The Beauty of Holiness and the Holiness of Beauty: Art, Sanctity, and the Truth of Catholicism

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Summary: Magnificent and Inspiring
Review: Every once in a while you read a book that inspires you from cover to cover. I couldn't put this book down because it was so well done and leads you on to reflect on the beauty of the Christian faith and it's practicality in the spiritual life. Mr.Saward has a good grasp on the connection between the beautiful and holy. I found it very readable and would recommend it to anyone who seeks to enrich their Christian faith.

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Summary: Everything That is Wrong with Apologetics...
Review: I have this theory about apologetics: they say more about the person who is defending the faith than they do about the faith itself or those that one is defending the faith to. While it looks like a fascinating premise - engaging the work of Fr. Angelico while sketching out contours of theological aesthetics - it is actually little more than a conservative, reactionary engagement done under a thin veneer of historical scholarship. Saward does little more than preach to the choir; if you aren't a part of the choir already, you are probably going to find this a rather tedious read.

What Saward wants to do is to sketch a picture in which beauty - rather, the apprehension of the beautiful, primarily as reflected in and through the work of Fr. Angelico - serves as a fulcrum for [Roman] Catholic thought and praxis, reflecting God and being also reflected in the lives of the saints. I had never thought about this connection between the saints and artwork before, but it is a connection that makes perfect sense, especially in Angelico's work: martyrdom and sainthood are set about in his paintings as adornments that bring the life of Christ in the Church to greater visibility.

Saward has done a good bit of homework. His discussions of morality and artwork in the work of Aquinas are quite interesting - fascinating, really - and the historical dependency upon martyrdom and sainthood that has long dominated the Christian imagination (as reflected in Christian art) are given a fair treatment.

I do think that Saward is really on to something until about halfway through the book, when he gets sidetracked into polemic. He turns from looking at late-medieval conceptions of beauty to the notable absence of beauty and presence of nihilism in the contemporary world: 'the culture of death' in John Paul II's words. However, the ever-virgin Mary steps in to save the day.

The problem with the world today according to Saward is the inadequate Mariology of Protestantism, which has given birth to Secularism, which has left nothing but nihilism in its wake. Correlational data, long the abode of philosophers, theologians and so-called 'critical' theorists, is traversed by Saward with the conviction of a man on Crusade. While very few doubt the connection between Protestantism and Secularism - it has been argued since at least Max Weber in the early 20th century - the connection is probably also far thicker than Saward lets it be. ('Correlation does not imply causation' as the statisticians say.)

The final chapter moves from defensive Mariology to full polemic. He swipes at Vatican II, complaining about the liturgy no longer being in Latin (a fairly trendy thing to do in some intellectual circles), the altar having been replaced with a communion table and the priest now facing the congregation like a 'chairman of the board'. The last complaint I found particularly annoying, as it favors a bad version of incomprehensibility over pastoral care and insight - in short, an *incarnational* approach.

In the end, I think that Saward not only writes a book that is an excellent example of a bad approach to apologetics, but is also an example of the wrong approach to Roman Catholicism. Beauty that cannot be apprehended will never be participated in; the beauty of holiness is that it is embodied in time and space for all: first by Christ, and then by his followers. Beauty without incarnation is nothing more than its surface; it is superstructure devoid of heart; it is heard but cannot be understood - and there is nothing beautiful about any of this.

Rating:
Summary: What a Wonder!
Review: This book is so rich, I felt spoiled to have read it. I boughtit because the reviews were so good, and I'm really glad I did. If youwonder what art has to do with spirituality, this book will carefully reveal it to you. It provides a wealth of information - each premise is carefully documented and supported. It ties together the experience and profundity of art (in worship, in creating art, etc.) with holiness. It was written from a Catholic perspective, but the rich traditions and thought underlying the message are for all Christians. What joyful reading... END

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Summary: As beautiful as its title and its author
Review: This is a beautiful exposition of the harmony between holiness and beauty. John Saward, a friend of mine, is a reflection of this great work. Read it.