Book details

Book description

Engagingly written by one of the world's leading scholars in this field, this comprehensively revised edition tells the story of Christian spirituality from its origins in the New Testament right up to the present day.

• Charts the main figures, ideas, images and historical periods, showing how and why spirituality has changed and developed over the centuries
• Includes new chapters on the nature and meaning of spirituality, and on spirituality in the 21st century; and an account of the development and main features of devotional spirituality
• Provides new coverage of Christian spirituality's relationship to other faiths throughout history, and their influence and impact on Christian beliefs and practices
• Features expanded sections on mysticism, its relationship to spirituality, the key mystical figures, and the development of ideas of 'the mystical'
• Explores the interplay between culture, geography, and spirituality, taking a global perspective by tracing spiritual developments across continents

Philip Sheldrake is Senior Research Fellow at the Cambridge Theological Federation, UK, regularly a visiting professor in the USA, and a former president of the International Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality. He is the author of numerous books including Explorations in Spirituality: History, Theology & Social Practice (2010), Spaces for the Sacred: Place, Memory & Identity (2001), and Living between Worlds: Place and Journey in Celtic Christianity (1997).