Charles Williams : The New Christian Year: Whitsun-Week Thursday

This is a reprint of 2 devotionals, "The New Christian Year" (1941) and "The Passion of Christ: Being the Gospel Narrative of the Passion with Short Passages Taken from the Saints and Doctors of the Church" (1939), both chosen by Charles Williams, an English poet, novelist, theologian, literary critic, and teacher. Charles Walter Stansby Williams was most often associated with the Inklings (a group of christian writers including J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis), Williams was also cited as a major influence on W.H. Auden's conversion to christianity and he was a peer and friend of T.S. Eliot, Dorothy Sayers and Evelyn Underhill. These devotionals collect writings from throughout the history of christian thought. His choices were novel at the time, referencing Kierkegaard just as his translations were appearing in english print (Williams helped edit the first translations in England) and drawing upon the little known sermons of the poet John Donne. For each day of the Church year (starting in Advent), quotes will be posted as they appeared in the 1941 edition of "The New Christian Year". They are categorized by the source on the left, so that readers can read more from each author. I will also add links to websites about each source. During lent the "The New Christian Year" will be supplemented by quotes from "The Passion of the Christ". This text has passages from the Gospel accounts of the passion supplemented by quotes from the "Saints and Doctors of the Church".

Whitsun-Week Thursday

When a man here on earth is illuminated by the Holy Spirit from the spring of Jesus Christ . . . there comes into his heart and his veins such joy that the whole body triumphs, as though it were in the Holy Trinity, which they alone understand who have been its guests.

Jakob Boehme: Aurora.

Comments

Jakob Böhme, I believe, a man who truly experienced the presence of God...for the letters that Jakob Böhme penned hundreds of years ago are true and real and await the experience today in those who are able to turn their WHOLE being, their ENTIRE purpose to GOD. Thank you for quoting him.

Posted by: Carol Ann Listenbee | February 17, 2009 at 09:42 PM

Hey,

Glad you found The New Christian Year. I wouldn't have known about Boehme, had it not been for the books I transcribed that were compiled by Charles WIlliams. As either T.S. Elliot or C.S. Lewis put it, one seems to get to know Charles Williams in his writings as well as you do in person and one wouldn't forgo either experience. I transcribed his devotionals into this blog because it helps illumine the influences on his thought.

Posted by: TomWills | February 18, 2009 at 12:03 AM

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Charles Williams : The New Christian Year

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