Seeing Through the Eyes of Faith

In the course of the past years an interest in precisely the mystagogy of the Church Fathers developed at various Dutch universities. Interest in the mystagogy of the Church Fathers increased because it was recognised that its study did justice both to the intention of the Church Fathers themselves and to the increasing demand for spirituality. It was not heir primary intention to put forward a rational reflection on the depositum fidei as such or to pass on knowledge of it as a goal in itself. Their goal was rather to initiate a process aimed not so much at intellectual formation as at an existential transformation by means of rituals, catechesis and the explanation of stories and images from Biblical traditions. In this book the main focus was on the mystagogy of the Church Fathers. The assumption wat that philological, historical and theological methods complement each other in the approach to the Church Fathers as mystagogues. Consequently the manner in which they attempt to shape their introduction into the mystery of Christ was regarded from an interdisciplinary point of view. The contributions to this book form a first sketch of the research area of the mystagogy of the Church Fathers, as it is taking shape at present.