A History of Christian Spirituality In this first of three volumes covering the history of Christian spirituality from its Jewish origins to modern times, Father Louis Bouyer, a scholar of international reputation, surveys the spirituality of the New Testament and the Fathers of the Church. His wide learning enables him to take into full account even the most recent developments in historical and theological studies. In the first part of this volume, Father Bouyer pays special attention to the Jewish foundations of Christianity before examining in detail the teaching and influence of Jesus, the Primitive Church and St. Paul, the Synoptic Gospels, the Johannine writings, the Epistle to the Hebrews and the epistles linked with the names of Peter, James and Jude. Part Two describes and discusses the spirituality of the first Christian generations, the martyrs, the problem of Gnosis in its different manifestations, the different schools of monasticism and mysticism in Eastern and Western Christianity and the writings and teachings of the Fathers, concluding with St. Benedict. 'This history,' writes Father Bouyer in his critical and explanatory preface, 'will be, in the final analysis, the search for, and the bringing to light of, the integral witness of tradition and of Christian experience to the whole concrete reality of 'life in Christ Jesus