Prayer and Thought in Monastic Tradition - by Santha Bhattacharji & Dominic Mattos & Rowan Williams (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Prayer and Thought in Monastic Tradition presents a chronological picture of the development of monastic thought and prayer from the early English Church (Bede, Adomnan) through to the 17th Century and William Law's religious community at King's Cliffe. Essays interact with different facets of monastic life, assessing the development and contribution of figures such as Boniface, the Venerable Bede, Anselm of Canterbury and Bernard of Clairvaux. The varying modes and outputs of the monastic life of prayer are considered, with focus on the use of different literary techniques in the creation of monastic documents, the interaction between monks and the laity, the creation of prayers and the purpose and structure of prayer in different contexts. The volume also discusses the nature of translation of classic monastic works, and the difficulties the translator faces. The highly distinguished contributors include; G.R. Evans, Sarah Foot, Henry Mayr-Harting, Brian McGuire, Henry Wansbrough and Rowan Williams.

Review Quotes

"I cannot here do justice to all the essays in this book. However, all in all, this is a very fitting tribute to a gracious lady who by her work as a medievalist and a translator has done so much to further research in the early monastic tradition ... These 21 essays, each by experts in their own fields, offer the reader a rich feast of writings on various aspects of monastic learning in fields such as history, prayer, theology, spirituality, hagiography, and liturgy, and the volume deserves a place on the bookshelf of anyone seriously interested in these or in any aspect of early English monastic life." --Journal of Theological Studies

"The range of subjects covered by these essays is itself a remarkable testimony to [Sister Benedicta's] breadth of interests." --Fairacres Chronicle

"All the essays are well researched and prepared in a manner to further the study of monastic prayer and thought. ... illuminating the reader and providing insight into each historical personage and period." - Regina Pfeiffer, Chaminade University of Honolulu, USA, Horizons

About the Author

Santha Bhattacharji is Senior Tutor at St Benet's Hall, and a member of the English Faculty at the University of Oxford, UK.

Rowan Williams (Baron Williams of Oystermouth) is Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, UK. He was formerly Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford, UK, and was Archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 - 2012.

Dominic Mattos is a publisher and writer, and studied Theology at the University of Oxford, UK.