The bonds of love : St. Peter Damian's theology of the spiritual life

St Peter Damian (1007-1072) is an exceptional example of a paradox that is found in many saints and thinkers through the ages (St Jerome, St Bernard, St Bridget of Sweden, St Teresa of Avila and Thomas Merton come to mind) – of a lifelong tension between two competing vocations: the call to solitude and holiness and the call to prophetic social and ecclesial engagement. The author has explored this tension throughout his adult life, both in his published work and in his own life as an Episcopalian/Anglican priest and later bishop. Damian's "The Book of 'The Lord be with you'" is a profound exploration of the spirituality of solitude, whereas his "Book of Gomorrah" is an intense attack on clerical sexual abuse which has helped to give Damian a new recent prominence in the light of the huge challenges facing the Church today. The Bonds of Love shows that the paradox at the heart of Damian's life and everything he cared about was rooted in the remarkable theology of love which finds expression across the whole of his work and gives it both coherence and dynamism. His life and spirituality are of far more than academic interest, and will make a major contribution, not only to those committed to ecclesial reform and renewal, but to all who struggle to live with the kind of competing tensions that made St. Peter Damian who he was. St Peter Damian (1007-1072) is an exceptional example of a paradoxthat is found in many saints and thinkers through the ages (StJerome, St Bernard, St Bridget of Sweden, St Teresa of Avila andThomas Merton come to mind) - of a lifelong tension between twocompeting vocations: the call to solitude and holiness and the callto prophetic social and ecclesial engagement. The author hasexplored this tension throughout his adult life, both in hispublished work and in his own life as an Episcopalian/Anglicanpriest and later bishop. Damian's "The Book of 'The Lord be withyou'" is a profound exploration of the spirituality of solitude,whereas his "Book of Gomorrah" is an intense attack on clericalsexual abuse which has helped to give Damian a new recentprominence in the light of the huge challenges facing the Churchtoday. The Bonds of Love shows that the paradox at theheart of Damian's life and everything he cared about was rooted inthe remarkable theology of love which finds expression across thewhole of his work and gives it both coherence and dynamism. Hislife and spirituality are of far more than academic interest, andwill make a major contribution, not only to those committed toecclesial reform and renewal, but to all who struggle to live withthe kind of competing tensions that made St. Peter Damian who hewas "Explores the spirituality of St. Peter Damian, a reformer of church and society in the Middle Ages; explores tension between a call to solitude and holiness and a call to prophetic social and ecclesial engagement"-- Provided by publisher Shows that the paradox at the heart of St Peter Damian's life and everything he cared about was rooted in the remarkable theology of love which finds expression across the whole of his work and gives it both coherence and dynamism. Contents Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction 1. Creation 2. God 3. Church 4. Scripture 5. Cloister 6. Solitudo Pluralis 7. Asceticism 8. Spirituality 9. Sabbath Conclusion Bibliography Index