Christian Spirituality - The Classics

The subtitle of this book is somewhat misleading, as it is in fact a companion to a series of classic Christian texts rather than the texts themselves. Each chapter introduces a classic, gives a synopsis and then discusses the main themes and the influence of the text in our time. Most of the names are very well known, beginning with Origen and Augustine and moving through Bernard of Clairvaux, Mechtild of Magdeburg, Bonaventure, Catherine of Siena, John of the Cross, Francis de Sales, George Herbert, Soren Kierkegaard, Evelyn Underhill, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Thomas Merton. I was glad to see Marguerite Porete included, but Eckhart and Ruysbroeck are missing. However, the book serves its purpose very well.