God And Eros

Introduces the responsibilities and characteristics of Eros, the god of love, as well as providing a mythological family tree of the Greek gods.

Modern biblical scholarship interprets the Song as a collection of love lyrics. For Edmée Kingsmill, on the contrary, the essence of the Song is mystical. A principal concern of this study, however, is to uncover the relationship between the 117 verses of the Song and those biblical books to which they point. Beneath the metaphors a network of allusions is being woven, conveying a picture opposite to that we find in the prophets who, confronted with the continual 'adultery' of Israel, poured forth their condemnations with unwearying passion. In dramatic contrast, the Song presents a paradisal picture: 'For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear in the land, and the time of singing is come' (Song 2: 11-12). Thus, in presenting the ideal, the intention of the Song's author is shown to be encouragement. The inclusion of this poem in the biblical canon is understood, therefore, to be central to the purpose of the biblical literature: to bring all people to love the God of love. The book is in two parts. The first and longer part is concerned with themes, including the relationship of the Song to the early Jewish mystical literature. The second part is a short commentary intended for the reader interested in the text as much as in the related questions to which the text gives rise.

Eros is the passionate energy that makes us one with the beautiful other, with a leper, with the world of nature waiting to be embraced and cared for, with our neighbor, the stranger, with God. The Whiteheads explore this vital energy of love as the gift of a Creator madly in love with his creation a God who would bring us to life in abundance if we only say "Yes." They discuss Eros in the movements of our sexuality, as well as in our arousals of compassion and care. They examine the Eros of pleasure and of generosity. They honor the Eros of hope, of anger, of suffering. They reveal that Eros has a Source far deeper than lust, and is a pathway to a passionate God. Holy Eros recovers this fundamental energy of love as a powerful resource in the revitalization of Christian spirituality. Unlike most books on the topic it eschews easy clichs. Its reader benefit is to understand and appreciate an energy that can heal as well as hinder and to tap into its positive force.

What can God and eros have to do with each other? Against Nietzsche's claim that Christianity poisoned eros, God and Eros rereads the mystery of human love as an ecstatic sharing in the mystery of the triune God who is Love. Body, sex, and affectivity, far from being locked in a lower order called "nature," instead belong to a sacramental order that is permeated by the call to love. In presentations designed to appeal to a general audience, the faculty of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family, Melbourne, approach this mystery through the lens of St. John Paul II's "theology of the body," with the goal to both introduce and more clearly illumine its major features. In particular, emphasis is placed on how a theology of the body is not just about "sex." Rather, it is above all about how each and every person--no matter what her state of life--is stamped by the watermark of being-from and being-for. Working within this broader perspective, God and Eros offers the reader a lively, engaging, and at times challenging tour of the full "ethos of the nuptial mystery."

Offers for the first time a volume of selections from the entire body of Everson's work, including poetry, autobiography, interviews, letters, and criticism.

Cupid and Psyche Apuleius - Cupid and Psyche is a story from the Latin novel Metamorphoses, also known as The Golden Ass, written in the 2nd century AD by Apuleius. It concerns the overcoming of obstacles to the love between Psyche (Soul or Breath of Life) and Cupid (Desire), and their ultimate union in a sacred marriage.

Analyzes the feelings and problems involved in different types of human love, including familial affection, friendship, passion, and charity.