the term, and a recognition of the forms in which it can be a valuable part of today’s political discourse.

On the publication of the first volume of The Decline and Fall in 1776, there arose a controversy that rapidly became broader than a dispute about an individual writer. Gibbon replied to his critics in the rhetorically brilliant Vindication in 1779, and then withdrew from the fray. But the debate continued long after that. Gibbon’s adversaries were more substantial figures than he was willing to concede, and it is Gibbon’s account of the dispute that has for the most part conditioned the work of later commentators. This comprehensive selection from the writings of Gibbon’s adversaries allows the reader to judge the critics for themselves, and so enter into one of the most important literary disputes of the eighteenth century.

Here are seven readable biographical sketches of important people who influenced the times in which they lived by bringing their faith to bear on social issues. In writing about them the author incorporates biography, theology, and politics into a coherent whole portrait of the subjects. Present day journals like First Things, National Review, and Christianity Today began as an extension of the personalities of the people profiled in this book, whose interests guided faithful believers in the midst of changing and turbulent times.

Discusses analytically all the important thinkers and publicists who were active at the time of the great revolution. Zagorin gives particular emphasis to the period 1645–60, when Hobbes, the Leveller leaders, and Winstanley were active. The book also restores to attention other writers who, although influential at the time, have seen been neglected and relates the motives of these men to the underlying causes of the age.

Providing an essential overview of all the main tenets of ancient Greek philosophy in one compact but comprehensive source, Zeller concentrates on four main periods of thought from before Socrates until the end of the Roman Empire. Clearly written and constructed, it includes a full bibliography and is indexed by name. First published in 1883, this classic historical work stood as the leading authority on the subject for many years and remains a useful and valuable guide. This reprints the fully revised thirteenth edition of 1931.