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Document Details : Title: A Wide and Fleshly Love Subtitle: Images, Imagination, and the Heart of God Author(s): WRIGHT, Wendy M. Journal: Studies in Spirituality Volume: 10 Date: 2000 Pages: 255-274 DOI: 10.2143/SIS.10.0.505271 Abstract : This presidential address, given in november 1999 in Orlando Florida at the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality, urges scholars to consider the importance of visual images and the formative power of the imagination for their studies of the spiritual tradition. Focusing on one 'primal' image -the Sacred Heart- the address first explores the 'history' of the Heart image as it emerged from scripture and carried the developing layers of Christian mysteries over the centuries. Second, the address pauses in 17th century France where the Sacred Heart took on importance through the visions of the Visitandine nun, Magaret Mary Alacoque. This pause allows for a consideration of the way that images shaped the imagination and facilitated the process of personal and communal transformation within Margaret Mary and her community at Paray-le-Monial. Finally, interdisciplinary, ethical and interpretive observations about images and the imagination in the Christian tradition are advanced. |
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