Description
Book SynopsisAs a result of the isolation of doctrinal theology from its roots in Christian spiritual life, the relationship between spirituality and theology is often perceived to be ambiguous and uneasy.
Trade Review"McIntosh offers a fruitful avenue for overcoming the split between theology and spirituality that has emerged in contemporary Christianity. His mastery of the history of mystical theology is insightful and impressive. His hermeneutical strategy, developed both in its theoretical and practical dimensions, makes a major contribution to the recent study of mysticism."
Bernard McGinn, University of Chicago
"Mystical Theology is one of the most sustained, systematic and impressive attempts at uniting spirituality and dogma, and demonstrating the necessity of this union, that I have encountered." Brian Horne, Kings College London
"The book is a sound exploration of the Christian mystical tradition. The strength of McIntosh's work is its attention to the postmodern question of the other, both human and divine. In short, McIntosh aptly shows that the mystical tradition, which has received comparatively little attention by modern theologians, can and must be an important source for postmodern thinkers. Those who are concerned to address the role of Christian theology in the postmodern age will find this book an important contribution." Timothy P. Muldoon, Mount Aloysius College, Journal of the American Academy of Religion
"This is a clearly-written and well-crafted argument for the reintegration of spirituality and theology." Michael Downey, Spirituality
Table of ContentsPreface ix
Part I Issues of History and Method 1
1 Spirituality and Theology: The Questions at Issue 3
2 Mystery and Doctrine: The Historical Intergity of Spirituality and Theology 39
3 Recovering the Mystical Element of Theology: The Twentieth-Century Examples of Rahner and von Balthasar 90
4 Theological Hermeneutics and Spiritual Texts 119
Part II Mystical Theology in Practice 149
5 Trinitarian Self-Abandon and the Problem of Divine Suffering 151
6 The Hiddenness of God and the Self-Understanding of Jesus 187
7 Love for the Other and the Discovery of the Self 211
Index 243
