Divine Indwelling

Written to commemorate the 750th anniversary of St. Bonaventure's death in 1274, Divine Indwelling is the fourth of Douglas Dales' comprehensive studies of the theology of St. Bonaventure. Deification, the belief that God can be directly known through Jesus Christ by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, is becoming increasingly important in current theological thought, and unites Eastern and Western Christianity. This book explores deification in Bonaventure's distinctive teaching, and through close study of his various writings, reveals that deification is an important and uniting theme within his thought. As with the preceding books, Divine Indwelling acts as a bridge into the thought of Bonaventure, whilst addressing the spiritual needs of the modern Church. Beginning with the New Testament texts that support belief in the divine promise of deification, Douglas Dales reveals Bonaventure's deep belief that deification is an immediate spiritual reality and the vocation for any Christian.



by Douglas Dales



Preface Introduction 1. Foundations - New Testament texts and the Commentary on St John's Gospel 2. Deiformity -The Commentary on the Sentences and the Treatise on the Knowledge of Christ 3. Capax Dei -The Itinerarium, or the Journey of the Mind into God 4. Divine Indwelling -The Breviloquium, a 'Summa' of Christian Theology 5. The Throne of Grace -The Collations on the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit 6. Theotokos -The Blessed Virgin Mary in the Collations on the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit 7. The Way, the Truth and the Life -'Christ, the One Teacher of All' and The Tree of Life 8. Cherishing the Soul -The Mystical Vine, Five Feasts of the Child Jesus 9. The Life of Prayer -On Governing the Soul, On the Perfection of Life, The Soliloquium, The Six Wings of the Seraph and the 'Tract for Preparation for Mass' 10. St Francis -The Life of St Francis of Assisi, the Legenda Maior Bibliography Biblical Index Index of Names