Spiritual discourse and the meaning of persons
Book Description
How do we understand what it means to be a person in the deepest spiritual sense? Patrick Grant explores this profound question by tracing the evolution of personhood through centuries of Christian spiritual writing and theological reflection.
At the heart of this exploration lies a fascinating connection: the same Greek word that describes the transfigured face of Christ in the Gospels became the Latin term for "person." This linguistic bridge reveals how Christian spirituality has always been fundamentally concerned with transformation—not just of the soul, but of our very understanding of what makes us human.
Grant demonstrates how theological definitions of personhood, originally developed to explain the Trinity's divine relationships, require something more than abstract reasoning. The great spiritual writers understood that becoming a person means becoming an agent of change, someone called to engage with and transform the world around them. This dynamic interplay between theological concepts and lived spiritual experience forms the backbone of Western spiritual literature.
Through careful examination of figures ranging from the New Testament writers to Julian of Norwich, from Erasmus to John Henry Newman, Grant reveals how spiritual discourse has consistently explored personhood through the lens of transfiguration. The result is a compelling argument that Christian mysticism is essentially about transformation, and that literature provides its most authentic expression.
This scholarly yet accessible work offers contemporary readers a framework for understanding spiritual personhood that remains relevant in our secular age.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~6 hours)
📄 Length: 202 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore mystical experiences
- ✓ Explore Christianisme
- ✓ Explore Littérature chrétienne
- ✓ Explore History of doctrines
- ✓ Explore Anthropologie théologique
- ✓ Explore Jesus christ, transfiguration
- ✓ Explore Theological anthropolgy
- ✓ Explore Mysticisme dans la littérature
