Michael Ramsey

Evelyn Underhill (1875–1941) was a poet, novelist and author of numerous works on religion and spiritual practice, she is best known for her book Mysticism published in 1911 and still in print. She became a prominent Anglo-Catholic, proponent of contemplative prayer and member of the Anglican Pacifist Fellowship and prolific author. Exceptionally, for a woman of her time, she gave lectures for the clergy, conducted retreats and established ecumenical links. She became an honorary Doctor of Divinity (University of Aberdeen) and a Fellow of King’s College for Women, London. This book examines Underhill’s approach to mysticism and includes eight hitherto unpublished letters written by her to a novice at the Convent of St Mary the Virgin at Wantage.

The book is divided into three parts. Part One provides a thematic analysis and exegetical commentary on all the relevant biblical and cognate literature, including Josephus, Philo and the Mishnah. Part Two investigates the thinking of key Christian theologians on the Holy Spirit, from the Apostolic Fathers to eighteenth century authors such as John Wesley and Jonathan Edwards. Part Three examines more recent writings on the Spirit, from the nineteenth century onwards, including major systematic theologians such as Schleiermacher, Barth and Moltmann, as well as biblical scholars such as James D G Dunn, Gordon Fee and Gerd Theissen. Thiselton concludes the entire study by identifying seven fundamental themes, and calling for greater dialogue between mainstream scholarship and contemporary leaders of the Pentecostal and Renewal movements.

"Tree of Knowledge - A Voyage to Eternity" presents one possible answer to the question "Why is there something rather than nothing?" Can the spiritual world be entered using the laws of physics? A priest's passion for his religion, his science, his God and the woman he loves propels him on a journey to discover the ultimate Truth, and the frightening power that this knowledge gives him.

'Michael Ramsay's profound simplicity leaps off the page . . . The Christian Priest Today can be read with great and lasting benefit by anyone interested in this strange and magnificent vocation.' John Pritchard, author of The Life and Work of a Priest Of all Michael Ramsey's many books, The Christian Priest Today is perhaps the best loved and most enduring. The main part of the volume is composed of charges to ordination candidates, with an emphasis on the intellectual and devotional life of the minister in an increasingly self-sufficient world. Later chapters reflect on the ministry of the laity, the theology of priesthood and the roles of bishop and presbyter in the context of the practical meaning of divine vocation.

Archbishop Michael Ramsey was one of the church's most remarkable twentieth-century saints--wise and humble, humorous and compassionate. These introductory lectures on Anglicanism reveal the breadth of Ramsey's theological understanding, his ecumenism, and his vision of the church and the Christian life. Informal and conversational in style, the lectures offer an overview of Anglican theology, spirituality, and history. Ramsey begins with Anglicanism's enduring characteristics, including its dependence on Scripture, tradition--the ancient writers of the church who guide us in interpreting the Bible--and reason, our God-given capacity for divine revelation. Next Ramsey explores its teachings on theology and the sacraments, Tractarianism and the Oxford Movement, the renaissance of Anglican religious communities, and the evolving doctrines of creation, incarnation, and the Holy Spirit. The final section presents Ramsey's theology of the church and Anglicanism's relationship to Rome and the Orthodox churches.