Franco Manni's approach in this extensive commentary of Herbert McCabe, serving the interest of both enthusiast and scholar alike, is nothing short of all encompassing and fully engaging. This book goes to the heart of the dialogue between Christianity and McCabe thought; supplementing the exposition, the more technical aspects, including grammatical, textual and historical connections, appear in footnotes and special notes or appendices.

Manni tackles the tough theological and philosophical questions with excellent understanding, rigorous analysis, unblemished summation, and an astonishing range of insights. With this book as your guide, you can embrace the paradoxes of Scripture in pursuit of an honest understanding of Herbert McCabe without hesitation.

Here is an excellent tool for understanding McCabe that manages to be at once deeply traditional and freshly contemporary. This is one of those books perfect for the classroom yet also an invaluable resource for clergy and students of theology. Recommended with complete confidence. Five stars (out of five).

(Reviewed on Amazon.com on July 6, 2020)

Manni’s book is certainly a landmark in the field of study on the person and theological contribution of Herbert McCabe. The approach is meticulous and expresses a profound knowledge of McCabe’s thought. This is indeed a testament to Manni’s dedication to the knowledge of the theological relevance of McCabe writings.

The discussion is supported by a clear and logic argumentation and a developed and precise footnotes apparatus. Manni’s rigorous investigation and relevant insights are crucial to all those who want to engage not only with McCabe but also more broadly with questions of philosophical, systematic and historical theology.

The book has four main sections logically divided. The first discusses the life and intellectual contribution of Herbert Mc Cabe. From this initial and fundament part focused on the person and the thought of McCabe, Manni moves precise steps in McCabe’s philosophical theology. The main theological concepts in the discussion are the question of God’s existence, nature, and interaction with evil and human nature. This ground prepares the move to the following section where Manni’s hermeneutical approach and skills are even more remarkably revealed. Questions of ethics, anthropology and the philosophy of human beings are at the centre of this third section. McCabe’s systematic theology is exposed with great originality and clarity of arguments. Among various important concepts evident in this relevant publication, I would like to highlight just a few of Manni’s crucial contributions. Especially in the last section of the book, “Revealed Theology,” Manni discusses Christological, Trinitarian, Eschatological, and Dogmatic questions in light of McCabe’s thought.

In particular, the question of ‘Incarnation’ finds an interesting turn in underlying McCabe’s agenda as less historically-driven and more contextualized. McCabe’s understanding of the two natures of Jesus is masterly presented by Manni. The conceptual argument of humanity and divinity not occupying the ‘same space’ is both interesting and provoking.

Moreover, Manni highlights that the full meaning of Jesus’ life is encountered at the cross where human life reaches its highest purpose while finding meaning in suffering for love. I find it highly important that Manni could point out McCabe’s thought about Jesus’ will to be fully human. This is at the basis of his death and resurrection, and his belonging to the divine nature becomes a sharable experience with human beings.

I recommend this book both to scholars and students interested in advancing knowledge in various fundamental elements of philosophical and theological studies, and especially to those engaging in the study of McCabe’s work. It is certainly an enjoyable reading combining scholarly rigour and an insightful theological and philosophical analysis.

(Reviewed on Amazon.com.uk on September 16, 2020)

Reading Herbert McCabe: Recollecting a Fragmented Legacy one immediately senses the commitment, the precision and the depth with which Professor Manni has dedicated himself to collecting and reorganizing Herbert McCabe's thinking and his legacy. This analytical ability is visible from the first part of the text, in which Manni illustrates the intellectual life and psychology of this thinker, the influences of various philosophers or theologians or intellectuals (Victor White, St. Thomas Aquinas, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Edward Schillebeeckx, etc.) on his ideas and shows the legacy of McCabe's thought on other thinkers, distinguishing between those who have explicitly admitted their debt to him (the "disciples" such as Terry Eagleton, Denys Turner, Brian Davies), those who have admired his work and shared some of his ideas in their works, those who - while admiring him - have followed different paths from his in their research and finally those who, while not explicitly mentioning him, have been influenced by his thought.

In the following three parts of the book, Professor Manni explores Herbert McCabe's ideas in Philosophical Theology, Philosophical Anthropology, Ethics and Revealed Theology, illustrating their great originality and exposing in a clear and systematic way arguments that are sometimes very complex. Among the many and interesting ideas, I would like to point out just a few, those that I found the most important and original. In this review, I do not treat the part on Philosophical Theology, but I start with the part on Philosophical Anthropology. According to McCabe, thought (or intellect) coincide with language, describing the human being as a "linguistic animal", broadening the Aristotelian definition of man as a "rational animal". Therefore, the brain is not the organ responsible for thought - as in the most widespread idea today: it is instead the organ that presides over the senses (sensations, imagination, memory, feelings). The organ that presides over thought is something interpersonal, that is, language: a construct created by society and that man learns from the society in which he grows up, through which he produces ideas and communicates them to other human beings. This original vision also manages to explain the Aristotelian distinction between "active intellect" and "passive intellect": the latter is the human potentiality of being able to acquire a language (receptive mind), while the active intellect is the actual possession of a specific language, with its rules, sounds and signs (creative intellect). Another anthropological idea is the close link between love and freedom: the "space of freedom" that exists around us and in which we can move without the interference of others does not exist in itself, but is a gift that is given to us by the people who love us. But also the close link between "freedom of" and knowledge: the more concepts we are able to handle to interpret and understand reality, the greater our freedom to act is.

In the field of Philosophical Ethics, Herbert McCabe is an alternative both to relativism (for which there is no universal code of conduct, but only particular cases and contexts) and to traditional paternalistic legalism (for which there are many immutable precepts), following a "third way" that, starting from Aristotle, defines "natural" moral values as historical and communitarian. Therefore, according to McCabe there is a universal moral law, but this law is minimal (composed of a few clear foundations and not of hundreds of particular precepts) and does not coincide, at least for the moment, with any particular law, since there is no community called "humanity", but only real communities different from each other. I found very interesting the part where it is explained how the idea of Love is understood within ethics. Famous is his phrase "If you do not love you will not be alive, if you love effectively you will be killed".

Also in the part on Revealed Theology McCabe goes into various themes, such as the Incarnation, the life and works of Christ, the Resurrection, the Trinity, the Redemption, the Sacraments, Grace... his is an approach that keeps away from fideism and is well anchored in the use of reason: nothing must be accepted solely by authority, "not even the Definition of Chalcedon" (that is, the doctrine that emerged from the Council of Chalcedon on the two natures of Christ) - everything can be improved and perfected. Therefore, even ancient Greek philosophy can be integrated into the Christian faith, as can the scientific discoveries or ideas of contemporary philosophers, such as Wittgenstein or Gestalt psychologists; McCabe points to Descartes as the true "enemy" who, with his "poisonous vocabulary", prevented for centuries the full understanding of Aristotelian philosophy. Also in this branch of McCabe's thought I point out just a couple of ideas among the many that I found useful and enriching. The first one: that those qualities that we usually attribute to the "divine" nature of Christ (for example, healing the sick or performing miracles) are instead attributes of his "human" nature and therefore are shared by all other human beings; even being "free of sin" is not something "superhuman" but, on the contrary, it is completely human, because sin is what makes us a little less human. The second: that the term "person" used by St. Thomas to indicate the three aspects of the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) is ambiguous, because it makes us think of "individuals" and not of "relationships". It would therefore be better to speak of “roles” (in the theatrical sense of the term, just as the word “persona”, “person”, etymologically means "mask"). Therefore we should talk about the role of Parenthood, the role of Childhood, the role of Love/Delight.

Professor Manni's text, the result of his PhD in England, shows how McCabe was able to revitalize ideas of the philosophical tradition - in particular those of St. Thomas Aquinas - by placing them in today's world, in dialogue with the ideas of contemporary philosophers and at the service of the problems and needs of today's society. In doing so, McCabe contributed to the Thomistic renaissance of the English-speaking world, integrating Aristotle's anthropology with Wittgenstein’s; he gave new life to the apopathic approach in theology ("of God we can only say what is not"); he showed how some good ideas from Marxism could be included in Catholicism; he refuted the anthropomorphic vision of God as the "supreme being of the universe" shared by both creationists and many atheists; he contributed to the rapprochement of the Protestant world towards Catholic theology. I think Herbert McCabe is an author who can and should be read by both non-believers and believers to find important confutations to conceptual errors that haunt both the world of atheists and that of the faithful ones and, at the same time, to find new ways to investigate what reality, human beings and God are. An author unfortunately almost completely unknown in Italy and of whom it would finally be time to start translating texts.

(Reviewed on Amazon.it on September 4, 2020)

Herbert McCabe (1926-2001) was a Dominican theologian and philosopher who stands alongside his contemporaries Alisdair MacIntyre and Anthony Kenny, working in the tradition of Aristotle and Aquinas. He is much less well-known, however, so Franco Manni has done interested readers a real service in collecting, combining and carefully interpreting his work. I highly recommend it.

One reason for McCabe’s relative obscurity is that much of it was delivered as sermons. More importantly, as Manni points out, it was and is deeply serious but not academic. It thus indirectly reminds us of the pretensions of the academy to have captured what is serious despite frequently being riven with careerism, intellectual fashion, and hermetic self-regard. None of these touched McCabe.

I speak cautiously, because I am no theologian (nor even a theist), but the sections of the book in which I have some competence – philosophical anthropology and ethics – are impressive. To pick a few examples, ‘the soul is the life of the body, and the body is not the tool of the soul’, and ‘The point of human living lies beyond itself, but not outside itself.’ Characteristically for McCabe (and Manni), these conclusions are not delivered ex cathedra but are earned, the result of hard thinking. Similarly the understanding of ‘spiritual’ not as supernatural but non-material, which is to say, relational. (Where in time or space is a relation? They may be a necessary condition, but they do not constitute it.)

McCabe further identified this nonmaterial relationality as communal and communicative. (He agreed with Wittgenstein that there is no such thing as a private language.) Thus the brain is not the organ of thinking; mind is immaterial and interpersonal, which therefore invites attention to the dimension of language. And that leads to the reflection that both rationalism and Romanticism misunderstand reason as purely syllogistic, leading the former to embrace it and latter to reject it.

McCabe’s attitude to God was rightly apophatic – He is not one thing among others but a condition of their, and our, existence – but not absolutised, leaving room for an affirmative theology of how and what God is for us and in our lives.

Most challenging of all is McCabe’s implacably Christian insistence that to reject death is to reject resurrection. That leaves the only possible attitudes to personal crucifixion as either to futilely attempt to flee it or embrace it. But McCabe rejects a Platonic interpretation of immortality, arguing instead that it amounts to a ‘revolutionary’ transformation of this life. I myself cannot follow where this goes, but it is at least clear that in McCabe’s thought there is no rupture between personal and political revolution. It also fits with his sobering warning that Christ was killed precisely because he was so good and his message was one of love.

(Reviewed on Amazon.com on September 20, 2020)

This is a short review of a new book about a 20th century theologian, called Herbert McCabe.

He was a leading critic of liberal theology . This review is by someone who has himself been influenced by the latter theology. Therefore my approach is from the standpoint of some scepticism about this Catholic theologian and his writings.

The book is titled 'Herbert McCabe' and is subtitled 'Recollecting a Fragmented legacy'. It is by Franco Manni, an Italian theologian, who has studied at Pontificial Gregorian University and at King's College, London.

Despite my reservations, I share quite a few of McCabe's concerns, particularly in relation to the importance of language in human society and its interpersonal nature. Although I was brought up a Protestant and still attend C of E services, I question the promotion of the primacy of the individual in that tradition at the expense of the community which is for both Aquinas and Saussure the source of all language. McCabe sought to resurrect both Aristotle's and Aquinas' ideas as a way of combatting modern liberal theology with its emphasis on the flourishing of the individual at the expense of the community.

McCabe also agreed with Aristotle that an ideal society was based on friendship as outlined in the latter's Ethics, which Aquinas was heavily influenced by as well - adding the concept of spiritual friendship.

Where I am less enthusiastic is in McCabe's advocacy of the return of systematic theology as an answer to the present weakness of the church (in all denominations). His dismissal of 'biblical, liturgical, and pastoral studies' I am not convinced by - nor his implicit dismissal of the mystical. It seems to me that religion deals with matters that are ultimately beyond reason which is just the aspect of human beings , that is brought into play in the logical exercises of philosophical theology.

Similarly a revival of Christology in its orthodox form, would mar the attempts of progressive Christians to forge dialogues with other religions and would emphasise the Christocentric bias of the conservative elements.

Similarly his dismissal of the new-found advocacy of the Holy Spirit in the church is short- sighted - though he is right to emphasise its disruptive, even revolutionary character. I am not alone in believing that the presence of the Holy Spirit could act as a bridge of understanding between religions, many of which believe that spirit is a divine force.

Aside from these criticisms, McCabe comes across in Manni's book a highly intelligent thinker in both philosophy and theology and one well worth exploring. He had a crucial influence on many leading intellectuals, including the Marxist Terry Eagleton.

Franco Manni's book is a stimulating exposition of McCabe's ideas, written in very idiomatic English, and, although difficult and dense at times, is still a 'good read', despite the effort involved. It should appeal to scholars and laymen and women alike who are interested in contemporary theology and its relevance to the present world situation.

Whether it presents its central thesis that McCabe's work forms a logical system convincingly is a matter that I leave to those who are more expert than myself in this field.

(Reviewed on Amazon.com on February 16, 2021)

This book collects and systematises, by Prof. Franco Manni, the thought of a Dominican friar (Herbert McCabe) whose maturity lies in the second half of the last century. It deals with various topics, including philosophical theology, anthropology, ethics, Christology and revealed theology, with a clear prevalence of the first three themes over the last two. However, this is not simply an organised collection of scattered material (McCabe never wrote a structured synthesis of his own thought), but a critical analysis of the ideas behind it. The interest of this publication derives precisely from the placing of these ideas within the history of thought and from the continuous comparison made with the authors with whom McCabe "dialogues" (Tommaso D'Aquino, Aristotle, Wittgenstein, Jung, as well as various contemporaries). And it is precisely the author's mastery of these themes (as well as his communication skills) that makes the book so interesting and accessible even to those who (like me) are not specialists in these subjects. One thus has the possibility of being accompanied through reflections that challenge many widespread commonplaces, such as the idea of God (of whom one can say what he is not rather than what he is), of his love for humanity (not a senile benevolence, but more like the man-woman relationship), of Creation (which is continuous action and not traceable to natural causes), of language (which is not a means of communication of a thought formulated a priori, but is itself the essence of thought, in that it is not the product of an isolated individual but of a dialogue between the individual and others), of love for one's neighbour (which if it is truly real, i.e. oriented towards a testimony of truth and justice, cannot but lead to being killed - both metaphorically and otherwise - by others), to name but a few. Since the philosophical point of view prevails, one has never the feeling that the assertions are dropped "from above", but on the contrary one is continually confronted with what can reasonably be affirmed (or not affirmed), also on the basis of the thinkers of the past, in a context where faith neither prevails nor replaces reason. The text is written in English, but for a non native speaker it is easy to understand and the contents certainly repay the effort of looking up a few words in the dictionary every now and then.

(Reviewed on Amazon.it on March 21, 2021)

I recommend this book to students, scholars, and informed general readers alike. In it, Franco Manni conducts an extensive analysis of the thought of Herbert McCabe who was a Dominican priest and theologian and, by all accounts, a gifted teacher and preacher. Feeling that McCabe’s theological and philosophical works are underappreciated, Manni collates the fragmented writings of McCabe on a wide range of topics, from Creation and the existence of God to the Church and its sacraments, but not before giving an interesting biography of McCabe’s life that situates his thought in its wider context (chapters 1-4). The following thirteen chapters each take a major theological or philosophical topic of McCabe’s work in turn, elucidating it and showing the interconnections with other topics. Indeed, this is one of Manni’s main purposes; to show that far from being a disconnected system of thought McCabe’s scattered writings, often produced in the preparation of sermons or lectures, represent a systematic body of ideas. Nor are they purely abstract ideas and McCabe was concerned that theological and philosophical reflection be of value to the contemporary problems of human beings (see Manni’s own reflections on the applicability of McCabe’s ideas in the book’s conclusion).

(Reviewed on Amazon.uk on December 29, 2020)