The Trace of the Face in the Politics of Jesus

"Koyles analyzes relations between John Howard Yoder and Gustafson, SchussSteler Fiorenza, Reimer, Carter, Hauerwas, Huebner, and Levinas with incisively illuminating insights. . . . He has persuaded me to take up Levinas as a major dialogue partner. Anyone with loyalties to some of these important thinkers will want to differ somewhere, but we can all learn truly important insights from his mapping them clearly. Nobody else has done this for us."

--Glen Stassen, Professor of Christian Ethics, Fuller Theological Seminary



"I applaud Koyles's efforts to bring the thought of John Howard Yoder to a broader audience. It seems discussions on Yoder invariably drift toward confining his thought to narrow Christian pacifism or toward focusing on his personal life; neither of these approaches takes his broader implications seriously. This book is solid scholarship that begins the process of interpreting Yoder through a philosophical lens."

--J. Brabban, Professor of Bible, Chowan University



"John Howard Yoder was not inclined to engage the world of contemporary European philosophy. But a growing number of recent scholars have found it helpful to read Yoder's theology alongside philosophers commonly referred to as postmodern. Koyles's reading of Yoder and Levinas ought to be considered essential reading for anyone interested in exploring this recent turn in Yoder scholarship."

--Chris K. Huebner, Associate Professor of Theology and Philosophy, Canadian Mennonite University