Original Peace: Restoring God's Creation

This monograph presents a theological exploration of peace as fundamentally rooted in the divine order of creation. David B. Burrell develops an argument that authentic peace represents not merely the absence of conflict but the restoration of humanity's original relationship with God, established at creation and disrupted by sin. The work engages with classical theological sources, particularly drawing on Thomistic philosophy and Islamic thought, to construct a vision of peace that transcends political and social arrangements.

Burrell's central thesis maintains that understanding peace requires recognizing it as an ontological reality grounded in God's creative act. He argues that creation itself embodies a harmonious order reflecting divine wisdom, and that human conflict emerges from the distortion of this original harmony through sin. This perspective challenges secular peace studies that treat conflict resolution primarily through political or psychological frameworks, insisting instead that lasting peace demands spiritual transformation and return to divine purposes.

The author employs a comparative theological method, bringing Christian and Islamic perspectives into dialogue. This approach proves particularly significant given the work's publication in 1997, when interfaith dialogue on peace was gaining renewed urgency. Burrell demonstrates how both traditions share fundamental insights about peace as divine gift and human responsibility, though they articulate these truths through different theological vocabularies. His engagement with Islamic sources, including Al-Ghazali and Ibn Sina, enriches the Christian theological discussion while respecting the integrity of both traditions.

Against reductionist accounts that treat religion as merely one factor among many in peace-building, Burrell contends that theological wisdom provides indispensable resources for understanding peace's deepest dimensions. He critiques both purely secular approaches and superficial religious responses that fail to grapple with the profound theological questions underlying human conflict. The work's significance lies in its recovery of creation theology as essential for peace ethics, offering a theological anthropology that grounds human dignity and mutual obligation in humanity's shared status as God's creatures.

The monograph contributes to theological discourse by demonstrating how classical theological resources remain relevant for contemporary peace challenges. Burrell's synthesis of Thomistic metaphysics with interfaith dialogue provides a sophisticated framework for understanding peace as participation in God's creative purposes rather than mere conflict management.