When Souls Had Wings : Pre-Mortal Existence in Western Thought - Terryl L. Givens

When Souls Had Wings

Pre-Mortal Existence in Western Thought

By: Terryl L. Givens

Hardcover | 8 October 2009

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The idea of the pre-existence of the soul has been extremely important, widespread, and persistent throughout Western history--from even before the philosophy of Plato to the poetry of Robert Frost. When Souls Had Wings offers the first systematic history of this little explored feature of Western culture.
Terryl Givens describes the tradition of pre-existence as "pre-heaven"--the place where unborn souls wait until they descend to earth to be born. And typically it is seen as a descent--a falling away from a happier and untroubled state into the turbulent and sinful world we know. The title of the book refers to the idea put forward in antiquity that our souls begin with wings, and that only after shedding those wings do we fall to earth. The book not only traces the history of the idea of pre-existence, but also captures its meaning for those who have embraced it. Givens describes how pre-existence has been invoked to explain "the better angels of our nature," including the human yearning for transcendence and the sublime. Pre-existence has been said to account for why we know what we should not know, whether in the form of a Greek slave's grasp of mathematics, the moral sense common to humanity, or the human ability to recognize universals. The belief has explained human bonds that seem to have their own mysterious prehistory, salved the wounded sensibility of a host of thinkers who could not otherwise account for the unevenly distributed pain and suffering that are humanity's common lot, and has been posited by philosophers and theologians alike to salvage the principle of human freedom and accountability.
When Souls had Wings underscores how durable (and controversial) this idea has been throughout the history of Western thought, the theological dangers it has represented, and how prominently it has featured in poetry, literature, and art.
Industry Reviews
"Givens could make a reader stop and think twice about a joke on a LaffyTaffy wrapper. Imagine what he could do with a concept as deep, rich, and personal as the preexistence of the soul...For a greater appreciation for (and understanding of) the idea of preexistence, this unique book is a must-read." --Association for Mormon Letters ''Terryl Givens offers a brilliant intellectual history of this enduring notion that humanity's spiritual identity can be traced to a state or place that preexists mortal life....The intellectual power of this volume derives in part from its vast historical expanse. Givens chronicles varying interpretations of preexistence across some thirty centuries and countless European and American social settings....Readers from all backgrounds will find themselves engaged in this spirited conversation, pondering the relative merits of the partisan arguments advanced over the long course of Western thought.'' -Brad Fuller, Church History ''The deeper we venture into Christian history, the more struck we must be at the many different positions that believers have held over time, and how radically these differed from what became the Christian mainstream. Terryl Givens ranges far and wide both within ''Christianity and outside to show just how very persistent in Western thought has been the notion that our souls existed long before we were born, with all the implications of that belief. His provocative book is rich and often startling.'' -Philip Jenkins, author of God's Continent ''This is a fascinating, learned and engagingly-written account of an ancient idea-best known from Plato's Timaeus-that has stubbornly reappeared in thinkers as diverse as Origen, Jakob Boehme, Henry More, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Nicholas Berdyaev....Historians and theologians will benefit from Givens's persuasive account of why Christian orthodoxy, after Augustine's early vacillation, finally rejected pre-existence...'' -Gerald R. McDermott, author of The Theology of Jonathan Edwards ''This stimulating and ambitious book arcs across the intellectual and religious heavens from ancient Mesopotamia to contemporary studies of consciousness and memory boundaries. It demonstrates vividly why and how the troubling notion (for westerners) of pre-existence has in fact continually helped to shape our theories of soul and of identity, often in surprising ways. This is the history of a mutating idea at its best.'' --Michael J. B. Allen, Distinguished Professor of English, UCLA

Other Editions and Formats

Paperback

Published: 31st May 2012

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