By examining the structure, argument, and historical and contemporary significance of Edith Stein's work, this companion provides an accessible reading guide to Freedom and Grace.
Edith Stein investigates the role of freedom in five facets of Christian life (in her terms, the life of grace). Freedom and Grace is her first extensive treatment of themes in both philosophy of religion and theology; she employs her previously developed phenomenological method and proceeds to accentuate the distinc¬tiveness of Christian life and experience vis-à-vis the life of “nature” (i.e. that of the unbeliever). Written in part as a way for Stein to reflect on her own life and conversion to Christianity, the text is notable for the significant autobiographical reference it contains to a period in her (inner) life about which little has previously been known.
This companion opens with an exploration of the work's historical context and the literature cited by Stein within. The volume then provides a synopsis of Freedom and Grace alongside a discussion of the work's structure and argument. Finally, the companion concludes with a study of the work's historical and contemporary significance. In addition to providing an accessible guide for reading Edith Stein's work, this volume also includes the first full English translation of Freedom and Grace.