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The Secret Within : Hermits, Recluses, and Spiritual Outsiders in Medieval England - Wolfgang Riehle

The Secret Within

Hermits, Recluses, and Spiritual Outsiders in Medieval England

By: Wolfgang Riehle, Charity Scott-Stokes (Translator)

eBook | 5 February 2014 | Edition Number 1

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Spiritual seekers throughout history have sought illumination through solitary contemplation. In the Christian tradition, medieval England stands out for its remarkable array of hermits, recluses, and spiritual outsiders—from Cuthbert, Godric of Fichale, and Christina of Markyate to Richard Rolle, Julian of Norwich, and Margery Kempe. In The Secret Within, Wolfgang Riehle offers the first comprehensive history of English medieval mysticism in decades—one that will appeal to anyone fascinated by mysticism as a phenomenon of religious life.

In considering the origins and evolution of the English mystical tradition, Riehle begins in the twelfth century with the revival of eremitical mysticism and the early growth of the Cistercian Order in the British Isles. He then focuses in depth on the great mystics of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries—Richard Rolle (the first great English mystic), the author of The Cloud of Unknowing, Walter Hilton, Margery Kempe, and Julian of Norwich. Riehle carefully grounds his narrative in the broader spiritual landscape of the Middle Ages, pointing out both prior influences dating back to Late Antiquity and corresponding developments in mysticism and theology on the Continent. He discusses the problem of possible differences between male and female spirituality and the movement of popularizing mysticism in the late Middle Ages. Filled with fresh insights, The Secret Within will be welcomed especially by teachers and students of medieval literature as well as by those engaged in historical, theological, philosophical, cultural, even anthropological and comparative studies of mysticism.

Industry Reviews

"A completely fresh look at the question of solitude and its relationship to the production of theological texts.... A sensitive and subtle book.... Although The Secret Within is centered on familiar writers and works, Riehle's approach to them gives them new freshness.... His detailed, subtle, and dense readings serve to remind us how rich these texts are and how fully they repay constant study."

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Paperback

Published: 15th May 2018

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