Partakers of the Life Divine: Participation in the Divine Nature in the Writings of Charles Wesley

by S T Kimbrough Jr., Peter Bouteneff (Foreword by)

Overview

This volume is the first attempt to explore Charles Wesley's understanding of "participation in the divine nature," often described by the church fathers as deification and/or theosis, within the full spectrum of his prose and poetical compositions and in relation to many of the church fathers. While the Eastern Church has been the primary harbinger of the doctrine of deification from the patristic era to the present, Charles Wesley's theology illustrates that this emphasis is by no means absent in the West. Though patristic influences on Charles Wesley's thought are primarily through secondary sources such as the writings of Lancelot Andrewes and Richard Hooker, as well as through the influence of his brother John, this volume underscores prominent resonances with the church fathers. The extent of these resonances in Charles's theology as regards "participation in the divine nature" is so widespread in his writings that they form the matrix of his ideas of salvation, perfection, and holiness, all of which are intimately bound with life lived in and through the Eucharist. If taken seriously, Charles Wesley's ideas on "participation in the divine nature" will require a rethinking of the role of Wesleyan theology in spiritual formation and in ecumenical conversation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498201902
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	06/24/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	184
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

S T Kimbrough, Jr., is a Research Fellow of the Center for Studies in the Wesleyan Tradition of Duke Divinity School. He is the founder of The Charles Wesley Society and editor of its journal, Proceedings of The Charles Wesley Society. As author/editor he has published numerous books on Charles Wesley, including Charles Wesley: Poet and Theologian and The Unpublished Poetry of Charles Wesley (3 vols.).
S T Kimbrough, Jr. is a Research Fellow of the Center for Studies in the Wesleyan Tradition of the Divinity School of Duke University and founder of The Charles Wesley Society. He is editor of its journal Proceedings of The Charles Wesley Society and author/editor of several books on Charles Wesley including: The Unpublished Poetry of Charles Wesley, 3 vols., and The Manuscript Journal of the Reverend Charles Wesley, M.A., 2 vols.

Table of Contents

Foreword Peter Bouteneff ix

Abbreviations xiii

Technical Matters xv

Introduction 1

1 Background: Charles Wesley's Theology of Mystery 8

2 Prose Sources: Journal and Sermons 16

3 The Life Divine and Participation in the Divine Nature 25

4 The Incarnation and Participation in the Divine Nature 37

5 The Sacraments and Participation in the Divine Nature 45

6 The Trinity and Participation in the Divine Nature 61

7 The Church and Participation in the Divine Nature 74

8 Divine Love and Participation in the Divine Nature 87

9 Illumination and Participation in the Divine Nature 101

10 Transfiguration and Participation in the Divine Nature 113

11 Sanctification and Participation in the Divine Nature 122

12 Participation in the Divine Nature as Progression 128

13 Evaluating Charles Wesley's Views of Participation in the Light of the Early Church Fathers 136

Epilogue: The Philokalia and the Charles Wesley Corpus 149

Selected Bibliography 151

Index of Personal Names 159

Index of Scripture Passages 162

Index of Subjects 165