Christian devotional literature (also called devotionals or Christian living literature) is religious writing that
Christian individuals read for their personal growth and
spiritual formation
Spiritual formation may refer either to the process and practices by which a person may progress in one's spiritual or religious life or to a movement in Protestant Christianity that emphasizes these processes and practices. The processes may in ...
.
Such literature often takes the form of Christian
daily devotional
A daily devotional is a Christian religious publication that provide a specific spiritual reading for each calendar day. Many daily devotionals take the form of one year devotional books, with many being tailored specifically for children, teenag ...
s. Original excerpts including the
''Book of Daniel'' and
''Leviticus'' derive from
Ancient Roman (753 BC – 640 AD),
Greek and Byzantine (395 AD – 1453 AD) culture – and encompass the past relationship of God's Law through the
Old Testament. Though these are the most significant accounts, the majority of the literature comprises commentaries to the ever changing social and political reforms of human history – including the impact of
censorship,
persecution – the
reign of Emperor Nero (54 AD – 68 AD) and
Diocletian (284 AD – 305 AD) and
martyrdom on Christian life through the ages (Gregory, 2001).
The sources of devotional literature vary across society.
Monks,
priests and
saints such as
''Agios Paisios (Άγιος Παΐσιος)'',
''St. Ephraim'' and
''Anthony the Great'' follow the
Western interpretation of holistic commentary, with a focus on aspects of faith such as
virtue as both secondary and primary sources; while scholars and philosophers such as Samara Levy (2001) and Christopher Kaczor (2021) break the religio-socio barrier by integrating
Eastern
Eastern may refer to:
Transportation
*China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
*Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways
*Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991
*Eastern Air Li ...
,
Arabic and international culture and ideologies.
History and Origins
Old Testament
The oldest forms of devotional literature were manifested as
prophecies
In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divine will or law, or prete ...
, particularly before
Christ; and were provided under the dictation of the
Holy Spirit as a direct communication of God's "future plans" (Pinnock, 2022).
Prophets
Isaiah,
Samuel,
Hosea
In the Hebrew Bible, Hosea ( or ; he, הוֹשֵׁעַ – ''Hōšēaʿ'', 'Salvation'; gr, Ὡσηέ – ''Hōsēé''), son of Beeri, was an 8th-century BCE prophet in Israel and the nominal primary author of the Book of Hosea. He is t ...
,
Micah et al. are notable figures that were the first to inform of
Jesus' forthcoming ministry, prophecies that occurred 700 years or more before the
birth of Christ
The nativity of Jesus, nativity of Christ, birth of Jesus or birth of Christ is described in the biblical gospels of Luke and Matthew. The two accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judaea, his mother Mary was engaged to a man n ...
. The
Eastern Influence of prophecy becomes apparent through ''Isiah'' and ''Samuel's literature'' deriving from the
Judean and
Israelian province, supported by Hosea and Micah's ministry in the North Kingdom of Israel and Southwest Judah respectively (Finkelstein et al., 2021).
''Literacy in Ancient Israel'' indicates the influence of the
Western Semites.
Canaanites, however, lacked the complexity of the
Egyptian,
Babylonian and
Assyrian writing systems. This factor increased
Israeli literacy rates and allowed large populations to contribute to the amassing prophecies by improving the quantity and quality of
public inscription, therefore improving the accessibility of scripture (Gerber et al., 2021). This is exhibited in findings such as the
''Arad Ostraca'', th
''Haifa grotto''(2nd cent. AD), and the
''Broken Seal of Prophet Isaiah'' (7th cent. AD), and ultimately contributed to the rapid growth of the
Christian Doctrine
Christian theology is the theology of Christian belief and practice. Such study concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theologians use biblical exeg ...
in the
Western world (Schely-Newman, 2011).
Primary and secondary accounts of prophecy occurred through oral and written translations. For example, the
''Book of Mormon'' (600 BC – 421 AD) and the
''Book of'' ''Ezekiel'' (593 BC – 571 BC) describe the Lord's instruction to Isaiah (
Isaiah 8:1-2), that Lehi and Ezekiel each read from a scroll (
1 Nephi 1:11-14,
Ezekiel 2:9-10) further highlighting the abundant proficiency of Christian literature (Richardson et al., 2015).
New Testament
The turning point occurred within the
''four canonical gospels'' (
Matthew,
Mark,
Luke, and
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
) of the
New Testament; where
Jesus' ministry drove the theme of
Apostolic influence over the
Eastern civilisations – subverting the previous doctrine of justice with newfound humility (Caird, 1994). Contemporary excerpts from ''Agios Paisios'' (1994) related the New Testament as, "God's will to increase the scope of the Christian, to not stop at justice but look for humility" as a parallel to God's desire to reach non-Christians. For example,
Matthew 8:5-13 highlights Jesus's contentment with the
Gentiles, "Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel," as a nod to progression in the spiritual, as well as the progression of the Literature (Lindars, 2009).
Further literature was developed under the doctrine of the
''Ecumenical Councils'': the
''Nicene'' (325 AD,
First Council of Nicaea
The First Council of Nicaea (; grc, Νίκαια ) was a council of Christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325.
This ecumenical council was the first effort ...
),
''Apostolic'' and
''Athanasian'' (late fifth to early sixth century AD)
Creeds, as well as the
Epistolic accounts to the provinces of
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
,
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
and
Corinth (Kelly, 2009). Davis (1990), comments on the "growing affiliation with Western civilization" throughout history to highlight the propagation of Christian Literature with globalization; contrasting from the primarily "repetitive" distribution of literature in Eastern provinces such as
East-Asia and
Ancient Assyria that were a result of
anti-religious dictatorship and
Christian persecution (Davis, 1990).
Denominational differences
Eastern Orthodox literature
The
''Seventh Ecumenical Council'' marked the period of ''religio-political hostility'' between the
Roman and Byzantine roots of Christianity, embarking many theological and literature-based differences between the two Churches, most prominent being the
''sacramental use of unleavened bread'', as well as the origins and
''procession of the Holy Spirit'' (''monoprocessionism, filioque)'' in the
''Holy Trinity'' (Kurian et al., 2015).
Monoprocessionism of the Holy Spirit and the Creed
''The Eastern Orthodox'' followers believe in the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit as a direct proceeding from
The Father as is made clear with literature such as the accounts of the
Gospels (Lossky, 1976). This ideology is exhibited in
John 15:26, Jesus says of the Holy Spirit: "But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me" (Lossky, 1976).
This idea of forbearance is recurrently idealised both throughout
Eastern Liturgical an
sacramental worshipto "enrich the value of the intercessions of the Father" according to the
Eastern Theological Teachings (Lossky, 1976).
During the
divine liturgy, the line "Father of light, from whom every good gift comes, send your Spirit into our lives…" as well as the
''Nicene Creed'', "begotten of the Father, through Him all things were made…" addresses the centrality of
the Father as the Forebearer; whilst
Western Theologians understand the value of the
Godhead, "Spirit uncreateth" (
''Athanasian Creed'', 5th cent. AD) but portray the
Holy Trinity as begetters of one-another, "Light from Light, true God from true God" (Kim, 2007).
Eastern Orthodoxy refers to the Nicene Creed (from the ''
First Council of Nicaea
The First Council of Nicaea (; grc, Νίκαια ) was a council of Christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325.
This ecumenical council was the first effort ...
also known as the Council of Constantinople, 325 AD'') in liturgical writing, affirming the
monoprocessional understanding as seen in "who proceedeth from the Father.." as widely accepted theologically by the
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...
,
Catholic,
Oriental Orthodox, and
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
(such as
Lutheran and
Anglican) Churches (Cameron et al., 2016). However, recent
Vatican Councils (1995), argued that including ''καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ'' ("and the Son") would indeed be
an act of "heresy of the literature" if used with the Greek word ''ἐκπορεύομαι'' (meaning "out of", "originating from") as to highlight the relevance of the
filioque in
Catholic Literature (Cameron et al., 2016).
Iconography
''Iconography'' is another theological aspect discussed in literature. Parry (2007), comments on the idea of "reverence rather than worship," for the icons; to affirm its role as a "spiritual reflection" of those we worship (Parry and Wiley, 2007). Furthermore, the
''canonization of Saints'' and those depicted i
Eastern Iconographyinclude the foundational figures of this Church, such as the
disciples Mathew,
Mark,
Luke and
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
, and prophets such as
Elijah
Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My El (deity), God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic language, Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) w ...
and
Moses as to reflect the
image of God
The image of God (; ) is a concept and theological doctrine in Christianity, as well as in Judaism. This concept is a foundational aspect of Christian and Jewish understandings of human nature. It stems from the primary text in Genesis 1:27, which ...
as an aid for
spiritual reverence and reflection (Tradigo, 2006). Didron (1885) and Weitzmann (1960) comment on the importance of
Byzantine Art, noting it's direct
Christian inspiration and motives that characterized
Western industrial, and religious use of icons in the
Middle Ages. In further history, this increased value of these works due to their scarcity and veneration, benefiting the communal growth and
exposure of Christianity throughout Europe, contributing further to a "
Christian Boom" (Weitzmann, 1960).
Colossians 1:15, "He is the image of the invisible God" supports the ideology of spiritual inheritance, whereby Christians of the Orthodox Church are born into the spirit, and through reverence, such as with iconography, model the actions of higher spiritual figures to preserve their own spiritual integrity (Adreopoulos & Rancour-Laferrier, 2013). This is to contrast from
paganism, where
Ephesians 5:5 states, "he who is covetous (an
idolater), has no inheritance in the
kingdom of Christ," as to account for the immoral act of "carving your own god," which would displace the teachings of the
Trinity, and the
Godhead seen in
Eastern ministries, therefore rejecting Orthodox teachings (Parry and Wiley, 2007).
Roman Catholic literature
The
''Roman Catholic Denomination'' acts as the sister branch to the
East–West Schism of 1054 AD as a split-off from the
Eastern Orthodox Church (Koandreas, 2021).
Catholic Literature follows the understanding of the
filioque as an element of the
Holy Trinity under the ordination of
''Saint'' ''Augustine'' and
''Thomas Aquinas'' as is present in the variations of their literature, such as the
Nicene and
Apostles' Creeds (Sullivan, 1974). Furthermore, the presence of a
Pope in Catholicism differs from Eastern Orthodox beliefs, indicating a change present in their respective
spiritual hierarchies as well as the acceptance of
papal infallibility
Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, in virtue of the promise of Jesus to Peter, the Pope when he speaks '' ex cathedra'' is preserved from the possibility of error on doctrine "initially given to the apos ...
(Douthat, 2018).
Filioque, The Holy Spirit and the Catholic Creed
Bennet (2018) admits the Catholic Church's "dissociation from the original text of the
First Council of Constantinople
The First Council of Constantinople ( la, Concilium Constantinopolitanum; grc-gre, Σύνοδος τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως) was a council of Christian bishops convened in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) in AD 381 b ...
," which is evident in the addition of the phrase (''καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ'' - corresponding to the ''Filioque'') as the
Catholic Creed differed from the
Greek text of the Creed (879 AD – 880 AD), even in the liturgical instances (Bennet, 2018). Likewise, the text "We believe… " (Greek: Πιστεύομεν) underwent a later change to "I believe…" (Greek: Πιστεύω) in
Catholic, as well as
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
(such as
Lutheran and
Anglican) Churches; which highlights the literature as "ultimately an individual
confession
A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of persons – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information th ...
of belief," but, may undermine the "expression of collective beliefs of the Church" (Bennet & Torrance, 2016).
The Pope in Catholicism
The admission of a
Pope in
Catholic Literature undertakes a position of
''magisterium'' (a position of authority in the Roman Catholic Church), whereby spiritual authority and interpretation occurs through him (Douthat, 2018). The role of the Pope is to operate as an
infallible example of the religion, meaning he is
unable to fall into sin and manifests all matters of the
Catholic Doctrine Catholic doctrine may refer to:
* Catholic theology
** Catholic moral theology
** Catholic Mariology
*Heresy in the Catholic Church
* Catholic social teaching
* Catholic liturgy
*Catholic Church and homosexuality
The Catholic Church broadly ...
(Allen, 2015). This differs from the beliefs of the
Orthodox, who
reject the idea of infallibility, instead accepting that "all humans too are subject to error and sin" (Kerr, 1979). This rejection of infallibility originates from the
teachings of the Messiah in the fulfillment of
Jesus' prophecy, whereby Jesus is the only one to embody the infallibility of a human as He is also part God (Epperly, 2001). This ideology is further exhibited in
James 3:2, "If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man," rejecting the infallibility of all humans, extending to those in the
Catholic patriarchy (Kerr, 1974).
This highlights the preservation of a spiritual order, which, in Catholicism involves
''papal'' and
''apostolic election'' as a God-given selection (Holland and Wills, 2015). The earliest accounts of
Papal conclave (the gathering of College Cardinals to elect a bishop of Rome) began as early as 1059 AD, aligning with the
split of Eastern Orthodoxy after the
East-West Schism (Gillis et al., 2020). Baumgartner (2003) comments on the timing of the split, noting that the
Catholic Ministers aimed to uphold a notable figurehead to retain both the integrity and premise of the Church, as well as the
ideology of Jesus who himself was
infallible (Baumgartner, 2003).
Similarly, the role of the Pope is also to produce literature (Weigel, 2005). As the
''magisterium'', works of writing such a
The Name of God is Mercy(2016) an
Walking with Jesus(2015) are widely regarded forms of devotional literature in Catholicism; investigating the roles of
virtue,
reconciliation
Reconciliation or reconcile may refer to:
Accounting
* Reconciliation (accounting)
Arts, entertainment, and media Sculpture
* ''Reconciliation'' (Josefina de Vasconcellos sculpture), a sculpture by Josefina de Vasconcellos in Coventry Cathedra ...
,
mercy
Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, relig ...
and charitability as measures of
achieving sainthood and spiritual closeness with Christ (Woll, 2015).
See also
*
Breviary
*
Daily devotional
A daily devotional is a Christian religious publication that provide a specific spiritual reading for each calendar day. Many daily devotionals take the form of one year devotional books, with many being tailored specifically for children, teenag ...
*
List of Christian devotional literature
References
{{Authority control
Religious literature