How the Doctrine of Incarnation Shaped Western Culture
Wonderfully provocative while also well supported, Patricia Ranft provides a rich historical reflection on how the Christian understanding of incarnation helped shape Western society. Everything—from fine arts to science, from politics to personhood— is affected in ways most of us never imaged or take for granted. All who want to better understand why the West developed in many of the ways it did need to read and wrestle with Ranft’s work. This may not be the end of the discussion, but it is a great place to start one.(Kelly M. Kapic, Covenant College)Provocative and magisterial, this study argues that the doctrine of the Incarnation was foundational for Western culture. Professor Ranft’s analysis of women’s engagement with the concept is particularly rich and does much to demonstrate the intellectual vitality of the pre-Enlightenment West.(Catherine Brown Tkacz, Bishop White Seminary at Gonzaga University)