Just Man, Husband of Mary, Guardian of Christ; - An Anthology of Readings from Jeronimo Gracian's Summary of the Excellencies of St. Joseph
Price: $21.95
Place Published: Philadelphia
Publisher: Saint Joseph's University Press
Date Published: 1993
ISBN: 9780916101145
Book ID: 25
Description:
272 pages + introduction | 9.5 x 7.75 inches | 56 b/w images
The Discalced Carmelite friar Jerónimo Gracián (1545-1614) was St. Teresa of Ávila's religious superior, spiritual director, and closest friend and collaborator. After Teresa had been cured of a crippling illness through the intercession of St. Joseph, she labored tirelessly to spread devotion to this saint. Gracián made a major contribution to the realization of this dimension of the Teresian apostolate by publishing his Summary of the Excellencies of St. Joseph (1597), which became the most important and popular treatise on St. Joseph of the early modern period.
Just Man makes available twenty selections from the Summary, translated into English for the first time. Each selection is introduced by a pen and ink drawing executed specifically for this volume by a contemporary artist and is accompanied by a commentary. The anthology is preceded by an introductory essay that gives the reader a firm hold on Gracián and the Summary in their historical context, as well as offers an overview of Gracián's life and writings and of the Summary's editions, origin, spirituality, and influence on art.
Joseph F. Chorpenning, O.S.F.S.
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
"Joseph Chorpenning not only gives us a brilliant translation of Gracián's book, but his own commentaries, following each of the chapters, make use of all the major books on St. Joseph from the 16th century to the present. […] This is a book that needs to be read many times…This translation of Gracián's book is for the reader an informative experience, but more importantly it is a spiritual experience."
Marcella M. Holloway, C.S.J. Review for Religious
"[This book] should appeal to anyone who is interested in the lives of the saints. […] It should appeal to anyone who carries the name of 'Joseph.' It belongs in the library of every Catholic institution named for St. Joseph - parishes, schools, hospitals, and other institutions."
Kenneth Baker, S.J., Homiletic & Pastoral Review
"Chorpenning has the ability to bring to life and to make relevant, without manipulation or forced interpretations, the texts and the thought of a 16th-century author. This is a remarkable achievement and an example for other scholars to imitate. This book is also a valuable and estimable contribution to the theology of St. Joseph, the fundamentals of which recently have been closely examined and explained by Pope John Paul II in his apostolic exhortation Guardian of the Redeemer."
Enrique Llamas Martínez, O.C.D., Carmelus