Medieval Theology

Read by the author. Jesus through Medieval Eyes will take you on an exploration of medieval representations of Jesus in theology and literature. Who is Jesus? What is he like? And who am I, encountering Jesus? These questions were just as important to Christians in the Middle Ages as they are...

This anonymous fourteenth-century text is the glory of English mysticism, and one of the most practical and useful guides to finding union with God ever written. Carmen Acevedo Butcher’s new translation is the first to bring the text into a modern English idiom - while remaining strictly faithful to the meaning of the original Middle English. The Cloud of Unknowingconsists of a series of letters written by a monk to his student or disciple, instructing him (or her) in the way of Divine union.

For many, the medieval world seems dark and foreign - a miraculous, brutal, and irrational time of superstition and strange relics. The pursuit of heretics, the Inquisition, the Crusades, and the domination of the "Holy Land" come to mind.

Originally published in the 16th century, this is the classic history of the lives, sufferings, and deaths of the early Christian martyrs. As interesting as fiction, it is written with both passion and tenderness, telling the dramatic story of some of the most thrilling periods in Christian history.

The church has had a rigorous answer to your questions about angels for 750 years. Nobody ever taught it to you. That's not an accident. Thomas Aquinas worked through what angels actually are in the Summa Theologica, and the result was so dense, so technically demanding, so dependent on a scholastic method most people have never encountered, that it simply stayed there. Scholars read it. Theologians cite it. Ordinary Christians who want to know what the tradition actually says about the spiritual realm don't find it. Aquinas concluded that angels are pure intelligences. No flesh, no bone, ...

At the approach of the first millennium, the Christians of Europe did not seem likely candidates for future greatness. They saw no future beyond the widely anticipated Second Coming of Christ. But when the world did not end, the peoples of Western Europe suddenly found themselves with no choice but to begin the heroic task of building a Jerusalem on Earth. In The Forge of Christendom, Tom Holland masterfully describes this remarkable new age, a time of caliphs and Viking sea kings, the spread of castles, and the invention of knighthood.

Reason and Faith in Harmony: Understanding the Enduring Ideas of Thomas Aquinas takes readers on a journey into the mind of one of history’s greatest thinkers. Known as the Angelic Doctor, Aquinas shaped theology, philosophy, ethics, and politics in ways that continue to influence the modern world. This book explores his life, his vision of faith and reason, his famous Five Ways to prove the existence of God, his reflections on the human soul, and his lasting contributions to law, morality, and the common good. Written in clear and accessible language, it provides both newcomers and ...

There comes a moment when words are no longer enough. You’ve read the books. You’ve said the prayers. You’ve tried to quiet your mind—only to find it louder than ever. And somewhere beneath all the effort, a quiet question remains: Is there more to prayer than this? The Cloud of Unknowing for Beginners opens the door to a deeper way—one that has guided seekers for centuries, yet remains almost hidden in plain sight. This is not another book of spiritual theories or complex theology. It is a clear, practical introduction to one of the most powerful and misunderstood approaches to ...

What if God is not found by saying more—but by learning when words must fall silent? For centuries, the mysterious writer known as Pseudo-Dionysius shaped Christian mysticism, sacred theology, contemplative prayer, and the language of divine mystery. His writings taught generations of believers that God can be truly known, yet never fully captured by names, images, doctrines, or ideas. Pseudo-Dionysius for Beginners makes this profound tradition clear, accessible, and deeply rewarding for modern readers. Whether you are new to Christian mysticism or already drawn to apophatic theology, ...

The Devil, Satan, Lucifer, Mephistopheles - throughout history the Prince of Darkness, the Western world's most powerful symbol of evil, has taken many names and shapes. Jeffrey Burton Russell here chronicles the remarkable story of the Devil from antiquity to the present. While recounting how past generations have personified evil, he deepens our understanding of the ways in which people have dealt with the enduring problem of radical evil. Russell uncovers the origins of the concept of the Devil in various early cultures and then traces its evolution in Western thought from the time of the ancient Hebrews through the first centuries of the Christian era. Next he turns to the medieval view of the Devil, focusing on images found in folklore, scholastic thought, art, literature, mysticism, and witchcraft.

FAIRACRES PUBLICATIONS 138 Walter Hilton (c.1343-96) offers clear and practical advice for Christians trying to balance their duty towards others with a drawing towards prayer and contemplation. He says that there is no fixed order of priority in these things, and Christ himself gives us the supreme example of the ‘mixed life’. A fresh translation into modern English. Rosemary Dorward read English at St Hilda’s College, Oxford. An edition of ‘The Scale of Perfection’ which she translated and edited jointly with John P. H. Clark, has been published by Paulist Press in the series ...

In May 1373, the English mystic Julian of Norwich was healed of a serious illness after experiencing a series of visions of the Blessed Virgin and of Christ's suffering. Her account, A Revelation of Love, is considered one of the most remarkable documents of medieval religious experience. In this book, Frederick Bauerschmidt provides a close and historically sensitive study of Julian's Revelation of Love that addresses the relationship between our understanding of God and our vision of human community.

What happens when the most guarded secrets of Jewish mysticism cross into Christian apocalyptic movements—at the height of the medieval Inquisition? Book Three: The Tau (Part I) is the most dramatic and theologically charged volume of The Name Trilogy. Set between 1307 and 1321, this historical-mystical novel explores the dangerous convergence of Abraham Abulafia’s ecstatic Kabbalah, Joachim of Fiore’s apocalyptic vision, and underground Christian movements persecuted by the Church. At the center stands a haunting mystery: a man burned alive while chanting the Hebrew Divine Name. His ...

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.

FAIRACRES PUBLICATIONS 222 This essay examines the theology of, and relationship between, the saintly Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153), customarily considered a traditionalist, and the arrogant, brilliant and controversial philosopher Peter Abelard (1079–1142), disruptive and famously disgraced in his lifetime. To modern readers Bernard emerges from his conflict with Abelard in an unappealing light, yet Bernard’s behaviour, however much we may now appreciate Abelard, arose from his view of the older man as a climber among the foothills of theology, the effect of whose excursions into ...

Yes, I know that memorizing the Faith is no substitute for living a holy life, but even devout people can't live by truths and precepts they don't remember. That's why, over 700 years ago, St. Thomas Aquinas perfected an easy method for his students to memorize most any information, but especially the truths taught by Christ and His Church. Now thanks to Memorize the Faith!, you can easily keep all these in mind by tapping into the power of the classical memory system that helped St. Thomas become the Church's preeminent theologian.

The tale of St. Josaphat, a prince who gave up his wealth and kingdom to follow Jesus, was widely told and read in the Middle Ages, translated into a dozen languages, and even cited by Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice. Only in the 19th century did scholars note the parallels between the lives of Buddha and Josaphat. In Search of the Christian Buddha traces the Buddha’s story from India to Persia to Jerusalem and then throughout Europe, as it was rewritten by Muslim, Jewish, and Christian authors, illustrating its unsuspected integration into European culture.

This work explores the writings of three great medieval theologians, all doctors of the church, and all enormously influential not only within their time but for centuries to come. Anselm of Canterbury, Bernard of Clairvaux, and Thomas Aquinas all held positions of significant sway within their monastic circles and their writings have continued to be points of reference, both for Catholic and Protestant theologians to this day. Simultaneously, a development of the twin themes of God’s attributes of transcendence and immanence is an appropriate starting point not just for theology proper ...

🎄 THE TRADITIONS YOU LOVE…FINALLY EXPLAINED 🕯️ FROM MIDWINTER FIRES TO MODERN FAMILY MAGIC 🎁 SANTA, STOCKINGS, TREES, CAROLS, CANDLES, FEASTS—WHERE IT ALL CAME FROM 📚 SHORT CHAPTERS, BIG WOW-FACTS, ZERO TEXTBOOK BOREDOM ✨ THE PERFECT COZY READ (AND GIFT) FOR DECEMBER Welcome to the “behind the tinsel” story of the world’s most beloved celebration. This book is a fast, fascinating, easy-to-follow tour through centuries of faith, folklore, culture, & pure human creativity—showing how today’s favorite December moments were built, borrowed, remixed, & made ...

Each day, it seems another Christian institution or leader breaks our trust, raising questions about whether faith is an asset or a liability for living today. After almost three decades as a pastor, Gregg Koskela watched the disillusionment and pain grow as their church community splintered and broke apart.