Chapter 2: The Tangled Skein of Our Lives
A Whirlwind Tour through History
Early Trajectories: steps and septenaries.
Steps of ascent. The beatitudes viewed as a series of steps toward the kingdom of God. Started with Ambrose and Gregory and continues to this day.
Septenaries: Augustine’s sevens. Augustine paired the beatitudes with the the gifts of the spirit (from Isaiah) and the Lord’s prayer. The lists of sevens.
Personified virtues. Art traditionally portrayed the virtues as women.
Augustine’s influence.
Beatitudes in liturgy. Very early in church tradition the beatitudes were associated with the Saints. Hence the use of them as the text for All Saints in the liturgy.
Personal spirituality and social justice.
These two strands started during the Enlightenment.
What is the role of grace?
The natural outpouring of the Spirit in one’s life. For many theologians, grace precedes the beatitudes. It is by God’s grace that one can hope to emulate the beatitudes.
An impossible ideal. The beatitudes are an impossible ideal and only with God’s grace that we can actually live them.