3,000 years of ideas about the nature of love in Western culture are brought together in this concise history. By blending the works of many scholars and examining the significant lives, works, and movements associated with love,
Love: A Brief History Through Western Christianity traces the evolution and impact of this timeless topic.
- Takes the reader on a lightning but enlightening journey through 3,000 years of the idea of love
- Examines the influential movements, people, and work that have helped shape our notion of love in Western culture, written by a key figure in religious history
- Tackles the historical and religious concept in Western society, and our efforts to apply ideas of love to social concerns
- Explores diverse periods and examples - from the theological and philosophical texts of figures such as Augustine, Luther, and Feuerbach to intellectual movements like Romanticism and tragic historic figures such as Abelard and Heloise
- Contributes valuable insights into one of history's most inexhaustible and timeless topics, spanning biblical views of love including monasticism and pietism, romantic notions of love, through to today's liberal religion and concept of love as self-fulfillment.
"This book is doubly impressive, both for covering so much material so expertly in such a short space and also for doing it with such elegant prose."
Paul Rorem, Princeton Theological Seminary
Love in all its guises has been debated since the beginning of recorded history. Its fascinating evolution in Western culture is traced in this concise history; one which spans the depth and complexity of this elusive topic.
By examining the significant lives, works, and movements associated with love, this enlightening little book contributes valuable insights into one of history's most inexhaustible and timeless topics. From the theological and philosophical texts of figures such as Augustine, Luther, and Feuerbach to intellectual movements like Romanticism and tragic historic figures like Abelard and Heloise, Love: A Brief History Through Western Christianity propels the reader across 3,000 years of the idea of love.
