In A.D. 597, St Augustine arrived at Canterbury from Rome to preach the gospel to the English; in the same year St Columba died on Iona. Their activities were part of a longer pattern of Christian mission in and around the British Isles and extending to the Continent, that stretched over four hundred years. This book charts the story of this mission and outlines the theology and belief that emerged in the Church in Britain. It therefore embraces both the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon dimensions of that Church, highlighting notable saints such as Martin, Patrick, Gregory the Great, Bede and Boniface. The story ends with the mission of English Christians to Germany and the Low Countries and the work of Alcuin. The Revd Douglas Dales is Chaplain of Marlborough College and author of numerous books on Anglo-Saxon church history and theology as well as other topics, including 'Dunstan: Saint and Statesman' and 'Living through Dying: the spiritual experience of St Paul', both published by the Lutterworth Press. 'Dales concentrates on the fascinating lives of missionaries from 400 to 800 to illustrate their thought and motivation. He examines the theology of the early missionaries through critical analysis of their own works, letters and early lives.' Barbara Mitchell, History Today 'A clear and agreeable account, informed by much recent scholarship, of the conversion of Britain and Ireland, and the English missions to the Continent. This is History informed by theology, but theology remains in the background. A useful addition to the range of introductory guides to be recommended as it succeeds in displaying the history of conversion in Britain and Ireland as a continuous story.' T.M. Charles Edwards, English Historical Review

'Alcuin: Theology and Thought' is a thorough and wide-ranging consideration of Alcuin's spiritual and intellectual life as a teacher in York, and later on the Continent as a protagonist in the Adoptionist crisis, as a theologian of mission, and as a fearless and prophetic moral authority. Douglas Dales demonstrates that Alcuin accomplished the pastoral and evangelistic approach set out by his forebears, the Venerable Bede and Gregory the Great, and was instrumental in the reform of the liturgy and proliferation of the Bible. The author examines Alcuin's surviving works to reveal a depth of human love and spiritual experience that gives resonance to his liturgical writing and prayers, and his sensitivity to the path of penitence, to loyalty to others, to moral rectitude and the desire for holiness. There is no other study in the English language that deals with Alcuin's theology in depth. Here the author grapples with Alcuin's doctrinal idiom and theological impetus with sympathy, lucidity, and insight. Douglas Dales was Chaplain of Marlborough College, Wiltshire, from 1984 to 2012 and is now a parish priest in the diocese of Oxford. He is the author of several studies in Anglo-Saxon church history and other areas of theology, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He is the author of 'Alcuin: his Life and Legacy'; 'Dunstan: Saint and Statesman'; 'Living Through Dying: The Spiritual Experience of Saint Paul'; and 'Light to the Isles: Mission and Theology in Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Britain'. " 'Alcuin: Theology and Thought' complements the forerunner to the volume, Alcuin: His Life and Legacy, also displaying the author's academic rigour and dexterity. This book will be of immense value to anyone teaching, or learning about, early medieval history as well as theology in universities. Alcuin deserves to be recognised - far more than has often been the case - as a key figure in the evolution of the mediaeval mind; and no one reading this book could fail to see him in this light. This is a fine and welcome tribute to one of the greatest gifts the British Church gave to the wider Catholic fellowship in the early Middle Ages." From the Foreword by Rowan Williams.

This is a thorough study and exposition of the last work for which St Bonaventure was responsible before his death in 1274. The Collations on the Hexaemeron, also called The Illuminations of the Church comprises lectures that he gave in Paris in 1273 to Franciscan and other students and masters in the university there. They were recorded by two independent witnesses and one version, the definitive one, was prepared for publication and approved by Bonaventure. This is one of the most interesting, original and important texts of medieval theology and it has been well translated and edited in a new edition. The purpose of this study is to examine the precise context for the approach that Bonaventure took, to place this work as the culmination of his spiritual theology, and to provide the reader with a lucid epitome of the contents of the text, drawing out their significance for theology and prayer in the life of the Church today.

Bonaventure was a great pastor and preacher, and also a very effective teacher. His writing shows clarity and conviction, and his authority arose from his profound grasp of Scripture and patristic monastic tradition. The force behind how he wrote sprang from his keen sense of the significance of Francis and Clare and all that flowed from them, not least into his own spiritual life and experience as a person of deep contemplative and mystical prayer. Way Back to God is a comprehensive conspectus and study of how Bonaventure taught Christian theology and applied it to spiritual life. It is intended to be a guide through most of his writings (though not as a substitute for reading them). It provides a bridge into his thought, and also a remarkable hand-book of Christian theology in its bearing upon spiritual life. Douglas Dales' new work enables Bonaventure's distinctive spiritual theology to be seen as a whole, as well as making his writings, in Latin or English, accessible and attractive.

Douglas Dales's Divine Remaking marks the 800th anniversary of the birth of St Bonaventure in 1217. Bonaventure distilled and transformed a rich inheritance of patristic and medieval exegesis of the Bible developed within the monastic tradition and in the university schools in Paris, Oxford and elsewhere. While teaching in Paris and then leading the Franciscans as their Minister General, Bonaventure wrote a substantial commentary on the Gospel of St Luke. This commentary is an eminent example of how his understanding of the Bible lay at the root of all that he taught and wrote. Bonaventure's writing style reflects the beauty and ornate detail of contemporaneous works of art, stained glass, carvings in cathedrals and illuminated manuscripts. His writings, like the art of his day, are superb expressions of Christian theology and vision. Bonaventure had a formidable memory, and his capacity to draw from across the whole Latin Bible is extraordinary, instructive and enriching. His well-ordered mind was balanced, however, by a finely tuned spiritual and pastoral intuition, which makes his approach to the Gospels applicable and relevant to the reader of today. Divine Remaking is a bridge into Bonaventure's thought; it allows his insight into St Luke's Gospel to be understood by anyone seeking the divine truth in today's world.

Scholar, ecclesiastic, teacher and poet of the eighth century, Alcuin was a person of deep Christian faith, tenacious in his loyalty to orthodox Catholic theology. He had a seminal influence upon his own generation and those that came after him. Although he remained a Northumbrian Christian at heart, the part of his life about which most is known was spent on the Continent. He never lost contact with his homeland; but his most significant and lasting work was evidently accomplished in Europe and his influence on the early medieval Western Church was an abiding one. This book examines his life and career in England and on the continent; it also considers his legacy as a churchman and a leading political figure. This volume prefigures a forthcoming work on Alcuin's intellectual legacy, 'Alcuin : A Study of his Theology' (due for release, April 2013). This rich study is intended for the general reader as well as for those studying, teaching or researching this period of early medieval history and theology in schools and universities.

This is a thorough study and exposition of the last work for which St Bonaventure was responsible before his death in 1274. The Collations on the Hexaemeron, also called The Illuminations of the Church comprises lectures that he gave in Paris in 1273 to Franciscan and other students and masters in the university there. They were recorded by two independent witnesses and one version, the definitive one, was prepared for publication and approved by Bonaventure. This is one of the most interesting, original and important texts of medieval theology and it has been well translated and edited in a new edition. The purpose of this study is to examine the precise context for the approach that Bonaventure took, to place this work as the culmination of his spiritual theology, and to provide the reader with a lucid epitome of the contents of the text, drawing out their significance for theology and prayer in the life of the Church today.

This prayer collection provides a rich selection of devotional material that will deepen understanding of the central truths of our faith and nurture spiritual growth. Chosen for their timelessness and beauty, these are prayers that can be memorized and used over and over again. Many of them have inspired and sustained Christian worship for centuries. Compiled as a gift companion to "This is My Faith", though a volume that can also stand alone, "Prayers of Our Faith" will make an ideal confirmation gift for candidates of all ages.

According to St Basil, the monk's whole life should be a season of prayer, both public prayer and private prayer. That is what the monks of Mount Athos are there to do. That is the basis of their entire way of life. Athos is sometimes called 'the mountain of silence', but as one living Athonite has written, 'here you can hear the hum of unceasing prayer.' The book explores all dimensions of this mystery, beginning with the deceptively simple question 'what is prayer?' Subsequent papers consider various aspects of prayer as practised on Athos both in public and in private: the prayer of the church and the prayer of the cell, prayer when working, prayer when painting icons, the musical tradition of prayer and the poetic tradition, culminating in the Jesus Prayer or prayer of the heart which is the foundation of the current renewal of monasticism on Athos. Most of the papers in this book were delivered at a conference held by the Friends of Mount Athos in Cambridge in March 2019.

Lectio Divina, or holy reading, is an essential element of Benedictine spirituality and time for personal reading of the Bible in a prayerful, contemplative way is built into the Benedictine day. It is a spiritual discipline that goes back even further than St Benedict to the early church fathers. Lectio Divina encourages us to hang on to every word, to turn phrases over and over as we would a love letter. This is a practical guide to this key element of Benedictine spirituality, for complete beginners and experienced hands alike.

Alcuin of York was one of the most significant figures of the Anglo-Saxon Church alongside Bede and Cuthbert. This introductory selection from his extensive writings includes Alcuin's prayers, poetry and prose. Douglas Dales is Chaplain and Head of RE at Marlborough College. His other published titles include "This is my Faith" and "Glory: the spiritual Theology of Michael Ramsey."

This guide to the Christian faith is ideal for those preparing for confirmation. Arranged in three parts: "Becoming a Christian", "Belonging to God" and "Belonging to the Church", it is appropriate for personal reading and as a basis for a confirmation course. In uncomplicated language it takes the reader from the first step of making a choice for God and lays a solid foundation of teaching that will hold good for the whole of life.

Michael Ramsey, the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury, was an Anglican saint of the twentieth century. Able, self-effacing, alert, eager, full of kindness and with a lively wit, he remains a model spiritual leader and an inspiration to many serving priests today, His warmth and humour won him friends in all walks of life, at home and abroad. Perhaps his greatest gift was his ability to impart a sense of joy, which dispelled despondency and any narrowness of vision. For many people, he fulfilled his own dictum about sainthood: he made God real, Published to mark the centenary of his birth in 1904, this important study explores what made Michael Ramsey such a remarkable figure. Drawing on his many published writings, and reflecting on over fifty years of ministry. Glory (a word he always used with awe and reverence) offers a rich body of spiritual teaching about themes that were close to Michael Ramsey's heart: the centrality Of the Cross, the primacy of worship, the Church's life in Christ and its unity. It will enable his distinctive voice to be heard again by those who remember him, and also by a new generation of readers. More than a retrospective study, Glory relates Michael 'Ramsey's teaching, example and experience to the challenges and needs facing the Church today. as it proclaims the gospel in the modern world. It aims to reaffirm the essential unity, identity and vitality of Anglican Christianity and strengthen the integrity of its life and witness throughout the world.

For five centuries, Christianity in Britain was shaped by a distinctive and attractive blendof Celtic and Roman spirituality. Learned, cultured and gentle in its exercise of authoroty, this was a golden age which climaxed in the extraordinary flowering of religious devotion and creativity in the tenth century. The legacy of Anglo-Saxon spirituality is visible in many areas of our religious and political life today as its values permeated every area of life. Called to be Angels introduces us to the key figures of our Christian past: Pope Gregory, whose special love for the English people laid the foundation for the Church in England, Bede, Boniface, Cuthbert, Caedmon, Alcuin, Dunstn, Aelfric and others. This warm and inviting book opens the way for a spiritual home-coming and many will recognize in its pages that the Christian qualities they cherish belong to a splendid and ancient native tradition.