Give Love and Receive the Kingdom

The Essential People and Themes of English Spirituality

From the greatest living expert on the history of English spirituality comes the most expansive collection ever published of her work. From the spirituality of Cuthbert, to Bede and the Psalter, Anselm the monastic scholar, and the depths of Julian of Norwich, from twelfth-century hermits, through medieval pilgrimage, and by illuminating seventeenth-century preachers, this volume is Benedicta Ward's magnum opus. With a title drawn from the writings of St. Anselm - a beautiful summary of the Christian life - this book is designed to both inspire and educate. “These wonderfully crafted pieces give an invaluable introduction to the Anglo-Saxon world of thought and prayer and image.” —Rowan Williams “Benedicta Ward brings long-ago figures vividly to life—rendering them brilliant as the colors of the Lindisfarne Gospels. This is her art. What she once did for the Fathers, Mothers, and Harlots of the desert, she has now done for the great saints of the Isles.” —Mike Aquilina, EWTN host and author of The Witness of Early Christian Women and The Fathers of the Church “The scope of Sr Benedicta’s scholarship is truly remarkable. I have benefited hugely over many years from her writings on early desert asceticism. I thoroughly recommend this new book.” —Philip Sheldrake, St Edmunds College, University of Cambridge; author of Spirituality: A Brief History and other books “Sr. Benedicta’s work is always informed by the incisive intellect of a scholar and the wise soul of a monastic. The Christ whose life in His Church her distinguished career has illuminated ‘Easters in her,’ and her elegant and prayerful prose gives us glimpses of what she so clearly sees.” —Bonnie Thurston, scholar, author, poet