Synopsis: Goicoechea explains Nietzsche's thesis that the agapeic love of Jesus is humankind's highest affirmation, even for sinners like the author's father, Joe Goicoechea, who lived it out existentially. Already before the Q scholars, Nietzsche saw this love as the essence of the Sermon on the Mount and based his philosophy upon it. Throughout the Catholic tradition agape fulfilled the affection of Empedocles, the eros of Plato, the friendship of Aristotle, and the agape of Plotinus. While, as Anders Nygren shows, modernists protested such syntheses, now postmodernists once again let agape and the four loves contribute to one another. Endorsements: "In this work, David Goicoechea gives us an exhilarating exploration of the role of the father in the lives of Christ and Nietzsche, as well as in his own life." --Tim Madigan, Associate Professor of Philosophy, St. John Fisher College "David Goicoechea offers us a personal tour through his life and the life of agape in Western philosophical thought. This book is both a confession of love and a working out of the problem of love, in sometimes inspiring and sometimes controversial ways. We can agree or disagree with him, but we certainly cannot avoid being engaged by him." --David Galston, Chaplain, Brock University Author Biography: David L. Goicoechea is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario. He has published widely in the areas of philosophy of love, existentialism, philosophy of religion, postmodernism, and the history of philosophy.
