Divine Audacity: Unity and Identity in Hugh of Balma, Eckhart, Ruusbroec, and Marguerite Porete [Hardcover]

A new synthesis of the thought of four key Medieval writers on the themes of mystical union, volition and virtue.


In Divine Audacity, Peter Dillard presents a historically informed and rigorous analysis of the themes of mystical union, volition and virtue that occupied several of the foremost theological minds in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. In particular, the work of Marguerite Porete raises complex questions in these areas, which are further explored by a trio of her near contemporaries. Their respective meditations are thoroughly analysed and then skilfully brought into dialogue.

What emerges from Dillards synthesis of these voices is a contemporary mystical theology that is rooted in Hugh of Balmas affective approach, sharpened through critical engagement with Meister Eckharts intellectualism, and strengthened by crucial insights gleaned from the writings of John Ruusbroec. The fresh examination of these thinkers  one of whom paid with her life for her radicalism  will appeal to philosophers and theologians alike, while Dillards own propositions demand attention from all who concern themselves with the nature of the union between the soul and God.GBHow are we to conceive of union with God? What is the role of knowledge, if any, in attaining mystical union? Focussing on the thought of Hugh of Balma, and drawing Eckhart, Ruusbroec and Margarete Porete into conversation, Peter Dillard's rich and challenging study offers highly original answers to these questions. Whether or not one agrees with his dialetheistic approach, readers will benefit tremendously from his incisive analysis and impressive scholarship.In exploring the nature of mystical union, Divine Audacity offers careful analysis and clarity of exposition, shedding new light on the key issues at stake in the thought of a number of the most important contemplative theologians of the late thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. This book is highly recommended for aló)