'Corpus hominis, Organum Dei' : George Herbert and the Protestant meditative experience
T writer whose work is most informed by his knowledge and practice of Protestant meditation is George Herbert. Herbert's poetry has been called ~the poetry of meditation,~ but it is more accurate to consider The Temple as a work suffused with the qualities of the Protestant meditative experience. By this is meant the bipartite approach to meditation --through the Word and to the self --- advanced by Hall and other writers as this acts upon the practitioner and his work. It is this commitment on the part of George Herbert to the Protestant meditative experience, and to the ways in which this commitment is demonstrated in The Temple, that is the subject of this study. Two corollary issues are also examined, both of which are of concern to English Protestants during the seventeenth century, yet which are given especial attention in The Temple. The first of these is the Protestant understanding of vocation, and the means whereby the writer's vocation is illuminated, maintained, and strengthened through meditation. The second issue, music, is a contentious subject for Protestants throughout the century. For Herbert, it is an essential component of his poetic and priestly vocations and of his understanding of the
Scerbo, Nancy Claire
Philosophy
'Corpus hominis, Organum Dei' : George Herbert and the Protestant meditative experience. T writer whose work is most informed by his knowledge and practice of Protestant meditation is George Herbert. Herbert's poetry has been called ~the poetry of meditation,~ but it is more accurate to consider The Temple as a work suffused with the qualities of the Protestant meditative experience. By this is meant the bipartite approach to meditation --through the Word and to the self --- advanced by Hall and other writers as this acts upon the practitioner and his work. It is this commitment on the part of George Herbert to the Protestant meditative experience, and to the ways in which this commitment is demonstrated in The Temple, that is the subject of this study. Two corollary issues are also examined, both of which are of concern to English Protestants during the seventeenth century, yet which are given especial attention in The Temple. The first of these is the Protestant understanding of vocation, and the means whereby the writer's vocation is illuminated, maintained, and strengthened through meditation. The second issue, music, is a contentious subject for Protestants throughout the century. For Herbert, it is an essential component of his poetic and priestly vocations and of his understanding of the
corpus dei george herbert protestant experience writer whose_work inform knowledge practice protestant meditation george herbert herbert poetry call the poetry meditation accurate consider temple work quality protestant experience meant meditation word self advanced hall writer act_upon practitioner work commitment part george herbert protestant experience way commitment demonstrate temple subject study corollary issue also_examine concern english protestants yet give especial attention temple first protestant vocation mean whereby writer vocation illuminate maintain strengthen meditation second issue music contentious subject protestants throughout_century herbert essential_component poetic priestly vocation