In this book, Conrad Rudolph studies and reconstructs Hugh of St. Victor's forty-two-page written work, The Mystic Ark, which describes the medieval painting of the same name. In medieval written sources, works of art are not often referred to, let alone described in any detail. Almost completely ignored by art historians because of the immense difficulty of its text, Hugh of Saint Victor's Mystic Ark (c. 1125-1130) is among the most unusual sources we have for an understanding of medieval artistic culture. Depicting all time, all space, all matter, all human history, and all spiritual striving, this highly polemical painting deals with a series of cultural issues crucial in the education of society's elite during one of the great periods of intellectual change in Western history.

In this book, Conrad Rudolph studies and reconstructs Hugh of Saint Victor's forty-two-page written work, The Mystic Ark, which describes the medieval painting of the same name. In medieval written sources, works of art are not often referred to, let alone described in any detail. Almost completely ignored by art historians because of the immense difficulty of its text, Hugh of Saint Victor's Mystic Ark (c.1125D30) is among the most unusual sources we have for an understanding of medieval artistic culture. Depicting all time, all space, all matter, all human history and all spiritual striving, this highly polemical painting deals with a series of cultural issues crucial in the education of society's elite during one of the great periods of intellectual change in Western history."

Here are the writings of the man who was the great link between the early Christian mystics and the mystical awakening in medieval Europe. Richard (?-1173) was born in Scotland and joined the Abbey of St. Victor in Paris, where he became Superior and Prior.

During his explanation of both the painting made by Hugh for the school of Saint Victor & the text that describes it, Conrad Rudolph addresses "The Mystic Ark" in the two senses of the word "Ark." First, he speaks of the iconographical component of the Ark proper in the image of "The Mystic Ark," & "The Ark," a shortened title he sometimes uses when referring to either the image or the text of "The Mystic Ark." Created between 1125 & 1130, "The Mystic Ark" is a work that was conceived at a moment of previously unrivaled controversy over art & of perceived threat by science to theology. Rudolph recognizes, in his own text, the significance of the painting & text in understanding medieval visual culture & its polemical context. Color & black & white illus.

Message of the oneness of creation and the Divine spark within us all, forms "an eternal theology."

In this book, Sarah Rolfe Prodan examines the spiritual poetry of Michelangelo in light of three contexts: the Catholic Reformation movement, Renaissance Augustinianism, and the tradition of Italian religious devotion. Prodan combines a literary, historical, and biographical approach to analyze the mystical constructs and conceits in Michelangelo's poems, thereby deepening our understanding of the artist's spiritual life in the context of Catholic Reform in the mid-sixteenth century. Prodan also demonstrates how Michelangelo's poetry is part of an Augustinian tradition that emphasizes mystical and moral evolution of the self. Examining such elements of early modern devotion as prayer, lauda singing, and the contemplation of religious images, Prodan provides a unique perspective on the subtleties of Michelangelo's approach to life and to art. Throughout, Prodan argues that Michelangelo's art can be more deeply understood when considered together with his poetry, which points to a spirituality that deeply informed all of his production.

In a disturbingly violent world, four brilliant misfits are thrown together in a group home for troubled youth. Miranda, Doug, Taryn, and Elijah discover their minds have powers they could never have imagined. Drawn together by their deep concern for the future, they embark on a mission to stop the violence engulfing the world.