Descent of the Dove: Short History of the Holy Spirit in the Church
by Charles Williams
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Readers have been handed countless titles claiming to portray "the History of Christianity," and yet few stray from well-trodden paths of historical analysis. The present work, however, takes flight over this sometimes dreary terrain. This is not to say that Charles Williams's The Descent of the Dove is at all unscholarly, but rather that it examines the rich history of Christendom in a unique and imaginative light, wholly consistent with the mind that penned it. For Williams, the history of show more the Church developed precisely around theological conflicts that threated to dilapidate it stone by stone. At each juncture when the Church seemed poised on the threshold of rejecting some essential doctrine, a figure arose to reconcile the opposites and restore continuing unity. Williams suggests that such periodic tensions are actually recurrences of a fundamental and ongoing confrontation within the Church between the apophatic or "negative way" (think St. John of the Cross) and the cataphatic or "positive way" (think St. Bonaventure). But despite dwelling on many instances of such conflict throughout Church history, Williams is at no risk of despairing. Rather, he argues that these two strains of theology, while remaining in tension throughout Church history, are not only reconcilable, but are indispensable for the full flourishing of the Church and her children. show lessTags
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A history of Christianity from its beginnings to the early twentieth century --the RUssian Revolution etc. --told from the assumption that it really is the work on earth of the Holy Spirit, a belief all (or almost all) Christians supposedly share,but very few other Christian historians treat seriously --possibly Newman is the other significant example.
This book is for anyone interested in theology or church history. Don't expect the usual though! As with anything by Charles Williams expect a completely different angle.
Intriguing, will have to go back to it later.
INDEX; CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE
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Church Times 100 Best Christian Books
106 works; 26 members
Author Information
74+ Works 6,938 Members
Charles Williams (1886-1945) joined, in 1908, the staff of the Oxford University Press, the publishing house in which he worked for the rest of his life. Throughout these years, poetry, novels, plays, biographies, history, literary criticism, and theology poured from his pen. At the beginning of the Second World War the publishing house was show more evacuated to Oxford where, in addition to his own writing and his editorial work for the Press, he taught in the University. show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Descent of the Dove: Short History of the Holy Spirit in the Church
- Original publication date
- 1939
- Important places
- Jerusalem
- Dedication
- For the Companions of the Co-inherence
- First words
- The beginning of Christendom is, strictly, at a point out of time.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)But, more than can be imagined, it might find that, in this present world, its labor was never more needed, its concentration never more important, its profit never perhaps more great.
- Blurbers
- Auden, W. H.
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Statistics
- Members
- 445
- Popularity
- 69,136
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (4.10)
- Languages
- English, Italian, Portuguese
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 13
- ASINs
- 15
