Allegorizing History

"This is an absolutely fascinating book. . . . Timothy Furry is remarkably successful in arguing that the instruments developed by modern philosophers of history are conditional for doing adequate justice to the surprising semantic richness of a historical text of almost thirteen hundred years ago. Furry is to be congratulated for his having been the first to reveal Bede's real historical genius."

--Franklin Ankersmit, Professor of Intellectual History and Historical Theory, University of Groningen



"Through a disarmingly engaging study of the Venerable Bede, Furry provides a subtle Christian apologetic about the nature of history. Taking history back for legitimate Christian interpretation, Furry steps nimbly through scriptural exegesis, Augustinian metaphysics, medieval theology, and contemporary philosophy, despoiling the Egyptians as he goes. This is a wonderfully creative re-appropriation of the tradition, which reopens a fertile space for a Christian reading of the past."

--Ephraim Radner, Professor of Historical Theology, Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto



"Few issues are more pressing today--and more vexed--than the relation of 'history' to scriptural interpretation. . . . Relying on recent theory that moves us beyond the stale dualisms of the romantic period, Furry allows us to see Bede anew as a skillful historian and a faithful theologian. But this book is not only about Bede. It is also a fresh, hopeful plea for theological work that returns to first-order questions about what history is and why it matters."

--Michael Legaspi, Instructor of Religion and Philosophy, Andover Phillips Academy