Nicholas Of Cusa: Selected Spiritual Writings

Book Summary

The present selection of the spiritual writings of Nicholas of Cusa in English translation will certainly contribute to the enhancement of the already considerable reputation he has as one of the most original thinkers of the fifteenth century and also to the diffusion of his name. Sure to garner a wide audience is this latest volume in the unparalleled Classics of Western Spirituality. It gives fresh attention to the theological and mystical dimensions of the thought of Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464), th outstanding intellectual figure of the fifteenth century, as well as the gate-keeper between medieval and modern philosophy. Bond's introduction casts exciting new light on the development of Cusa's theology of spirituality. Then, for the first time in one volume in English is a translation of Cusa's basic mystical corpus: On Learned Ignorance; On the Hidden God; On Seeking God; On the Vision of God; and On the Summit of Contemplation. A unique feature is the annotated glossary of key Cusan terms that accompanies the texts. Cusa's writings reveal a remarkably imaginative and gifted theologian who anticipated contemporary questions of ecumenicity and pluralism empowerment and reconciliation, and tolerance and individuality. These translations particularly communicate to us his experience of a very large God who jostles us out of our parochialism. General readers and spiritual seekers interested in the history of mysticism or in the development of the western spiritual tradition will find this volume to be an enlightening and indispensable addition to a personal library.

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