Ascetic Spirituality of Juan de Ávila (1499-1569)

Rady Roldan-Figueroa, Th.D. (2005), Boston University, is Assistant Professor of Religion at Baylor University. He has published on early modern Spanish spirituality, missions, and biblical translations.

• PrefaceList of AbbreviationsIntroductionJuan de Avila and Mental Prayer as the Hallmark of his Judeoconverso SpiritualityJuan de Avila in Contemporary ScholarshipJuan de Avila and Mental Prayer as a Mark of HolinessOutline of the WorkChapter One. The Spiritual Exercises of Juan de Avila: His Rule for the ClergyAvila's Letter to His Disciple from Cordoba (1538)Juan de Avila's Letter to Master Garcia Arias (2 [January] 1538)The Rule in the Letter "to a Priest," post-1542The Rule in the Letter to Fray Luis de Granada of c. 1544ConclusionChapter Two. The Spiritual Exercises of Juan de Avila: His Rule for the LaityThe Short Rule of Christian Life in the Wider Context of Fray Luis de Granada's Guia de pecadores (1556)Villanueva's Reglas in Relation to Avila's Short RuleThe Short Rule of Christian Life of 1556The Posthumous Correction of the Short RuleThe Fall of Maria de la Visitacion and Juan Diaz's Edition of the Diez documentosThe Question of Personal Merits in the Revised Edition of the Short RuleConclusionChapter Three. Juan de Avila and the Audi, filia of 1556 as a Manual for Holy WomenOf Beatas and Religiosas: Women Disciples of Juan de AvilaThe Audi, filia of 1556 as a Manual for Holy WomenThe Visions and Experiences of Ana Ponce de Leon: A Woman's Experience of Mental PrayerConclusionChapter Four. Juan de Avila and Frequent Communion: Historical BackgroundFrequent Communion in New Testament and Patristic SourcesMedieval and Scholastic Sources on Frequent CommunionErasmus, the Spanish Erasmians, and Frequent CommunionThe Council of Trent on Frequent CommunionThe Spanish Debate over Frequent CommunionConclusionChapter Five. Juan de Avila and Frequent Communion: His Sermons on the EucharistJuan de Avila on Frequent Communion: His Sermon on the Eight Day of Corpus Christi, 1542The Problem of Annual or Rare Communion: The Protestant HeresyFrequent Communion and Spiritual Discipline: Avila's "Bien Comulgar"Frequent Communion, Social Discipline, and Avila's Views on WomenFrequent Communion, Social Discipline, and Avila's Criticism of the Spanish GrandeesChapter Six. Juan de Avila and his Ascetic Doctrine of Union with the Holy SpiritEspirituacion, or Union with the Holy SpiritEspirituacion: Avila's Vision of Moral ReformChapter Seven. Juan de Avila and the Spiritual Discipline of Public ServiceThe Spirituality of Public Service in His SermonsThe Spirituality of Public Service in His LettersConclusionConcluding Remarks: Juan de Avila and the Contours of Converso SpiritualityMarcel Bataillon and the Definition of Judeoconverso SpiritualityJuan de Avila: Ascetic Spirituality as Social PracticeBibliographyIndex

“Rady Roldán-Figueroa’s careful and comprehensive study of the writings of Juan de Ávila will be warmly welcomed by scholars of early modern Spain and Catholic Europe. Thanks to his efforts this crucially important figure has been 'rediscovered'.”Jodi Bilinkoff, University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In: The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, Vol. 64, No. 1 (January 2013), pp. 173-175.“Der Verfasser bietet mit seiner Studie eine sorgfältig erarbeitete Darstellung der Lehre Ávilas vom geistlichen Leben und verortet diese plausibel im Kontext der spanischen Gesellschaft des 16. Jh.s. […]. Die Ankündigung Papst Benedikts XVI. im August 2011, er werde Johannes von Ávila zum Kirchenlehrer der römisch-katholischen Kirche ernennen, unterstreicht noch die Relevanz dieser Arbeit.“Ulrike Treusch, Kassel. In: Theologische Literaturzeitung, Vol. 137, No. 6 (2012), pp. 700-701. “Das Buch wirkt kompositorisch und argumentativ in hohem Maße gelungen. Der Autor vermag es, verschiedene Disziplinen ausgewogen ineinander zu spielen […]. Gerade weil das Ineinander der verschiedenen Perspektiven und Disziplinen ohne Scheuklappen vorgenommen wird und daher umso besser gelingt, liest sich die komplexe Untersuchung leicht und flüssig.“Daniel Bogner, Luxemburg. In: Zeitschrift für historische Forschung, 40. Bd., Heft 3 (2013), pp. 508-510.