André Louf's probing essay on the nature of humility revisions this fundamental Christian virtue away from the misunderstandings of both the scholastic tradition and its modern counterparts to locate humility in the ancient sources of the monastic tradition. His incisive study prefaces a collection of primary texts which range from the early desert fathers to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. The translator has added further information about the author and his other writings as well as a bibliography for further reading.
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Louf hits the mark on Christian humility,
By
This review is from: The Way of Humility (Monastic Wisdom) (Paperback)
Louf is a Trappist monk and retired abbot of Mont des Cats Abbey in northern France. This short book is a concise read on humility. The author wastes no words and so it is easy to read a sentence and then read it again, to let it soak in. There are many insights.
One is the origin of the word "humility" in the Latin word for nutrient matter in the soil. Another gem is Louf's observation that humility is counter-cultural these days. He notes that it is seen as a character weakness by most of the fathers of modern psychology. Louf points out that pride and humility are mutually exclusive and that true humility is often a cry for help. "It is there, at the center of the crisis ... that a true humility, like a gift from the Spirit, is born," Louf writes. Far from being an action one takes for others to see, humility is a condition that comes through life's toughest trials. To make that point, Louf quotes St. Bernard: "God prefers a repentant sinner to a self-righteous virgin." The second half of the book is a collection of texts on humility, beginning with scripture and ending with St. Bernard's writings in the 12th century. As our economy falls apart and crises comes home, this little book offers insight into the positives that attend such a crisis. In short, few people seek humility. Instead, the circumstances of life often impose it.
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Way of Humility strives to enlighten the spirit as well as set guidelines for understanding,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Way of Humility (Monastic Wisdom) (Paperback)
Written by Cistercian Abbey monk Andre Louf and smoothly translated from the original French by theology professor Lawrence S. Cunningham, The Way of Humility is a serious-minded essay upon the nature of humility itself. Describing humility as an essential Christian virtue, seeking to reclaim this high quality as respected in ancient sources of the monastic tradition. Drawing upon selected primary texts including writings of the early desert fathers and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, The Way of Humility strives to enlighten the spirit as well as set guidelines for understanding an intangible human quality that nevertheless reflects the divine.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Life Changing! Want to understand the secret people are trying to hide well then read this book!!!,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Way of Humility (Monastic Wisdom) (Paperback)
Very simply it showed me what true humility was! Not to mention how this knowledge can be now used to change the way you think in times of distress! Want to find out how? Then read this book but be warned have a dictionary handy as there are words that are pretty hard to decifer without one!
Happy Reading!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
One day, the Apothegmata tells us, Saint Anthony stepped out of his hermitage where he saw all the snares of the devil spread out like a net over the world. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Holy Spirit, Saint Thomas, Isaac the Syrian, Abba Poemen, Abba Anthony, Saint John Cassian, Humble Person Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
One day, the Apothegmata tells us, Saint Anthony stepped out of his hermitage where he saw all the snares of the devil spread out like a net over the world. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Holy Spirit, Saint Thomas, Isaac the Syrian, Abba Poemen, Abba Anthony, Saint John Cassian, Humble Person Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
