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New books just published

by
29 August 2025

This week’s selection: a reassessment of St Augustine of Hippo; reclaiming divine naming; and an exploration of Anglican worship

Augustine the African by Catherine Conybeare (Profile, £25 (Church Times SPECIAL OFFER PRICE £20); 978-1-78816-750-5).

“A tale of exile, faith and identity, Augustine the African upends conventional knowledge about one of Christianity's most celebrated saints, and recentres Africa as the locus of early Catholic intellectual activity with Europe on the periphery.” Read a review here

Naming God: Addressing the divine in philosophy, theology and scripture by Janet Soskice (Cambridge University Press, £22.99 (£20.69); 978-1-108-99508-5). New in paperback

“In her much-anticipated new book, Soskice argues that contemporary understandings of divinity could be transformed by a return to a venerable analogical tradition of divine naming.  For the author, reclaiming divine naming is not only overdue. It can also re-energize the relationship between philosophy and religious tradition. This path-breaking book shows just how rich and revolutionary such reclamation might be.

Worship and the Mystery of God: The Anglican divines and the reality of divine presence by John Shepherd (Sacristy Press, £25 (£22.50); 978-1-78959-388-4).

In this profound and sweeping study, Worshipping the Mystery of God explores the theological and liturgical heart of Anglican worship. John Shepherd traces the dramatic shift from worship as an embodiment of the divine presence to a reformed emphasis on remembrance, rationality and edification.

Selected by Frank Nugent, of the Church House Bookshop, which operates the Church Times Bookshop.

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