Medieval and Renaissance Spirituality: Discovering the Treasures of the Great Masters

by Jaoudi, Maria

• ISBN13: 9780809146598
• ISBN10: 0809146592
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-07-31
• Publisher: Paulist Pr

Summary

True spirituality does not happen in a vacuum as a "God-and-me" phenomenon independent of any context. Rather, it develops and is lived and expressed through the cultural mindset of its time and place. In this accessible and well-illustrated book, Maria Jaoudi opens the treasures of the theology and spirituality of the Middle Ages and Renaissance in the three major Western religious traditions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Through an enlightening discussion of the architecture of Europe's cathedrals; the work of two remarkable medieval women, Julian and Hildegard; the sefirot of the Jewish Kabbalah; the Islamic love mystics Rabi'a and Rumi; the Florentine masters of the Renaissance; and others, she shows how spirituality was made manifest in the great art and writings of the medieval and Renaissance periods. The great masters of these ages come to life to speak to all who seek to learn more about spirituality and expand their prayer life. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Maria Jaoudi is professor of humanities and religious studies at California State University, Sacramento, where she teaches courses on world religions and cultures, mysticism, ecology, and film. The author of Christian and Islamic Spirituality and Christian Mysticism East and West, Dr. Jaoudi is a painter of spiritual themes and participates in juried exhibits.

Table of Contents

Art Credits	p. v
Acknowledgements	p. vi
Introduction	p. vii
Seeking God: Christian Culture	p. 1
The Real World is Inside: Teresa of Avila	p. 17
The Jewish Mystical View: The Kabbalah	p. 33
The Theological Visions of Chartres Cathedral and the Abbey Church of Saint-Denis	p. 46
"And we walked out once more beneath the stars". Dante	p. 56
Religion and Ecology: Hildegard of Bingen	p. 66
Islamic Love Mysticism: Rabi'a and Rumi	p. 78
The Inner is the Outer: Florence	p. 94
Spirituality: Lessons from the Medieval and Renaissance Masters	p. 110
Notes	p. 117
Index	p. 135
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