Peter Kreeft To Discuss

‘The Greatest Book Of The 20th Century’

St Rose of Lima’s Catholic Forum will host a special event on Sunday, October 25, with guest Dr Peter Kreeft, a distinguished professor at Boston College, to begin at 3:30 pm.

Dr Kreeft, the author of nearly 60 books, will offer a program called “Precious & Practical Profundities in The Greatest Book of the 20th Century: The Lord of the Rings.” The program will be based on Dr Kreeft’s book The Philosophy of Tolkien (October 2005).

While nothing can equal or replace the adventure in reading Tolkien’s masterwork The Lord of the Rings, Dr Kreeft says that the journey into its underlying philosophy can be another exhilarating adventure. Thus, Dr Kreeft takes readers on a voyage of discovery into the philosophical bones of Middle Earth.

He has the philosophical themes in The Lord of the Rings into 50 categories, accompanied by more than 1,000 references to the bible.

“Kreeft shows how Tolkien gives a very convincing myth or vision which makes sense of reality and gives arguments for them,” said J.R.R. Tolkien: Myth, Morality and Religion author Richard Purtill. “This is an exciting and insightful book.”

Since many of the great questions of philosophy are included in the 50-theme outline, this book can also be read as an engaging introduction to philosophy. For each of the philosophical topics in Lord, Dr Kreeft presents tools by which they can be understood.

Joseph Pearce, the author of Tolkien: Man and Myth, is a fan of Dr Kreeft’s work.

“Peter Kreeft writes so well!” said Mr Pearce. “He is a master of profundity and succinctness, an author with an uncanny ability to plumb the philosophical depths without ever losing the clarity required to illumine those depths to the average reader. What a joy to see his acrobatic mind capering with philosophical delight in the presence of elves, hobbits, men, dwarves and angels. This book is Kreeftcraft as its best.”

Dr Kreeft’s presentation will be followed by a question and answer session — one of his favorite things to do, according to his website, PeterKreeft.com — and a book signing.

For more information call the St Rose Parish office at 426-1014, visit CatholicForum.os, or email StRoseCatholicForum@gmail.com.