Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book introduces St. Augustine of Hippo. Augustine's life in the twilight of the Western Roman Empire saw the first fall of Rome to the barbarians, but his immense literary output laid many foundations for the societies that would eventually follow. It focuses on China and what is today called neo-Confucianism. The book examines the thought of Rabbi Saadiah ben Yosef Gaon, who was active in the Abbasid Caliphate. It explores the thought of Ramanuja, who lived in the twelfth century and became one of the most important exponents of the Sri Vaisnava tradition of devotional monotheism within Hinduism. The book focuses on the most renowned Jewish philosopher of the medieval period Moses Maimonides. It presents the account of evil by St Anselm of Canterbury.