John C. Hirsh

The Boundaries of Faith: the Development and Transmission of Medieval Spirituality (Studies in the History of Christian Thought, V. 67) John C. Hirsh

This volume deals with the ways in which religious faith was communicated and adapted during the late medieval period and after, and with the ways in which spirituality, culture, written texts and gender interacted during the same period. Drawing on texts such as the "Book of Margery Kempe", popular prayers, romances and devotions, well-known devout practices, mystical and visionary writing, and devout representations such as the "Arma Christi", the book addresses the ways in which these both informed and were informed by attitudes towards faith and belief which continue today. Topics covered include: the development of religious attitudes; devotion to Christ's blood; the influence of mysticism on literary texts; Chaucer's feminism; Eastern sources; and the transmission of medieval spirituality into the New World.