Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T18:53:37.719Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Theology and Spirituality: Strangers, Rivals, or Partners?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 September 2014

Sandra M. Schneiders*
Affiliation:
Jesuit School of Theology, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

After tracing the history of the term “spirituality” and the discipline of spirituality up to the mid-twentieth century, this article describes the contemporary understanding of spirituality as lived religious experience and of the academic discipline which studies this subject. This phenomenology of the discipline grounds a position on the relationship between lived spirituality and theology on the one hand, and the academic disciplines of spirituality and theology on the other.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The College Theology Society 1986

References

1 See Alexander, Jon, “What do Recent Writers Mean by Spirituality?Spirituality Today 32 (1980), 247–48.Google Scholar

2 Besides the program at Institut Catholique in Paris and the Institute di Spiritualità at the Gregorian University in Rome there are several doctoral programs in the United States, notably at Fordham University in New York City and at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California.

3 The Catholic Encyclopedia, ed. Herbermann, C. G.et al. (New York: Encyclopedia Press, 19131922).Google Scholar

4 New Catholic Encyclopedia, ed. Catholic University of America staff (New York: McGraw-Hill, 19671979).Google Scholar

5 Dictionnaire de Spiritualité Ascétique et Mystique, ed. Viller, M. (Paris: Beauchesne, 19371984).Google Scholar

6 The series began under the general editorship of Richard Payne and is being carried forward by John Farina.

7 Westminster Dictionary of Christian Spirituality, ed. Wakefield, Gordon (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1983).Google Scholar

8 The history of the term “spirituality” was studied in great detail by Tinsely, Lucy, The French Expression for Spirituality and Devotion: A Semantic Study Studies in Romance Languages and Literatures, 47 (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1953).Google Scholar

9 See Jean Leclercq, augmenting Tinsley's work, in an article entitled ‘Spiritualitas’”, Studi Medievali 3 (1963), Ser. 3, 279–96.Google Scholar In this section of the paper I am much indebted to Leclercq.

10 For a brief summary of the relevant biblical material, see Sudbrack, Josel, “Spirituality,” Sacramentum Mundi (New York: Herder and Herder, 1970), 6:148–49.Google Scholar

11 See Leclercq, Jean, “Introduction,” tr. Coyne, Monique, The Spirituality of Western Christendom, ed. Elder, E. Rozanne (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1976).Google Scholar

12 Cf. Lumen Gentium V:4041.Google Scholar

13 Pourrat, Pierre, Christian Spirituality, 4 vols., tr. Mitchell, W. H. and Jacques, S. P. (Westminster: Newman, 19531955 [1927]).Google Scholar

14 Tanquerey, Adolphe, The Spiritual Life: A Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology, tr. Branderis, H. (2nd rev. ed.; Tournai: Desclee, 1930).Google Scholar

15 Ibid., p. vii.

16 Ibid., p. 1.

17 Ibid., p. 5.

18 Ibid., pp. 5-26.

19 Pourrat, , Christian Spirituality, 1:v.Google Scholar

20 Garrigou-Lagrange, Reginald, The Three Ages of the Interior Life, 2 vols., tr. Doyle, T. (New York: B. Herder, 1948).Google Scholar

21 Most notably, Revue d'ascétique et de mystique which began publication in 1920 changed its name to Revue d'Histoire de la spirituaiité in 1972.

22 Alexander, , “What do Recent Writers Mean?” pp. 251–52.Google Scholar

23 Panikkar, Raymundo, The Trinity and the Religious Experience of Man: Icon-Person-Mystery (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1973), p. 9.Google Scholar

24 Macquarrie, John, Paths in Spirituality (New York: Harper & Row, 1972), p. 40.Google Scholar

25 Wakefield, Gordon, “Spirituality,” Westminster Dictionary of Christian Spirituality, ed. Wakefield, G. (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1983), p. 361.Google Scholar

26 Hardy, Richard P., “Christian Spirituality Today: Notes on its Meaning,” Spiritual Life 28 (1982), 154.Google Scholar

26 Williams, Rowan, Christian Spirituality: A Theological History from the New Testament to Luther and St. John of the Cross (Atlanta: John Knox, 1979), p. 1.Google Scholar

28 Duquoc, Christian, “Theology and Culture: Religious Culture, Critical Spirit, the Humility of Faith, and Ecclesiastical Obedience,” tr. Foster, J. R., in Concilium 19 (New York: Paulist, 1966), 89.Google Scholar

29 See Ricoeur, Paul, Interpretation Theory: Discourse and the Surplus of Meaning (Fort Worth: Texas Christian University Press, 1976), p. 79.Google Scholar

30 See, on the nature of the field-encompassing field, Harvey, Van A., The Historian and the Believer: The Morality of Historical Knowledge and Christian Belief (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1966), pp. 38–67, esp. 5459.Google Scholar