Selected Writings

Selected Writings

Benedictine nun, poet and musician, Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was one of the most remarkable figures of the Middle Ages. She undertook preaching tours throughout the German empire at the age of sixty, and was consulted not only by her religious contemporaries but also by kings and emperors, yet it is largely for her apocalyptic and mystical writings that she is remembered. This volume includes selections from her three visionary works, her treatises on medicine and the natural world, her devotional songs, and fascinating letters to prominent figures of her time. Dealing with such eternal subjects as the relationship between humans and nature, and men and women, Hildegard's works show her to be a wide-ranging thinker who created such fresh, startling images and ideas that her writings have been compared to Dante and Blake.

Selected Writings

This volume of the acclaimed Classics of Western Spirituality(TM) is a significant one. It offers new translations of a representative selection of the spiritual writings of Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787)-saint, bishop, religious founder (the Redemptorist Congregation), and doctor of the church. The late Frederick M. Jones, principal editor of this volume, and author of an acclaimed biography of Alphonsus, has written an exceptional introduction that outlines this saint's life, with particular emphasis on the political, sociological, and intellectual climate of Bourbon Naples in which he lived, wrote, and ministered. The writings presented here demonstrate the wide range of his work and its relevance to Christian life and spirituality in our own day: o Spiritual Writings o Spiritual Direction o Devotional Writings o Prayer o Moral Theology o Letters Alphonsus' devotional writings had an enormous impact on the practices of Catholic piety right up to Vatican II. In addition, he played an influential role in the development of moral theology. This collection of his works fills a demand for an English translation of Alphonsus' major spiritual works. Among the interested readers will be members of the Redemptorist order, theology students, and students of 18th century Italian church history and society. +

Selected Writings