Reviews for Angelic Spirituality: Medieval Perspectives on the Ways of Angels

The average rating for Angelic Spirituality: Medieval Perspectives on the Ways of Angels based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-01-13 00:00:00 Richard Turner Wonderful introduction to Medieval Angel Spirituality. The selected excerpts of spiritual works come from some well known medieval thinkers, such as Bernard of Clairveux, and some lesser known authors such as Thomas Gallus, Alan of Lille, and Hugh of St. Victor. Many of the selections include meditations or exercises that one can put into their own modern practice. With all the fluff on the new age shelves regarding angels, this is a welcomed book of substance. Like many of the works in this series, this is not a book for beginners. A strong good familiarity with the Bible, Song of Solomon, and especially Pseudo-Dionysus is assumed. I'd recommend Paulist Press' Western Classic of Pseudo-Dionysus as a prerequisite - especially the Celestial Hierachy.

Review # 2 was written on 2021-02-16 00:00:00 Elaine Beal I read this as part of a project to familiarize myself with some of the fundamental works of medieval literature and scholarship. I was not disappointed. While the unabridged Summa is rather daunting unless you know precisely which chapters to seek out, this Shorter Summa is eminently approachable, both as a student of history, and, I think, as a student of theology or ordinary Christian. I actually use my notes from this work as a short-form guide to the unabridged Summa, reminding me where to look for various topics. Aquinas' work is monumental and yet to be surpassed, because it came at the culmination of scholasticism and before the Papal schism and Protestant reformation that tore the Church apart and shaped the thoughts of later theologians. While in late life, St. Thomas is said to have in some way rejected his own scholarly approach to his faith in favor of some true experience of the divine (Martin Luther would have been thrilled), the work still stands as one of the best expositions of Catholic doctrine for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of theology.