The Physics of Angels: Exploring the Realm Where Science and Spirit Meet [Paperback]

Matthew Fox (Author), Rupert Sheldrake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 6, 1996

What are angels? Many people believe in angels, but few can define these enigmatic spirits. Now visionary theologian Matthew Fox and acclaimed biologist Rupert Sheldrake - pioneers in modern religious thinking and scientific theory - launch a groundbreaking exploration into the ancient concept of the angel and restore dignity, meaning, and joy to our time-honored belief in these heavenly beings.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Here is another book about heaven's winged creatures. But, what a book this is. Essentially a dialogue between the radical theologian and Episcopalian priest Fox and maverick biologist Sheldrake, this book is a bizarre amalgam of New Age speculation and exploration of the writings of Dionysius the Areopagite, Thomas Aquinas and Hildegard of Bingen for news of angels. Of angel lore there is much of merit in this book, but the book is irritating when it pretends to be science rather than spirituality. The authors' work would have benefited from a heavier editorial hand, for the book often reads like an e-mail exchange in which the effort at dialogue too easily descends into monologue. Fox and Sheldrake have written a book that is charming without being dangerous.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Two thinkers present an unusual synthesis of scientific and spiritual ideas, examining modern theology and science in a title which blends Bible passages, quotes from the writings of three great Christian mystics, and reflections backed by modern science. The passages are presented in dialogue form in which the authors respond to quotes, creating an interview-like atmosphere in this eye-opening, witty presentation. -- Midwest Book Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco; 1st edition (September 6, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060628642
• ISBN-13: 978-0060628642
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #80,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #91 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Mysticism

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a real angel book without the New Age pap!, October 21, 1999

By 

Crystal Di'anno (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Physics of Angels: Exploring the Realm Where Science and Spirit Meet (Paperback)

If you, like me, believe that angels exist but are sick to death of mass-market New Age pablum books on angels, this book is for you. A highly respected theologian (Fox) and an equally respected biologist (Sheldrake) talk about science, nature, and angels, both the good and the bad. I think even an agnostic or skeptic would enjoy this book.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Metaphysics, July 3, 2007

By 

Nannette S. Wear "Naos" (Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Physics of Angels: Exploring the Realm Where Science and Spirit Meet (Paperback)

This was a Very thought provoking book, but I would not expect anything less from Sheldrake and Fox. I highly recommend reading other books by both of these men. They are both "fringe" thinkers but so was Galileo.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE FIRST DIALOGUE BETWEEN THESE TWO FIGURES, July 22, 2010

By 

Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Physics of Angels: Exploring the Realm Where Science and Spirit Meet (Paperback)

Matthew Fox (born 1940) is a theologian and bestselling advocate of "Creation Spirituality." He became a Catholic priest of the Dominican order, but was removed in 1992, and has subsequently become an Episcopalian priest. He has published an autobiography, Confessions: The Making of a Post-Denominational Priest. Rupert Sheldrake (born 1942) is an English biochemist and plant physiologist, perhaps best-known for his theory of "morphic resonance" that was proposed in his book A New Science of Life. They have also jointly written the book Natural Grace: Dialogues on creation, darkness, and the soul in spirituality and science.

They state in the Preface of this 1996 book, "It may seem unlikely that a scientist and a theologian would sit down at the end of the twentieth century to discuss angels. Both disciplines at the end of the modern era appear equally embarrassed by this subject. Nevertheless, although angels have been ignored by the scientific and theological establishments, recent surveys have shown that many people still believe in them... We are entering a new phase of both science and theology, and the subject of angels becomes surprisingly relevant again."

Here are some representative quotations from the book:

MF: "For theologians it became an embarrassment for three hundred years even to mention angels. But angels are mentioned throughout the Bible. Whenever you talk about cosmology, the angels come out."
MF: "We should put up a sign: ANGELS NEEDED. There's plenty of work for angels in a period of interconnectivity."
MF: "Imagination sets us off from the angels. It shows how we have something they don't have."
MF: "We are a bridge between the material world and the spirit world, and it gets us down. How badly we fail both worlds!"