In the School of Prophets

Book Description

In the School of Prophets explores the profound spiritual evolution of Thomas Merton during his final decade, revealing how diverse voices across cultures and centuries shaped his distinctive prophetic consciousness. Through careful examination of Merton's journals and letters, Ephrem Arcement OSB traces the contemplative monk's engagement with an extraordinary range of thinkers and writers who influenced his understanding of what it means to live as both a spiritual seeker and a voice for justice in the modern world.

This scholarly yet accessible study illuminates how Merton drew inspiration from sources as varied as the ancient Hebrew prophets and contemporary Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, from the mystical poetry of William Blake to the existential insights of Søren Kierkegaard and Gabriel Marcel. The book demonstrates how novelists like Boris Pasternak, Albert Camus, and William Faulkner, along with Latin American poets and the wisdom of desert monastics, contributed to Merton's evolving spiritual vision.

Rather than simply cataloging influences, Arcement reveals how these encounters transformed Merton's contemplative practice and prophetic calling. Readers discover how a twentieth-century monk synthesized wisdom from multiple traditions to address the spiritual challenges of his era. This work offers valuable insights for anyone seeking to understand how diverse spiritual and literary traditions can inform contemporary contemplative life and social consciousness.

For students of spirituality, this examination provides a compelling portrait of intellectual and spiritual formation in action.