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The Classics of Western Spirituality
Early Dominicans: Selected Writings
"...clearly a must for all libraries...and for all readers interested in spirituality." Religious Studies Review Early Selected Writings edited with an introduction by Simon Tugwell, O.P. [reface buy Father Vincent de Couesnongle, O.P. "He [Dominic] thought he would only really be a member of Christ's Body when he could spend himself utterly with all his strength in the winning of souls, just as the Saviour of us all, the Lord Jesus, gave himself up entirely for our salvation." Jordan of Saxony (d. 1237) The spirituality of St. Dominic and his early followers was a dynamic force in thirteenth-century Europe. In this volume the writings of Dominic's early disciples are presented in a fresh, lively translation by Simon Tugwell, O.P., of Blackfriars, Oxford. The simplicity, ruggedness, and clarity of the Dominicans' biblically-based, Christ-centered spirituality is illustrated in Jean de Mailly's Life of St. Dominic, The Nine Ways of Prayer of St. Dominic,and the writings of Jordan of Saxony, Peter of Rheims, Thomas Agni, and Robert Kilwardby. The importance of preaching in the Dominican tradition is reflected in the book's main selection, Humbert of Romans' Treatise on the Formation of Preachers. The breadth of Dominican piety represented by these selections and the fine preface by the Master of the Order of Preachers, Father Vincent de Couesnongle, O.P., plus Tugwell's brilliant introduction, called by Spirituality Today "the best treatise on Dominican spirituality now available," combine in making this a truly classic volume. †
508 pages, Paperback
First published January 8, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 19, 2018
Recommended for anyone interested in the Order of Preachers, especially its beginnings. Read AFTER Jordan of Saxony's Libellus (On the Beginnings). This is less about Dominic himself (although there is some of that), than about the order he founded.
Great collection of documents from the first century of the Order of Preachers (i.e. the 13th century). After a remarkable introduction discussing the problems inherent in the definition of a "Dominican Spirituality" Tugwell presents about thirty documents (half complete, half excerpted) divided into four broad categories: St. Dominic and his Friars (concerning the Dominic and first generation, notably Jordan of Saxony), William Peraldus' Sermon on Prayer (a short-ish exploration of prayer especially discussing the "Our Father..."), Humbert of Romans' Treatise on the Formation of Preachers (the "centerpiece" of the book), and the Dominican Family (documents pertaining to the nuns and some of the lay congregations the OP sponsored).
The collection is quite interesting and gives a broad view of the scope of Dominican life in the 13th century. Highlights of the book for most (I would imagine) are the sections pertaining to Dominic himself (perhaps especially the "Nine Ways of Prayer") but I would argue the most important piece here is the mostly forgotten and heretofore unpublished/translated "Treatise on Formation" by Humbert, which gives insight to how the earliest brethren were formed and viewed their vocation.
Tugwell has indicated in more recent scholarship several emendations he would make to the text, especially in pertaining to details of Dominic's life.
I cannot compare this to other books in the "Classics of Western Spirituality" series, as this is my first, but Tugwell notes that he employs more notes, for a number of reasons which he indicates, than other books in the series do (at least at the time of this publication in 1982).
Great collection of documents from the first century of the Order of Preachers (i.e. the 13th century). After a remarkable introduction discussing the problems inherent in the definition of a "Dominican Spirituality" Tugwell presents about thirty documents (half complete, half excerpted) divided into four broad categories: St. Dominic and his Friars (concerning the Dominic and first generation, notably Jordan of Saxony), William Peraldus' Sermon on Prayer (a short-ish exploration of prayer especially discussing the "Our Father..."), Humbert of Romans' Treatise on the Formation of Preachers (the "centerpiece" of the book), and the Dominican Family (documents pertaining to the nuns and some of the lay congregations the OP sponsored).
The collection is quite interesting and gives a broad view of the scope of Dominican life in the 13th century. Highlights of the book for most (I would imagine) are the sections pertaining to Dominic himself (perhaps especially the "Nine Ways of Prayer") but I would argue the most important piece here is the mostly forgotten and heretofore unpublished/translated "Treatise on Formation" by Humbert, which gives insight to how the earliest brethren were formed and viewed their vocation.
Tugwell has indicated in more recent scholarship several emendations he would make to the text, especially in pertaining to details of Dominic's life.
I cannot compare this to other books in the "Classics of Western Spirituality" series, as this is my first, but Tugwell notes that he employs more notes, for a number of reasons which he indicates, than other books in the series do (at least at the time of this publication in 1982).
September 19, 2021
I would recommend this book for any interesting in understanding the founding people and thinking of the Dominican order, including St. Dominic himself. As the Order evolved over the years, and certainly grew in power, I found it enlightening to understand how it started. St. Dominic himself left very little writing, spending his time in the vocation that he espoused. In this volume there is the testimony of those around him. Given the relationship of the Order to other faiths later in history, I found especially interesting the humble and dedicated “Testimony of Brother Frugerio of Pennabilli” regarding St. Dominic, “He was zealous for souls, not only those of Christians, but also Saracens and other unbelievers. As evidence of this, he proposed to go to the pagans and die there for the faith, once he had organized his brethren.” Those humble comments give way to the next generations of leaders. Quite a lot of room is dedicated to Humbert of Romans, who did much to organize the Order and left a large number of writings. Humbert of Romans, “A reasonable amount of rain is good for the fruitfulness of the earth, but too much jus swamps it. A moderate amount of food is good for the stomach, but too much revolts it. A short act of worship encourages devotion, but one that is too long just sends people to sleep.” (206) Be concise in preaching, according to Humbert.
While most would identify with the statement above, Humbert of Romans certainly reflected the nature of his time (some of which persists into the modern age) on what must be true about a preacher. He must be male, be without “bodily deformity,” strong, of a “suitable age,” have “some superiority over the other people present,” and must not be “contemptible in any way.” (223) On the whole, the volume unsurprisingly focuses on the vocation of preaching. As someone who is not a preacher, I found this volume very lengthy.
See my other reviews here!
While most would identify with the statement above, Humbert of Romans certainly reflected the nature of his time (some of which persists into the modern age) on what must be true about a preacher. He must be male, be without “bodily deformity,” strong, of a “suitable age,” have “some superiority over the other people present,” and must not be “contemptible in any way.” (223) On the whole, the volume unsurprisingly focuses on the vocation of preaching. As someone who is not a preacher, I found this volume very lengthy.
See my other reviews here!
December 30, 2020
Wonderful resource for study. Excellent information on the history of Dominicans, and a wealth of additional materials in the footnotes for later study.
Not sure of exact date finished. This is not a cover to cover read.
Not sure of exact date finished. This is not a cover to cover read.
June 2, 2023
This is an interesting glimpse into the Dominican movement during the early years but is a bit bloated and would have been more compelling if it had excised some of the less notable material.
February 23, 2011
Collection of writings by and about St. Dominic and his early followers. Includes sermons, letters, and other writings. The collection was somewhat uneven, with some excellent pieces mixed in with some that were more humdrum.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews