Abba

by Evelyn Underhill

The title of the book, Abba , is the term used in more than one place in the New Testament for addressing God as Father and it is with the ‘Our Father’ prayer that these meditations are concerned. At first sight it might be thought impossible to say anything fresh on something so familiar to all Christians as the Lord’s Prayer. Yet the inexhaustible depths of meaning to be found in it may, by the very fact of familiarity, all too easily escape notice and understanding.

Genres: Spirituality, Christian, Christianity, Prayer

64 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1982

About the author

Evelyn Underhill was an English Anglo-Catholic writer and pacifist known for her numerous works on religion and spiritual practice, in particular Christian mysticism.

In the English-speaking world, she was one of the most widely read writers on such matters in the first half of the twentieth century. No other book of its type—until the appearance in 1946 of Aldous Huxley's The Perennial Philosophy—met with success to match that of her best-known work, Mysticism, published in 1911.

Read more:

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_U...

The Evelyn Underhill Association
http://www.evelynunderhill.org/

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankly I didn't really expect to like this. I had to compare two treatments of the Lord's Prayer for a paper and this was one I chose. With her specialization in mysticism I thought it would be all up in the clouds and fanciful, but it's not at all. Underhill is all about action and caring for others but she argues (from the structure and content of the Lord's Prayer, which this book is about) that it is only when we are grounded in God that we start to see others as God sees them and love them as God loves them. Imagination is such a buzzword in theology these days that in a way she was ahead of her time. I'd like to read more by her.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book has been a very timely read for me. I loved this reflection on the words of the Lord's Prayer. It was so "meaty" I found myself reading just one short section and reflecting on it, and then re-reading sections again before I read a new portion. There is such richness in these simple words that I have repeated so often I can forget how powerful and profound these words are, and how they help me align my loves properly. It is a refreshing and poignant reminder to keep a heavenly perspective on the earthly events in my life.

[Robert Heckner · Rating 4 out of 5]

An often beautiful and practical reflection on the meaning of the Lord’s Prayer and, through it, the whole of the Christian spiritual life.