Paradise or wasteland--the wilderness has always been a challenge to Westerners. Wilderness and Paradise in Christian Thought traces the exciting theme of the quest for the wilderness--both physical and metaphysical--to create a new and important perspective for understanding Christian civilization.
With a wealth of knowledge, a renowned historian presents the biblical understanding of the religious and ethical significance of the desert and how this understanding has influenced later Christian history and culture.
Dr. Williams specifically applies the paradise theme to the university today and shows the continuing vitality of this ancient concept.

George H. Williams (1914-2000) was Hollis Professor of Divinity at Harvard University. Among his works are The Radical Reformation, The Norman Anonymous of 1100 A.D., and "The Role of the Layman in the Ancient Church." He was an editor of Harvard Theological Review, and of Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, and a contributor to the Library of Christian Classics. Wilderness and Paradise in Christian Thought is an expansion of Dr. Williams's presidential address to the American Society of Church History. It was delivered on the fiftieth anniversary of Frederick Jackson Turner's famous paper presented to the American Historical Society on the influence of the frontier on American history.