Spiritual Way of St. Jeanne d'Arc

George H. Tavard, a member of the Augustinians of the Assumption, professor emeritus of theology at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio, and distinguished professor of theology at Marquette University, was a peritus at Vatican Council II, where he was involved in preparing the decree on ecumenism. He has participated in several international and American ecumenical dialogues and has written extensively on theology and ecumenism. Father Tavard is the author of A Review of Anglican...
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George H. Tavard, a member of the Augustinians of the Assumption, professor emeritus of theology at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio, and distinguished professor of theology at Marquette University, was a peritus at Vatican Council II, where he was involved in preparing the decree on ecumenism. He has participated in several international and American ecumenical dialogues and has written extensively on theology and ecumenism. Father Tavard is the author of A Review of Anglican Orders, The Church, Community of Salvation, and The Thousand Faces of the Virgin Mary, published by The Liturgical Press.Can a spiritual doctrine be elicited from what we know of St. Jeanne d'Arc? That is the question George Tavard poses in The Spiritual Way of St. Jeanne d'Arc. Although many have discussed St. Jeanne d'Arc's voices and visions, and interpretations of her life inspired by theories relating to history and the growth of nationalism, to psychology and the emergence of feminism, to comparative religion and ties,between folk religion, heterodoxy, sorcery, or witchcraft have been tendered, few have analyzed the structure and the depth of her inner life. In The Spiritual Way of St. Jeanne d'Arc, Tavard examines the spiritual sources of St. Jeanne d'Arc's rich personality.Working from the responses St. Jeanne d'Arc gave at her trial and the testimonies of those who knew her, Tavard analyzes St. Jeanne d'Arc's spiritual figure as a person whose whole horizon was faith in the "kingdom of Paradise" where Christ reigns, and from where she was convinced that he sent her messengers -- angels and saints -- who conveyed his will and guidance. Tavard shows how St. Jeanne d'Arc found her self-identitynot in herself but in God and how she was aware of her mission and remained faithful to it. He focuses on her familiarity with the angels and saints whose voices she heard in her mind. During these difficult conditions, she