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Part of Spirituality: 1. Concept 2. History of Christian Spirituality 3. Special Features A. Biblical Foundations and Historical Developments 1. “Spirit” in Scripture. Both the term and the content of what is generally referred to as Christian spirituality have their origin in the NT. Judaism had already combined in וּרתַ ( pneuma, spiritus, spirit) a number of associated meanings which are important for us. Spirit was the life-force stemming from God with its psychological and dogmatic intelligibility — with an ever clearer accent on “the religio…

Part of Spirituality: 1. Concept 2. History of Christian Spirituality 3. Special Features Any thumb-nail sketch of the history of Christian spirituality bristles with difficulties. There are so many facets to depict: theology (where, for instance, some authors have neglected St. Irenaeus), liturgy, religious custom, asceticism and mysticism in the strict sense, psychology, sociology, ethnology and other supplementary disciplines; the endless variety of spirituality in individuals, groups, trends, periods, etc. In spirituality, the subjective act, the individuum ineffabi…

A. The History of Christian Prayer Prayer, as generally understood, can take many forms. And it is significant that “in early times . . . the ОТ contains no general term for prayer” ( RGG , II, col. 1213). This suggests that we should consider the subject, which is certainly a unified theme, from more than one aspect if we are to avoid over-hasty conclusions. There are two classical definitions “Speaking to God” (or Christ) has been a spontaneous description of prayer since the Apostolic Fathers (διάλεξις, homilia, conversatio). But theology adopted another definition, generally at…

Part of Spirituality: 1. Concept 2. History of Christian Spirituality 3. Special Features A. Meditation 1. As opposed to the terms “mental prayer” and “contemplation”, the traditional terna “meditation” is increasingly employed nowadays, even outside the domain of Christian life and spirituality. Its meaning ranges from a psychosomatic technique and therapy acquired by yoga exercises and the practice of auto-suggestion, to ordinary intellectual and personal reflection, or even to advanced forms of religious an…