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Unnatural Death: Creation, Sin, and the Angelic Fall
In Unnatural Death Philip Porter demonstrates sin and death to be intimate with one another; because of sin, creation is held in thrall by death. Demonstrating the intimacy of sin and death matters because Christians should take natural science seriously while also affirming essential doctrinal claims such as "The last enemy to be destroyed is death" (1 Cor 15:26). Death is not benign, and this book provides a robust theological grammar of scriptural interpretation, of voluntary and natural evils, and of time and eternity which allows Christians to claim that the damage done by death originates in creaturely sin.
Porter argues that using Augustine's theory of the rationes seminales makes available new descriptive possibilities in the theology of creation. One way to understand this work is as a speculative picture of creation that accounts for death on evolutionary timescales without attempting to naturalize it. It offers this picture by showing how the angelic fall can account for the presence of death in creation. This work does not offer a theodicy. Instead it provides an analysis of the angelic fall that shows how God works through creaturely freedom to bring about goods that neither justify nor make sense of evil.
Porter argues that using Augustine's theory of the rationes seminales makes available new descriptive possibilities in the theology of creation. One way to understand this work is as a speculative picture of creation that accounts for death on evolutionary timescales without attempting to naturalize it. It offers this picture by showing how the angelic fall can account for the presence of death in creation. This work does not offer a theodicy. Instead it provides an analysis of the angelic fall that shows how God works through creaturely freedom to bring about goods that neither justify nor make sense of evil.
253 pages, Hardcover
Published October 14, 2025
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December 7, 2025
A truly superb book. Porter is principled and creative in his deployment of Augustine. Perhaps most impressive/instructive, is his continued engagement with his tradition (Catholic), which both informs and facilitates his creative movements. The occasional dialogue he facilitated between Augustine and Wittgenstein really pleased me.
In Chapter 4, when Porter turned to literary sources beyond theology—Tolstoy, Shakespeare, Milton, etc. (and later Tennyson)—candidly, I thought “this is so Duke.” By that I didn’t mean any sort of assessment of their school of divinity or faculty members, rather it reminded me of various Duke students I’ve engaged with. They all seem to have classical literature tucked away in their Regalia.
I took copious notes in the margins and in the back of the book. I’ll need to pull this book off my shelf anytime I am thinking through theological categories with Augustine (or an angels!), which like Porter I have a penchant for. Anyway, tolle lege!
In Chapter 4, when Porter turned to literary sources beyond theology—Tolstoy, Shakespeare, Milton, etc. (and later Tennyson)—candidly, I thought “this is so Duke.” By that I didn’t mean any sort of assessment of their school of divinity or faculty members, rather it reminded me of various Duke students I’ve engaged with. They all seem to have classical literature tucked away in their Regalia.
I took copious notes in the margins and in the back of the book. I’ll need to pull this book off my shelf anytime I am thinking through theological categories with Augustine (or an angels!), which like Porter I have a penchant for. Anyway, tolle lege!
Displaying 1 of 1 review