Product Description

A book of writings by the French spiritual writer Jean Borella that should appeal to the audience for Christian mysticism.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1492051 in Books
• Published on: 2001-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 215 pages

From the Back Cover
Gathering key writings from the French religious philosopher Jean Borella's works, this book moves the reader from the immediacy of the physical world to a world deep within ourselves. Throughout Borella's writings, there is a "resurrectional" power to his words, a way of seeing things that "makes all things new," that endows us with an ability to look anew on Christ and his Body the Church. Translator and editor G. John Champoux has used a selection from Saint Bonaventure's The Soul's Journey into God to preface each of Borella's writings and to show how these insights can take us from our ordinary surroundings into our innermost world.

About the Author
Jean Borella is a retired Professor of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy at the University of Nancy II. He is the author of many books, including most recently, Le sens du surnaturel, Symbolisme et rEalitE, and sotErisme guEnonien et mystEre chrEtien. G. John Champoux has also translated Jean Borella's The Sense of the Supernatural.

Customer Reviews

Jean Borella's Mystical Christian Ascent.
_The Secret of the Christian Way_ consists of a series of translations of the writings of French Roman Catholic theologian and traditionalist Jean Borella. In addition to basing his theological reflections on Scripture, the Church fathers, and the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church, Jean Borella has also been heavily influenced by Cardinal Henri de Lubac's view of the "Surnaturel" as well as the writings of the traditionalist school founded by Rene Guenon and further developed by Ananda Coomaraswamy and Frithjof Schuon. One of Borella's major contributions in this book especially is to revive the idea of an authentic Christian gnosis (as opposed to the false gnosis of the early Gnostic heretics condemned for example by Saint Irenaeus in _Against the Heresies_). Gnosis itself is scriptural in origin, the word being used by Saint Paul to refer to true faith, but also used as a term of denunciation to refer to "pseudoscience" or "false knowledge" which proliferated among early Gnostic heretics and was also denounced by Saint Irenaeus. In this respect, the role of Mary, the Theotokos, in the church and Christ (God made flesh)as the Immaculate Conception, thereof, plays an important part in an understanding of true gnosis. Borella notes that Gnosticism is opposed by both sides from the "Right and the Left", meaning that both forces of tradition and of progress have been known to condemn Gnosticism. However, here Borella has attempted to revive the authentic form of gnosis which is simply faith as opposed to the "pseudoscience" of false Gnosticism. This book contains many reflections on different topics concerning the "Christian way" as well as the role of Christ as Savior and Redeemer of mankind. Borella's writings are influenced especially by the neoPlatonism and ultra-realism of Saint Bonaventure whose verses serve as introductions to each separate section and also by the mysticism of Meister Eckhart as well as the reflections of Origen on the "apocastasis" (the final redemption of all souls in God - Borella notes that what burns in hell indeed is the fire of Divine Love). The book is divided into seven "stages", each made to symbolize a form of ascent. These include "Contemplating God through His Vestiges in the Universe" (which consists chiefly of reflections on the Trinity), "Contemplating God in His Vestiges in the Sense World" (which consists of an interpretation of science and cosmology in the light of Nicholas of Cusa but also reflections on modern Newtonian and subsequent science, as well as an explanation of symbolism), "Contemplating God through His Image Stamped upon Our Natural Powers" (which consists of an explanation of man and his divinity in Christ in the New Testament), "Contemplating God in His Image Reformed by the Gifts of Grace" (which consists of reflections on love and gnosis in the Creator as well as reflections on the opening of the human heart in the Old Testament, the Kabbalah and Jewish tradition), "Contemplating the Divine Unity through its Primary Name which Is Being" (which consists of reflections on love of Self and God), "Contemplating the Most Blessed Trinity in its Name Which is Good" (which consists of reflections on the Holy Trinity and the divine hypostases), and finally "The Sabbath of Rest and Ecstasy" (which consists of reflections on the Body of Christ and the metaphysics of eternal exposition). Borella's reflections include detailed remarks about the errors in the postmodern philosophy of such thinkers as Jacques Derrida as well as mention of modern science and comparison of it to tradition. Borella also frequently mentions other religious traditions including the Vedanta of India and the Sufi mysticism of Islam and compares these forms of mysticism with authentic Christian mysticism. Borella makes some interesting remarks about early Christianity and some of the early accusations against the Christians (that of worshipping an ass-headed God crucified as well as cannibalism and the drinking of blood) and relates these to the Egyptian deity Set and shows how this in fact represents a satanic inversion of true Christianity (Set being a representation of Satan). Borella also mentions the mythical lost continent of Atlantis first described by Plato in his _Critias_ and _Timaeus_ and later revived by subsequent esotericists. In addition, Borella reflects on the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil" within the context of Genesis in the Garden of Eden and relates this to the Cross in which Christ is crucified between two thieves (one good, the other evil). This shows some of the occult influence of thinkers such as Rene Guenon on the theology of Borella. However, despite his inclinations towards various obscure points of view as well as esoteric initiation, Jean Borella remains thoroughly orthodox and truly loyal to Christianity in the form of Roman Catholicism. His theology attempts to integrate a proper understanding of gnosis into Roman Catholic theology based on a revival of certain early Church fathers and Scripture. In this respect he has been praised by other noted Roman Catholic theologians such as Hans urs van Balthassar. Borella remains ambivalent towards certain documents of the Second Vatican Council which have posed such a problem to many of those loyal Catholics who wish to maintain a traditionalist outlook. In this sense, Borella represents a revival of tradition within the Church. This volume is translated from the French by G. John Champoux and offers a unique and beautiful extension of the writings of the traditionalist school (founded by Rene Guenon) and an integration of gnosis into Roman Catholic theological thought.