The Mystical Theology of the Catholic Reformation

The Mystical Theology of the Catholic Reformation is a conspectus of the intellectual achievement of the age of the Baroque, the period between the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. The Baroque was one of the most fertile periods for art, science, theology, and mysticism in Catholic history. Despite extensive scholarship on specific achievements and pivotal thinkers of this age, there is no single work that views these events and thinkers in the context of the whole Baroque period. The Mystical Theology of the Catholic Reformation offers an overview and panorama of the Baroque achievement in scholastic philosophy, systematics, positive theology, scriptural exegesis, and sacred oratory. The majority of the book, however, is devoted to its principle theme, the spirituality of the religious orders (with special attention on their Baroque representatives), in particular to the "major orders of the Baroque age"--the Jesuits, Oratorians, and Carmelites.