Across four decades, John Witte, Jr. has advanced the study of law and religion by retrieving religious sources of law, renewing timeless teachings of religion for today, and reengaging with the difficult issues confronting society. Interdisciplinary, international, and interfaith in scope, Witte’s work has generated an enormous body of scholarship. This collection of essays by leading scholars examines his impact and maps new directions for future exploration.
Rafael Domingo, PhD (University of Navarra), is a distinguished Spanish jurist and legal historian. Author and editor of more than thirty books, he is the Alvaro d'Ors Professor of Law at the University of Navarra.
Gary S. Hauk, PhD (Emory University), is a writer, editor, and ethicist who served as vice president and deputy to the president of Emory University, where he is university historian emeritus.
Timothy P. Jackson, PhD (Yale University), is the Bishop Mack B. and Rose Stokes Professor of Theological Ethics Emeritus at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He is the author of four books, the editor of three, and contributor to many others.
"The book is a very timely tribute to one of the world’s most treasured scholars in the field of law and religion. The range of topics covered by the distinguished authors is testimony to the breadth, quality and impact of John Witte Jnr’s ground-breaking scholarship. It is a measure of the man that in his concluding response, John focuses attention, not on his own work, but on the many hundreds of scholars who work in the field of law and religion throughout the world, highlighting especially the wider work of the 31 eminent contributors to the book. John Witte Jnr is not only an outstanding exemplar of fine scholarship, but also a leader of leaders, whose many initiatives and guidance will have a lasting impact for many generations to come."
– Nicholas Aroney, Professor of Constitutional Law, The University of Queensland
"John Witte, Jr.'s contribution to the history of law and the relationship between law and religion is considerable. Thirty-three authors revisit the areas of interest of the renowned director of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University. The four parts bring together not only studies on his fundamental contribution to the history of law, to studies of the relationship between law and religion and between law and Christianity, and legal theory but also historical and contemporary studies on the themes studied by the great historian over the several decades."
– Olivier Descamps, Professor of History of Law, Paris Pantheon Assas University
"A fitting tribute to John Witte and his pioneering work on religion and law, this collection of essays is a treasure trove of wisdom from the pens of some of the world’s best thinkers in that field. Its thirty-three essays are packed with insights from historians, theologians, and jurists on the great themes that Witte inspired so many to appreciate and explore."
– Mary Ann Glendon, Learned Hand Professor of Law, Emerita, Harvard University
"I met John Witte for the first time in 1989, when we cooperated in an interdisciplinary seminar at Emory University (Atlanta). From an international perspective we analysed different concepts for the relation between church and state. Witte located the issue in the broader field of law and religion. Since then, new challenges in the fields of war and peace, religious freedom, human rights or the religious implications of human relations demonstrate the central relevance of this topic. Witte combines history, law and theology in an admirable kind of interdisciplinary research. The present book gives for the first time a general overview and a critical explanation of Witte’s research by different authors, combined with a detailed reaction by John Witte himself. May this book strengthen the international, interreligious and interdisciplinary interest in the important field of law and religion."
– Wolfgang Huber, Professor, Humboldt University and Stellenbosch University and Bishop em.
"I am very happy to endorse Faith in Law, Law in Faith: Reflecting and Building on the Work of John Witte, Jr. The essays in this volume deal with Witte's well earned status as the foremost scholar in the field of Law and Religion. Anybody working in this field is beholden to John Witte's prodigious scholarship put forth in his many writings, plus his making himself readily available for consultation to colleagues throughout the world. His influence is evident in the work of many, especially those he has encouraged to follow his example. May God grant him strength of body and mind to continue his important influential work for many years to come."
– David Novak, J. Richard and Dorothy Shiff Professor Emeritus of Religion, Philosophy, and Jewish Studies and Fellow of St. Michael's College, University of Toronto
"John Witte is one of those rare scholars who can be said to have transformed his field, through his own formidable learning and insight and his tireless efforts to bring together promising students and established scholars in the classroom, in conferences, and in ongoing programs of study. This volume is an appropriate tribute to Witte’s work, offering essays by leading scholars on the many subjects on which Witte has written. Thanks to the scope of Witte’s work, this could well stand as an introduction to the field of law and religion, and it is a fitting tribute to the work of one of the leading scholars working today."
– Jean Porter, John A O'Brien Professor of Theological Ethics, University of Notre Dame
"This is a hugely impressive volume of essays written in honour of John Witte, one of the leading and most prolific scholars of law and religion today. Covering diverse topics such as Christianity and law, legal history, marriage law, constructive theology, moral and political philosophy and American democracy, the volume will appeal to anyone who is interested in the dialectical relationship between law and religion. The volume is a timely tribute to a scholar and friend whose writings have breathed new life and structure to the understanding of law and faith in private and public life."
– Mona Siddiqui, OBE, Professor of Islamic and interreligious Studies, University of Edinburgh
This work will appeal especially to acdemics and general readers with an interest in legal history, social ethics, theological ethics, religious dimensions of law, legal dimensions of religion, and the interaction between law and religion. The work will be useful in survey courses on law and religion.