Description

Medieval philosophy is primarily associated today with universitybased disputations and the authorities cited in those disputations In their own time however scholastic debates were recognized as just one part of wideranging philosophical and theological discussions A Hidden Wisdom breaks new ground by drawing attention to another crucial component of these conversations the Christian contemplative tradition

The period from 1200 to 1500 in particular saw a dramatic increase in the production and consumption of mystical and contemplative literature in the Christian West by laypeople as well as religious scholars women as well as men A Hidden Wisdom focuses on five topics of particular interest namely selfknowledge reason and its limits love and the will persons and immortality and the afterlife This focus centers the often overlooked contributions of medieval women and demonstrates that when we reunite scholasticism with its contemplative counterpart we gain not only a more accurate understanding of the scope of medieval Christian philosophy and theology but also an increased awareness of a deeply practical tradition that builds up as well as tears down

The books treatment of topics and figures is meant to be representative rather than exhaustive a tasting menu rather than a comprehensive study