<p>A renewed focus on the metaphysics of participation is one of the most striking features of Christian theology over recent decades. Against the background of Radical Orthodoxy and the sacramental ontology of Hans Boersma, Yonghua Ge offers a fresh reading of participatory metaphysics in relation to creation ex nihilo and the classical problem of the One and the Many. This is a significant contribution to one of the most lively debates in contemporary theology and philosophy.</p>

- Simon Oliver, Durham University,

<p>God has been pushed to the edges in western modernity as either an unnecessary hypothesis or an intrusive meddler, yet the world bereft of God is bereft of meaning and integrity. The recent resurgence of interest in the theology of participation reopens the question of God’s relation to the world. In this incisive and beautifully clear study, Dr. Ge (himself both a theologian and scientist) both provides introduction to some of the most exciting recent work on the theology of participation, especially that of Hans Boersma and of the ‘Radical Orthodoxy’ movement, at the same time putting challenges to both. Following Augustine and Aquinas, Dr. Ge suggests that the transformative effect of the Christian doctrine of creation ‘ex nihilo’, takes us to a less platonic and deeply Christian vision of God’s intimacy and love for the created order.</p>

- Janet Soskice, University of Cambridge,

<p>Yonghua Ge’s exposition of the meaning of participation, approached here largely in terms of creation and the relation of creatures to God, shows a keen eye for the central lineaments of that perennially fascinating and important topic: in unity, multiplicity, transcendence and immanence. The treatment of participation in Augustine is particularly welcome, addressing a surprising gap in scholarship in a way that is at once both accessible and deeply grounded in Augustine’s texts.</p>

- Andrew Davison, University of Cambridge,