The Spiritual Senses
Perceiving God in Western Christianity

Provides a historical survey of the Christian spiritual sense tradition from Origen to von Balthasar.

Paul L. Gavrilyuk (Edited by), Sarah Coakley (Edited by)

9780521769204, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 10 November 2011

338 pages
22.9 x 15.7 x 2 cm, 0.66 kg

'The editors of this collection of essays are well-known and respected theologians. … It comes as no surprise that their introduction and respective input (one chapter each) to this volume are excellent. … this is a collection of high-quality essays, in which arguments are clearly marshalled and well supported by texts.' Louis Roy, The Thomist

Is it possible to see, hear, touch, smell and taste God? How do we understand the biblical promise that the 'pure in heart' will 'see God'? Christian thinkers as diverse as Origen of Alexandria, Bonaventure, Jonathan Edwards and Hans Urs von Balthasar have all approached these questions in distinctive ways by appealing to the concept of the 'spiritual senses'. In focusing on the Christian tradition of the 'spiritual senses', this book discusses how these senses relate to the physical senses and the body, and analyzes their relationship to mind, heart, emotions, will, desire and judgement. The contributors illuminate the different ways in which classic Christian authors have treated this topic, and indicate the epistemological and spiritual import of these understandings. The concept of the 'spiritual senses' is thereby importantly recovered for contemporary theological anthropology and philosophy of religion.

Introduction Paul Gavrilyuk and Sarah Coakley
1. Origen of Alexandria Mark J. McInroy
2. Gregory of Nyssa Sarah Coakley
3. Augustine Matthew R. Lootens
4. Gregory the Great George Demacopoulos
5. Pseudo-Dionysis the Areopagite Paul L. Gavrilyuk
6. Maximus the Confessor Frederick D. Aquino
7. Alexander of Hales Boyd Taylor Coolman
8. Thomas Gallus Boyd Taylor Coolman
9. Bonaventure Gregory F. LaNave
10. Thomas Aquinas Richard Cross
11. Late medieval mystics Bernard McGinn
12. Nicholas of Cusa Garth Green
13. Jonathan Edwards and his Puritan predecessors William J. Wainwright
14. John Wesley Mark T. Mealey
15. Hars Urs von Balthasar and Karl Rahner Mark J. McInroy
16. Analytic philosophers of religion William J. Abraham
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: Christian theology [HRCM], Religion: general [HRA]