Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Mystical Theology written by Edward Howells and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2020-02-25 with total page 725 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Oxford Handbook of Mystical Theology provides a guide to the mystical element of Christianity as a theological phenomenon. It differs not only from psychological and anthropological studies of mysticism, but from other theological studies, such as more practical or pastorally-oriented works that examine the patterns of spiritual progress and offer counsel for deeper understanding and spiritual development. It also differs from more explicitly historical studies tracing the theological and philosophical contexts and ideas of various key figures and schools, as well as from literary studies of the linguistic tropes and expressive forms in mystical texts. None of these perspectives is absent, but the method here is more deliberately theological, working from within the fundamental interests of Christian mystical writers to the articulation of those interests in distinctively theological forms, in order, finally, to permit a critical theological engagement with them for today. Divided into four parts, the first section introduces the approach to mystical theology and offers a historical overview. Part two attends to the concrete context of sources and practices of mystical theology. Part three moves to the fundamental conceptualities of mystical thought. The final section ends with the central contributions of mystical teaching to theology and metaphysics. Students and scholars with a variety of interests will find different pathways through the Handbook.
Download or read book Theology as Ascetic Act written by Nathan G. Jennings and published by Peter Lang. This book was released on 2010 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nathan G. Jennings's captivating study explores the ascetical logic of the various practices that Christians call theology. By establishing ascetic practice as coherent within the logic of Christian thought, Jennings argues that Christian theology itself, as an embodied Christian practice, is a type of and participant in Christian asceticism. Jennings establishes that the implications of such an understanding of Christian theology can be brought to bear on modern Christian scholarship in profound and transformative ways. With engagements and references that span a vast terrain from Patristic authors to modern systematic theologians, Theology as Ascetic Act: Disciplining Christian Discourse is a significant contribution to both modern Christian thought and the study of asceticism.
Download or read book Sites of the Ascetic Self written by Niki Kasumi Clements and published by University of Notre Dame Pess. This book was released on 2020-05-31 with total page 347 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sites of the Ascetic Self reconsiders contemporary debates about ethics and subjectivity in an extended engagement with the works of John Cassian (ca. 360–ca. 435), whose stories of extreme asceticism and transformative religious experience by desert elders helped to establish Christian monastic forms of life. Cassian’s late ancient texts, written in the context of social, cultural, political, doctrinal, and environmental change, contribute to an ethics for fractured selves in uncertain times. In response to this environment, Cassian’s practical asceticism provides a uniquely frank picture of human struggle in a world of contingency while also affirming human agency in ways that signaled a challenge to followers of his contemporary, Augustine of Hippo. Niki Kasumi Clements brings these historical and textual analyses of Cassian’s monastic works into conversation with contemporary debates at the intersection of the philosophy of religion and queer and feminist theories. Rather than focusing on interiority and renunciation of self, as scholars such as Michel Foucault read Cassian, Clements analyzes Cassian’s texts by foregrounding practices of the body, the emotions, and the community. By focusing on lived experience in the practical ethics of Cassian, Clements demonstrates the importance of analyzing constructions of ethics in terms of cultivation alongside critical constructions of power. By challenging modern assumptions about Cassian’s asceticism, Sites of the Ascetic Self contributes to questions of ethics, subjectivity, and agency in the study of religion today.
Download or read book The Spiritual Life written by Reverend Adolphe Tanquerey and published by Catholic Way Publishing. This book was released on with total page 881 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE SPIRITUAL LIFE: A TREATISE ON ASCETICAL AND MYSTICAL THEOLOGY REVEREND ADOLPHE TANQUEREY — A Catholic Classic! — Two Parts of Four Books in One — Includes 1,773 Active Linked Footnotes — Includes Active Linked Headings, Index and Table of Contents — Includes Religious Illustrations Publisher: Available in Paperbacks: FIRST PART: ISBN-13: 978-1-78379-507-9 SECOND PART: ISBN-13: 978-1-78379-508-6 It is the writer’s conviction that Dogma is the foundation of Ascetical Theology and that an exposition of what God has done and still does for us is the most efficacious motive of true devotion. Hence, care has been taken to recall briefly the truths of faith on which the spiritual life rests. This treatise then is first of all doctrinal in character and aims at bringing out the fact that Christian perfection is the logical outcome of dogma, especially of the central dogma of the Incarnation. The work however is also practical, for a vivid realization of the truths of faith is the strongest incentive to earnest and steady efforts towards the correction of faults and the practice of virtues. Consequently in the first part of this treatise the practical conclusions that naturally flow from revealed truths and the general means of perfection are developed. The second part contains a more detailed exposition of the special means of advancing along the Three Ways towards the heights of perfection. Contents: FIRST PART: Principles SECOND PART: The Three Ways BOOK I: The Purification of the Soul or the Purgative Way BOOK II: The Illuminative Way BOOK III: The Unitive Way PUBLISHER: CATHOLIC WAY PUBLISHING
Download or read book Athanasius of Alexandria written by David M. Gwynn and published by Oxford University Press (UK). This book was released on 2012-02-16 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A bishop and theologian, an ascetic and a pastoral father, Athanasius of Alexandria (c.295-373) is one of the greatest and most controversial figures of early Christian history. This book draws together these diverse yet inseparable roles that defined Athanasius' life and the influence that he exerted on subsequent Christian tradition.
Download or read book The Body and Desire written by Raphael A. Cadenhead and published by University of California Press. This book was released on 2018-11-27 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although the reception of the Eastern Father Gregory of Nyssa has varied over the centuries, the past few decades have witnessed a profound awakening of interest in his thought. The Body and Desire sets out to retrieve the full range of Gregory’s thinking on the challenges of the ascetic life by examining within the context of his theological commitments his evolving attitudes on what we now call gender, sex, and sexuality. Exploring Gregory’s understanding of the importance of bodily and spiritual maturation for the practices of contemplation and virtue, Raphael A. Cadenhead recovers the vital relevance of this vision of transformation for contemporary ethical discourse.
Download or read book Ascetic Lives of Mothers written by Annalisa Boyd and published by . This book was released on 2014-04-15 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Annalisa Boyd knows motherhood--its challenges, its joys, and its potential for spiritual growth. In this prayer book she offers a wide selection of prayers mothers can use to intercede for their families as well as to grow in virtue themselves.
Download or read book Asceticism in the Graeco Roman World written by Richard Damian Finn and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2009-07-02 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pagan asceticism: cultic and contemplative purity -- Asceticism in Hellenistic and Rabbinic Judaism -- Christian asceticism before Origen -- Origen and his ascetic legacy -- Cavemen, cenobites, and clerics.
Download or read book Ascetic Pneumatology from John Cassian to Gregory the Great written by Thomas L. Humphries Jr. and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2013-10-24 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ascetic Pneumatology from John Cassian to Gregory the Great presents three interconnected arguments. The first argument concerns scholarly readings of antiquity: there are developments in 5th and 6th century Latin pneumatology which we have overlooked. Theologians like John Cassian and Gregory the Great were engaged in a significant discussion of how the Holy Spirit works within Christian ascetics to reform their inner lives. Other theologians, like Leo the Great, participate to a lesser extent in a similar project. They applied pneumatology to theological anthropology. Thomas L. Humphries, Jr. labels that development "ascetic pneumatology," and beings to track some of the late antique schools of thought about the Holy Spirit. The second argument concerns the reception of Augustine in the two centuries immediately after his death: different people read Augustine differently. Augustine's theology was known and understood to varying degrees in various regions. Humphries demonstrates significant engagements with Augustine's theology as it was relevant to Pelagianism (evidenced in Prosper of Aquitaine), as it was relevant to Gallic Arians (evidenced with the Lérinian theologians), and as it was relevant to African Arians and certain questions posed of Nestorianism (evidenced with Fulgentius of Ruspe). Instead of attempting to rank various theologians as better and worse "Augustinians," Humphries argues that there were different kinds of "Augustinianisms" even in the years immediately after Augustine. The third argument concerns Gregory the Great and his sources. Once we see that ascetic pneumatology was a strain of thought in this era and see that there are different kinds of Augustinianisms, we can see that Gregory depends on both Augustine and Cassian. In the closing chapters, Humphries argues that Gregory uses Cassian's ascetic pneumatology, and this allows Gregory's synthesis of Cassian and Augustine to stand in greater relief than it has before. The study begins with Cassian, ends with Gregory, and is attentive to Augustine throughout.
Download or read book Way of the Ascetics written by Tito Colliander and published by St Vladimir's Seminary Press. This book was released on 1985 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Way of the Ascetics is a rich, compact introduction for modern readers to the Eastern Christian spiritual tradition that has been an inspiration to millions for centuries. These compassionate and insightful reflections on self-control and inner peace are meant to lead the readers to fuller union with God. The author makes a generous selection of succinct yet profound extracts from the spiritual Fathers and provides an illuminating commentary and practical applications for daily devotion. He tempers austerity with common sense, warmth, and even humor, as he urges us on our journey toward God. Written for lay persons living fully in the world as much as for clergy, Way of the Ascetics is an excellent resource for daily meditation, authentic spiritual guidance, and a revitalized religious life."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Download or read book English Spirituality written by Martin Thornton and published by Cowley Publications. This book was released on 1986 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thornton's classic text surveying the English pastoral tradition answers basic questions: How does an Anglican spiritual guide go about the job? and What body of knowledge is required for competent guidance and how should it be applied? Thornton's survey moves from the New Testament to St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, and the English tradition's Celtic roots. Concludes with a comprehensive guide for spiritual directors.
Download or read book Indian Asceticism written by Carl Olson and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2015 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout the history of Indian religions, the ascetic figure is most closely identified with power. A by-product of the ascetic path, power is displayed in the ability to fly, walk on water or through dense objects, read minds, discern the former lives of others, see into the future, harm others, or simply levitate one's body. These tales give rise to questions about how power and violence are related to the phenomenon of play. Indian Asceticism focuses on the powers exhibited by ascetics of India from ancient to modern time. Carl Olson discusses the erotic, the demonic, the comic, and the miraculous forms of play and their connections to power and violence. He focuses on Hinduism, but evidence is also presented from Buddhism and Jainism, suggesting that the subject matter of this book pervades India's major indigenous religious traditions. The book includes a look at the extent to which findings in cognitive science can add to our understanding of these various powers; Olson argues that violence is built into the practice of the ascetic. Indian Asceticism culminates with an attempt to rethink the nature of power in a way that does justice to the literary evidence from Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain sources.
Download or read book Thoreau s Religion written by Alda Balthrop-Lewis and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2021-01-21 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Boldly reconfigures Walden for contemporary ethics and politics by recovering Thoreau's theological vision of environmental justice.
Download or read book The Blackwell Companion to Nineteenth Century Theology written by David Fergusson and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2010-03-18 with total page 552 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bringing together a collection of essays by prominentscholars, The Blackwell Companion to Nineteenth CenturyTheology presents a comprehensive account of the mostsignificant theological figures, movements, and developments ofthought that emerged in Europe and America during the nineteenthcentury. Representing the most up-to-date theological research, thisnew reference work offers an engaging and illuminating overview ofa period whose forceful ideas continue to live on in contemporarytheology A new reference work providing a comprehensive account of themost significant theological figures and developments of thoughtthat emerged in Europe and America during the nineteenthcentury Brings together newly-commissioned research from prominentinternational Biblical scholars, historians, and theologians,covering the key thinkers, confessional traditions, and majorreligious movements of the period Ensures a balanced, ecumenical viewpoint, with essays coveringCatholic, Russian, and Protestant theologies Includes analysis of such prominent thinkers as Kant andKierkegaard, the influence and authority of Darwin and the naturalsciences on theology, and debates the role and enduring influenceof the nineteenth century “anti-theologians”
Download or read book Western Asceticism written by Owen Chadwick and published by Westminster John Knox Press. This book was released on 1881 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Students of church history and the monastic ascetic life will find this volume of much interest. Contained are three important documents of the early Christian Church: The Sayings of the Fathers, The Conferences of Cassian, and The Rule of Saint Benedict.Long recognized for the quality of its translations, introductions, explanatory notes, and...
Download or read book Gregory the Great written by George E. Demacopoulos and published by University of Notre Dame Pess. This book was released on 2015-10-15 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gregory the Great (bishop of Rome from 590 to 604) is one of the most significant figures in the history of Christianity. His theological works framed medieval Christian attitudes toward mysticism, exegesis, and the role of the saints in the life of the church. The scale of Gregory's administrative activity in both the ecclesial and civic affairs of Rome also helped to make possible the formation of the medieval papacy. Gregory disciplined malcontent clerics, negotiated with barbarian rulers, and oversaw the administration of massive estates that employed thousands of workers. Scholars have often been perplexed by the two sides of Gregory—the monkish theologian and the calculating administrator. George E. Demacopoulos's study is the first to advance the argument that there is a clear connection between the pontiff's thought and his actions. By exploring unique aspects of Gregory's ascetic theology, wherein the summit of Christian perfection is viewed in terms of service to others, Demacopoulos argues that the very aspects of Gregory's theology that made him distinctive were precisely the factors that structured his responses to the practical crises of his day. With a comprehensive understanding of Christian history that resists the customary bifurcation between Christian East and Christian West, Demacopoulos situates Gregory within the broader movements of Christianity and the Roman world that characterize the shift from late antiquity to the early Middle Ages. This fresh reading of Gregory's extensive theological and practical works underscores the novelty and nuance of Gregory as thinker and bishop.
Download or read book The Spiritual Life written by Very Rev Adolphe Tanqueray S. S. D. D. and published by . This book was released on 2015-03-16 with total page 828 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First published in 1930, "The Spiritual Life" remains the most comprehensive one-volume treatise on ascetical and mystical theology. Widely respected among members of the Catholic faith, this book depicts the human experience of spirituality by examining the nature of the soul, path to salvation, and strategies for strengthening one's union with God. Father Adolphe Tanquerey sources his inspirational guidance from Sacred Scripture in addition to the writings of spiritual leaders and saints, including Thomas Aquinas. In this pioneering and instructional work, Father Tanquerey has compiled a complete, practical, and orderly overview of all the questions concerning the spiritual life in one volume. Although initially intended for clergy, this text proves especially efficacious in showing faithful followers the path to piety. The Reverend Father Adolphe Tanquerey, S.S., D.D., (1854-1932) was born in Blainville, France and joined the Society of St. Sulpice at the age of 18. After five years as a seminarian, he was ordained a priest and began his successful teaching career. His best known works include the three-volume "Synopsis Theologiae Dogmaticae" and comprehensive one-volume treatise "The Spiritual Life."
