Christian Spirituality - Orbis Books

RICHARD J. WOODS, O.P.Christian SpiritualityGod’s Presence through the Ages

Founded in 1970, Orbis Books endeavors to publish works that enlighten the mind,nourish the spirit, and challenge the conscience. The publishing arm of theMaryknoll Fathers and Brothers, Orbis seeks to explore the global dimensions ofthe Christian faith and mission, to invite dialogue with diverse cultures and religioustraditions, and to serve the cause of reconciliation and peace. The books publishedreflect the views of their authors and do not represent the official position of theMaryknoll Society. To learn more about Maryknoll and Orbis Books, please visitour website at www.maryknoll.org.Copyright © 1989, 1996, 1998, 2006 by Richard Woods.This revised edition published in 2006 by Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY 10545-0308.All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by anymeans, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any informationstorage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from thepublisher.Queries regarding rights and permissions should be addressed to: Orbis Books, P.O.Box 308, Maryknoll, NY 10545-0308.Manufactured in the United States of America.Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataWoods, Richard, 1941–Christian spirituality : God's presence through the ages / Richard J. Woods.p. cm.Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN-13: 978-1-57075-644-3 (pbk.)1. Church history. 2. Spirituality. I. Title.BR145.3.W66 2006270—dc222005025170

CONTENTSPrefaceIntroductionSpirit and Presencexiiixviixviii1. Jesus and His FollowersGod’s Abiding Presence 1The Spirituality of Jesus 2A Sense of Presence 4The Inheritance from Israel 4The Abode of God 5God’s Presence in Christ 8The Legacy of Judaism 92. The First ChristiansReligious Rivalry and the Quest for Wisdom 10The Fisher of Sheep 10The Thirteenth Apostle 12James the Just 13The Human Milieu 13Varieties of Jewish Spirituality 14Jewish Monasticism 15Early Christian Pluralism 16The Art of Life 18Early Christian Wisdom 203. Fire on EarthCharism and Crisis in the Early Church 22Come the End: Millennial Illusions and Delusions 23Charismatic Gifts: The Lure of the Exotic 24Seeking Signs and Wonders: The Lure of the Miraculous 25A Charismatic Crisis in Corinth 26The Role of Prophecy in the Early Church 28The Future of Prophecy: Montanism 28v

viCONTENTSTertullian: The Wasp of Carthage 29Charisms in Crisis 304. MartyrsThe Seed of the Church 32The Presence of Christ in the Death of His Saints 34Early Martyrs: The Birth Pangs of Christianity 35Preserving the “Acts” of the Martyrs 36Women of Faith 37The Cult of the Martyrs 38Seeds of Dissension 39The Donatist Crisis 40Church Militant 41The Circumcellions: Downward Christian Soldiers 415. Ordinary Faith and Spiritual Ferment 43Ordinary Spirituality in the Early Church 43Word and Worship 44The Evolution of Ministry: Christians in the World 46Women and Children: Towards Christian Equality 47The Church and Slavery 47The Gnostic Crisis: The Threat of Spiritual Elitism 48Marcion: The Son of Satan 50The Apologists: Defenders of the Faith 51Alexandria: Cradle of Theology and Mysticism 51Philo Judaeus 52Alexandrian Christianity: The Gnostic Masters 52Clement of Alexandria: The Pedagogue 53Christian Spirituality in the Late Empire 54Towards a New Age 556. The Desert and the City 56Alexandria’s Legacy 56Antioch: The Letter and the Spirit 59The Appeal of Arianism 60Athanasius: “Old Immortality” 61Desert Dwellers: The Emergence of Monasticism 62The Great Cappadocians 65Evagrius Ponticus 67The Legacy of Christian Cappadocia 68

viiiCONTENTS10. The Rebirth of Christendom 105The Carolingian Renaissance 106Alcuin: The Heritage of English Monasticism 106John Scottus Eriugena: The Pride of Ireland 107Britain: The Parting of the Ways 109The Synod of Whitby 110Benedictine Evangelization and Agrarian Reform 110Early English Spirituality 111Alfred: Greatness in England 112Darkness in the East 112The Rise of Islam 113The Image Breakers 113The Second Assault 11411. Spiritual Reform and Military Conquest 116The Misfortunes of the Papacy 116The Year 1000: Millennialism Redux 117The Abbey of Cluny and Church Reform 118The Return of the Hermits 118The New Puritanism: St. Peter Damian 119The Abbey of Bec and the Norman Conquest 119Reform from Within: The New Popes 121The Coming of the White Monks 122Molesmes and Citeaux: Saintly Abbots 123New Life: The Vita Apostolica 124The New Age and Its Spirituality 124Warriors of Christ: The Crusades 125Schism and Contemplation 12712. Spiritual Explosion 128Bernard of Clairvaux: Last of the Fathers 128The Cistercian Kingdom of Love 129Aelred of Rievaulx: “God Is Friendship” 130The Matter of Women 131Queens and Abbesses: Uppity Women of theTwelfth Century 131Hildegard of Bingen: The Sibyl of the Rhine 132The Cistercian Abbesses 133Vita Activa, Vita Contemplativa: Finding a Balance 134The Canons of Prémontré 135

CONTENTSixThe Canons of St. Victor: Theology and Mysticism 135The New Millennialism: Apocalypse Revisited 136Vita Apostolica Redux: Enthusiasm, Excess,and Reaction 13713. The Golden Age 140The Decline and Fall of the Celtic Church 141Innocent III: Vicar of Christ 143The Coming of the Friars 144Dominican Women 146Francis: The Poor Christ of Assisi 146Clare of Assisi: Sister Moon 147Anthony of Padua: The Teacher 148Bonaventure: The Seraphic Doctor 148The Flowers of St. Francis 14914. The Mystical Revolution of the Fourteenth Century 151Women of God 151The German Women Mystics 153Reaction: The Case of Marguerite Porete 154Meister Eckhart: Master of Mystics 155The Birth of God 156Jacopone da Todi: Mystical Troubadour 157Catherine the Greater 158Catherine and the Pope 159The Beginning of the End 16015. The Autumn of Christendom 162Flemish Mysticism 162The English Mystics: Love and Unknowing 163Heat, Sweetness, and Song: Richard Rolle 163The Cloud and the Ladder 164The Anonymous Anchorite at St. Julian’s 165The Would-Be Saint: Margery Kempe 166The Fall of the East 167Christian Soldiers: The March of Folly 167The Hesychast Controversy 168Athos: God’s Holy Mountain 169St. Gregory Palamas: Champion of Orthodoxy 169The Experience of God 170New Rome 172Action versus Contemplation 172The Emergent Lay Spirit 173

CONTENTSxiThe New World: Conquest and Expansion 213Europe Divided: Gallicanism 214Madame Acarie and Her Circle 215Pierre Bérulle: The “Other” Cardinal 216Francis de Sales and Jane-Frances de Chantal 217Monsieur Vincent: Champion of the Poor 218The Jansenism Controversies 219Reconciling Opposites: The Ministry of Bossuet 220The Rise of German Pietism 221The Survival of Mysticism 222The Anglican Inheritance 223Puritan Reaction 224The Puritan Spirit 225Radical Dissent: Baptists and Quakers 227A Gentle Warming of the Heart:The Emergence of Methodism 228The Enlightenment: Reason versus Revelation 22820. Progress and Reaction 230Revolution and the Decline of Religion 230Recovery and Outreach 231Orthodox Spirituality 232The Liberal Spirit 233Germany: The Return to Orthodoxy 234England: Retreat and Revival 235The Oxford Movement and the Road to Rome 236Churches in the Wilderness 237The Millennial Spirit 238More Signs and Wonders 239The Rise and Fall of Modernism 240The Achievement 24121. The Twentieth CenturyCrises and Renewal 243In Search of Fundamentals 244New Beginnings 244Spiritual Accents: West and East 246Ecumenism: From Competition to Cooperation 247Post-Conciliar Spiritual Trends 248Emancipation and Liberation: Christian Women 249Latin America: The Sleeping Giant 250Civil Rights and the Peace Movement 251

xiiCONTENTSWitnesses to Change: Teilhard de Chardin andThomas Merton 252A New Pentecost: The Charismatic Movement 253Sacred vs. Secular: New Religious Movements 254New Age Movements 255The Quest for Wholeness 257“Back to the Earth!” 258Eco-Spirituality: The Legacy of E. F. Schumacher 258Glasnost and Sobornost 260Transition 26122. The Third MillenniumDarkness before Dawn 263Ominous Prelude: 11 September 2001 266The Promise of Ecumenism 268Decline and Growth 269Religion vs. Spirituality 271Saving the World 271Spirituality for a Possible Future 273Six Characteristics 274Epilogue 277Ever New Frontiers 277Notes 281Resources 305Index 309