The Greek philosopher Porphyry of Tyre had a reputation as the fiercest critic of Christianity. It was well-deserved: he composed (at the end the 3rd century A.D.) fifteen discourses against the Christians; so offensive that Christian emperors ordered them to be burnt. We thus rely on the testimonies of three prominent Christian writers to know what Porphyry wrote. Scholars have long thought that we could rely on those testimonies to know Porphyrys ideas.Exploring early religious debates which still resonate today; Porphyry in Fragments argues instead that Porphyrys actual thoughts became mixed with the thoughts of the Christians who preserved his ideas; as well as those of other Christian opponents.
#960225 in eBooks 2014-09-25 2014-09-25File Name: B00MFO487K
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Home Run for Postmodernism CritiqueBy Alan Dale DanielWhen the title says A Very Short Introduction they are not kidding. Nonetheless; Christopher Butler has done an outstanding job of boiling down the essence of Postmodernism. In fact; he has done so well I would direct anyone to this book who wanted a good foundation in the subject before reading further. Even if you know the subject of Postmodernism this is a good read because it is so well written. While supporters of the ideology may quibble over the critique I dont think they could complain (reasonably) about the presentation. It is clear; concise; and very insightful. The author has managed to zero in on the essence of the subject and then explain that core belief system accurately and clearly.If you want an introduction to Postmodern thought this is the book to read. Extremely straightforward; no guff or misdirection; no unnecessary discussion of anything out of the mainstream.Ive now read several titles in the Very Short Introduction series and every one of them has been good to outstanding.AD20 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Anthony StarkExcellent introduction to the subject... frankly; the intro is FAR better than the entire fraudulent; pseudo-intellectual subject deserves.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. An excellent primerBy Ellery GreenVery helpful. After studying postmodernism years ago; this summary clearly organized the knowledge I had gathered and clarified some confusion. There are still some points evading understanding not because of the authors presentation; but because postmodern thought is not always coherent. Postmodern architects could not translate literary theory directly into steel; plaster; and glass. I will refer to the book in future.
