EasterBlack-owned or founded brands at TargetGroceryClothing, Shoes & AccessoriesBabyHomeFurnitureKitchen & DiningOutdoor Living & GardenToysElectronicsVideo GamesMovies, Music & BooksSports & OutdoorsBeautyPersonal CareHealthPetsHousehold EssentialsArts, Crafts & SewingSchool & Office SuppliesParty SuppliesLuggageGift IdeasGift CardsClearanceTarget New ArrivalsTarget Finds#TargetStyleTop DealsTarget Circle DealsWeekly AdShop Order PickupShop Same Day DeliveryRegistryRedCardTarget CircleFind Stores

Mary and the Art of Prayer - by Rachel Fulton Brown (Paperback)

Mary and the Art of Prayer - by  Rachel Fulton Brown (Paperback) - 1 of 1
$35.00 when purchased online
Target Online store #3991

About this item

Highlights

  • Would you like to learn to pray like a medieval Christian?
  • About the Author: Rachel Fulton Brown is associate professor of history at the University of Chicago.
  • 656 Pages
  • Religion + Beliefs, Christian Rituals & Practice

Description



About the Book



Would you like to learn to pray like a medieval Christian? Rachel Fulton Brown traces the history of the medieval practice of praising Mary through the complex of prayers known as the Hours of the Virgin. Mary and the Art of Prayer asks readers to immerse themselves in the experience of believing in and praying to Mary.



Book Synopsis



Would you like to learn to pray like a medieval Christian? In Mary and the Art of Prayer, Rachel Fulton Brown traces the history of the medieval practice of praising Mary through the complex of prayers known as the Hours of the Virgin. More than just a work of comprehensive historical scholarship, the book asks readers to immerse themselves in the experience of believing in and praying to Mary. Mary and the Art of Prayer crosses the boundaries that modern scholars typically place between observation and experience, between the world of provable facts and the world of imagination, suggesting what it would have been like for medieval Christians to encounter Mary in prayer.

Mary and the Art of Prayer opens with a history of the devotion of the Hours or "Little Office" of the Virgin. It then guides readers in the practice of saying this Office, including its invitatory (Ave Maria), antiphons, psalms, lessons, and prayers. The book works on several levels at once. It provides a new methodology for thinking about devotion and prayer; a new appreciation of the scope of and audience for the Hours of the Virgin; a new understanding of how Mary functions theologically and devotionally; and a new reading of sources not previously taken into account. A courageous and moving work, it will transform our ideas of what scholarship is and what it can accomplish.



Review Quotes




[This] book is extensively documented with hundreds of footnotes, and offers a wealth of material . . . not otherwise readily available to non-specialists.-- "Church History and Religious Culture"

An expansive study of the Virgin Mary . . . [this book] offers an insightful and thorough reading of a number of medieval Marian devotional sources, as well as an interpretation of the Marian office.-- "Journal of Religion"

An outstanding work that will be of interest to cultural historians, medievalists, and Mariologists.--Robert L. Fastiggi, Sacred Heart Major Seminary "Church History"

Brown makes the experience of the Hours of the Virgin come alive through the methodology of the book itself, which engages the reader through the structure of the Marian Office. . . . This book represents the best of traditional textual scholarship, with an innovative structure that captures the imagination.-- "Anglican and Episcopal History"

Given both its size and unique methodology, Mary and the Art of Prayer will challenge its readers to reconsider how they interpret the categories of 'medieval', 'imagination' and 'devotion'.--Rebekah Lamb "Catholic Herald"

If you would like to learn to pray like a medieval Christian, this book is for you.-- "Wonderpedia"

More than fifty years after Vatican II, the Council's Mariology is ripe for reassessment. Mary and the Art of Prayer could well be a game-changer in that conversation.-- "Speculuum"

No persuasive account of the Virgin can now ignore the liturgical and exegetical sources on which [Brown] lavishes such scrupulous care. And more than fifty years after Vatican II, the Council's Mariology is ripe for reassessment. Mary and the Art of Prayer could well be a game-changer in that conversation.-- "Speculum"

Rachel Fulton Brown has reconfronted us with her masterful book...--Fr. James V. Schall "Homiletic & Pastoral Review"

This book is the product of massive and original scholarship....the book requires an almost total rethinking of how we look on Mary today, this in the light of how medieval Christians understood her.-- "Homiletic and Pastoral Review"

Mary and the Art of Prayer brings medieval Marian devotions before the readers' eyes and elucidates the profound meanings in and spiritual preparations for serving the Virgin--Holy Wisdom, Queen of Heaven, and Container of Creation--through observance of her Hours. Rachel Fulton Brown's historical imagination is informed by brilliant scholarship, and her evocative prose rests easily beside citations of beauteous psalms.--Georgiana Donavin, author of Scribit Mater: Mary and the Language Arts in the Literature of Medieval England

Mary and the Art of Prayer is packed with information and insight, inviting the reader not just to examine medieval devotion to Mary but to experience that devotion. Medieval Christians had a rich and ancient tradition of devotion to the Lady of the Jerusalem temple. The reader is deftly drawn into the candle-lit Middle Ages, to read the Scriptures as the faithful read them, and to pray with them, not just to examine their practice of prayer. Based on many years of research, Mary and the Art of Prayer offers a huge collection of devotional material, all translated into English. Much of this is little known outside specialist circles. This book is a labor of love, written with real understanding.--Margaret Barker, author of The Great Angel and The Mother of the Lord

Deliberately (and often delightfully) provocative, Rachel Fulton Brown's book takes on Hilda Graef's classic Mary: A History of Doctrine and Devotion (1963-65) as its sparring partner. Fulton Brown highlights thirteenth-century Mariological writings that Graef treats only briefly and dismissively: Conrad of Saxony's Speculum Beatae Mariae Virginis, Richard of Saint-Laurent's De Laudibus Sanctae Mariae, and the famous Mariale Super Missus Est (until 1952, attributed to Albert the Great). Countering Graef's criticisms of these works as "questionable," "popular," "unhealthy," and manifesting "signs of decadence," Fulton Brown endeavors mightily to recover them as reflective of the theological vitality of an age deeply inspired by the Wisdom tradition of the Bible and by the prayer life of the faithful.--Ann Astell, author of Eating Beauty: The Eucharist and the Spiritual Arts of the Middle Ages

This volume is a stunning accomplishment--beautifully written, scholarly, and inspiring. Using medieval sources, it gives a detailed presentation of how the man or woman of the late Middle Ages may have read a book of hours. The resonances and allusions of each word and image are teased out so that the modern reader is able to engage the ancient devotion from, as it were, the inside. Both secular scholars and theologians will find their work enriched by reading Mary and the Art of Prayer. It leads the reader into the world of late medieval religious practice and sets an excellent example of method for future research.--Sarah Jane Boss, director of the Centre for Marian Studies, author of The Spirit of Mary



About the Author



Rachel Fulton Brown is associate professor of history at the University of Chicago. She is the author of From Judgment to Passion: Devotion to Christ and the Virgin Mary, 800-1200 (2002) and coeditor of History in the Comic Mode: Medieval Communities and the Matter of Person (2007), both from Columbia University Press.
Dimensions (Overall): 9.2 Inches (H) x 6.2 Inches (W) x 1.7 Inches (D)
Weight: 2.25 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 656
Genre: Religion + Beliefs
Sub-Genre: Christian Rituals & Practice
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Theme: Worship & Liturgy
Format: Paperback
Author: Rachel Fulton Brown
Language: English
Street Date: November 5, 2019
TCIN: 84182600
UPC: 9780231181693
Item Number (DPCI): 247-21-7160
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported

Shipping details

Estimated ship dimensions: 1.7 inches length x 6.2 inches width x 9.2 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 2.25 pounds
We regret that this item cannot be shipped to PO Boxes.
This item cannot be shipped to the following locations: American Samoa (see also separate entry under AS), Guam (see also separate entry under GU), Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico (see also separate entry under PR), United States Minor Outlying Islands, Virgin Islands, U.S., APO/FPO

Return details

This item can be returned to any Target store or Target.com.
This item must be returned within 90 days of the date it was purchased in store, shipped, delivered by a Shipt shopper, or made ready for pickup.
See the return policy for complete information.

Related Categories

Get top deals, latest trends, and more.

Privacy policy

Footer

About Us

About TargetCareersNews & BlogTarget BrandsBullseye ShopSustainability & GovernancePress CenterAdvertise with UsInvestorsAffiliates & PartnersSuppliersTargetPlus

Help

Target HelpReturnsTrack OrdersRecallsContact UsFeedbackAccessibilitySecurity & FraudTeam Member ServicesLegal & Privacy

Stores

Find a StoreClinicPharmacyTarget OpticalMore In-Store Services

Services

Target Circle™Target Circle™ CardTarget Circle 360™Target AppRegistrySame Day DeliveryOrder PickupDrive UpFree 2-Day ShippingShipping & DeliveryMore Services
PinterestFacebookInstagramXYoutubeTiktokTermsCA Supply ChainPrivacy PolicyCA Privacy RightsYour Privacy ChoicesInterest Based AdsHealth Privacy Policy