“John Keenan has done it again. This is a sparkling and engaging addition to his ongoing comparative theological project of using a Mahayana Buddhist flashlight to discover unexpected riches as well as abiding inadequacies in the books of the New Testament. Under the guidance of the Mahayana Master Zhiyi’s notion of threefold truth, Keenan both illuminates and personalizes Ephesians’ nascent Trinitarian understanding of God. This book will speak to both academics and contemplatives.”

—Paul Knitter, Union Theological Seminary



“Rarely does a deeply serious theological work read with such ease, such a thrill of discovery. John Keenan’s new book on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is both profound in its insights and exciting. Keenan brings a Buddhist perspective to bear on this pseudo-Pauline letter that has found a place of huge importance in Christian liturgy and theology as he reads Trinitarian theology in the context of Tiantai Zhiyi’s threefold path. As ever, Keenan finds congruencies and distinctions that illumine both Christian and Buddhist traditions. This book will challenge many readers in our identity-focused world, but I believe Keenan’s clear-eyed force of argument and benevolent tone will go a long way toward a fresh reading of Paul’s self-emptying drive to enlightenment or, in Christian terms, salvation. This book is truly splendid: fresh, eloquent, and welcome to seekers and scholars alike.”

—Jay Parini, Middlebury College, author of Jesus: The Human Face of God



“In familiar daring and creative fashion, John Keenan reads the letter to the Ephesians open to new and promising insights gained from his engagement with Buddhist philosophy. Few theologians in our day have the set of competencies needed to confront the cosmological and ethical challenges of the text, and offer a new framework of interpretation through which its core message can be understood afresh.”

—Catherine Cornille, Boston College