Jessica Dogantemur
5.0 out of 5 starsA level of experience with other writings of like character is essential to getting the full effect of ...January 16, 2018
Absolutely sublime, but not for the conventional religious person. A level of experience with other writings of like character is essential to getting the full effect of his eloquence and poetry. I recommend this book with all my heart to those seeking the higher reaches of goodness, truth, and beauty.
9 people found this helpful
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Trudie Barreras
TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE VOICE
5.0 out of 5 starsRevisiting a cherished authorDecember 1, 2009
I first read Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's landmark books, "The Phenomenon of Man" and "The Divine Milieu", shortly after the initial posthumous publication. At that time, in the early 1960's, I was a graduate student in Chemistry and a recent convert to Roman Catholicism. I was deeply impressed by the insight and spirituality of this author, and was delighted at the way in which he merged his faith with his scientific understanding.
His theory of complexity-consciousness and discussion of the development of the Noosphere enthralled me and had an extremely formative influence on much of my later thinking and, eventually, my teaching. I became a high school teacher in the era when "Creationism" was holding forth in utter ignorance of the reality of Divinely-guided evolution, and could only wish that Teilhard's wonderful work would be more widely read and understood by both "camps" in the controversy.
Over twenty years later, with the birth of the Internet, satellite communications and cellular telephone technology, I suddenly saw the true maturation of that Noosphere that Teilhard had envisioned and in a sense prophesied, and I realized that I needed to revisit his writings. Regretfully, I could not find my original copies in my somewhat cluttered library, and decided that I would re-purchase them. I can't say how profoundly glad I am that I was able to obtain copies of these two books and others by Teilhard via Amazon.
19 people found this helpful
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Todd M Runyon
5.0 out of 5 starsBeautiful visionJune 19, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
"Now the earth can certainly clasp me in her giant arms. She can swell me with her life, or take me back into her dust. She can deck herself out for me with every charm, with every horror, with every mystery. She can intoxicate me with her perfume of tangibility and unity. She can cast me to my knees in expectation of what is maturing in her breast. . . . But her enchantments can no longer do me harm, since she has become for me, over and above herself, the body of him who is and of him who is coming. The divine milieu."
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John W. Cowan
5.0 out of 5 starsBlazing Insight, Timeworn ConclusionOctober 22, 2012
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I am aware that I am about to criticize a giant intellect. The brilliant insight, rising from exhaustive paleontological study, that the creator is leading the universe to consciousness, by the end of the Divine Milieu is being crammed into the Roman Catholic theological system of the 1950's.
In those years as a seminary student I read all of Chardin's works barely able to take in their depth and shaken by the implications. I can think of no other author who has had as great an impact on my life and world view. Everything changed. The static world moved into flow. The one person redemption I sought became a tribal pursuit of the Divine Will. The end was no longer salvation but awakening. As I reread after decades, this was again affirmed, and my recommendation of this book to others over the years was validated. But in its final chapters The Divine Milieu proves that even the greatest of minds cannot break through every barrier to truth imposed by the culture in which he has been born and now lives. The Roman Catholic church, the resurrected Christ, the sacramental system are all proffered as essential vessels for carrying Chardin's grand new vision forward. They are not adequate. And in this century they are being challenged on many fronts, scriptural, scientific and historical.
What would he have written if he had written now? Still and all. If you have not read the Divine Milieu buy it and read it. (If you have only a smattering of an education in science it is the easiest path to his teaching.) I know no one who has matched his vision for the unfolding of evolution within a christian context. In this arena, all others still come in second. If you are no longer, or never were, an adherent of the Roman Catholic theological system skim the last chapters as evidence that even the mighty cannot rise above every limitation.
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dpk
4.0 out of 5 starsBrilliant, albeit somewhat obscureAugust 18, 2017
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Teilhard de Chardin is a brilliant thinker. His approach to science and theology is unique and fascinating. The writing style is obscure, and I can't pretend to understand it all, but what I do get is so valuable that it is well worth the effort.
2 people found this helpful
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carol sethmann
5.0 out of 5 starsThis is one of my favorite books of all timeOctober 17, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is one of my favorite books of all time; I bought copies of it to share. They had some wear as I expected for such a small price, but they were very usable and arrived quickly. Much of the writing is dense, but some of it is true poetry when he discusses his perception of the "milieu". It is a book to give meaning to the average person and the value of daily activity...by learning to see Christ in all of our endeavors.
10 people found this helpful
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Jo Ann Jackowski
5.0 out of 5 starsRelationship with God is necessarily rooted in our scientific understanding of the universeDecember 16, 2013
For those in tune with the importance of understanding the slow evolution of the universe and its deep relationship with spirituality, this book is a classic and a gem. The concepts are so on track with what scientists are discovering about the interrelatedness of all of creation, that I find it incredible that Teilhard first wrote these words in the 1940's-50's. All of his book deserve a re-read by serious spiritual seekers.
7 people found this helpful
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Sally A Fennell
5.0 out of 5 starsmy heart sang for joy. One of the greatest minds the Church has ...July 30, 2014
I was introduced to Chardin in the early 60's and although at the time I couldn't really understand what he was saying, my heart sang for joy. One of the greatest minds the Church has known, and there have been many. Unfortunately, like many other gifted minds, their knowledge and foresight aren't appreciated until a long time after they've gone. We all must move toward freedom of fear and the openness to explore.
4 people found this helpful
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Over twenty years later, with the birth of the Internet, satellite communications and cellular telephone technology, I suddenly saw the true maturation of that Noosphere that Teilhard had envisioned and in a sense prophesied, and I realized that I needed to revisit his writings. Regretfully, I could not find my original copies in my somewhat cluttered library, and decided that I would re-purchase them. I can't say how profoundly glad I am that I was able to obtain copies of these two books and others by Teilhard via Amazon.
19 people found this helpful
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Todd M Runyon
5.0 out of 5 starsBeautiful visionJune 19, 2019
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
"Now the earth can certainly clasp me in her giant arms. She can swell me with her life, or take me back into her dust. She can deck herself out for me with every charm, with every horror, with every mystery. She can intoxicate me with her perfume of tangibility and unity. She can cast me to my knees in expectation of what is maturing in her breast. . . . But her enchantments can no longer do me harm, since she has become for me, over and above herself, the body of him who is and of him who is coming. The divine milieu."
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John W. Cowan
5.0 out of 5 starsBlazing Insight, Timeworn ConclusionOctober 22, 2012
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I am aware that I am about to criticize a giant intellect. The brilliant insight, rising from exhaustive paleontological study, that the creator is leading the universe to consciousness, by the end of the Divine Milieu is being crammed into the Roman Catholic theological system of the 1950's.
In those years as a seminary student I read all of Chardin's works barely able to take in their depth and shaken by the implications. I can think of no other author who has had as great an impact on my life and world view. Everything changed. The static world moved into flow. The one person redemption I sought became a tribal pursuit of the Divine Will. The end was no longer salvation but awakening. As I reread after decades, this was again affirmed, and my recommendation of this book to others over the years was validated. But in its final chapters The Divine Milieu proves that even the greatest of minds cannot break through every barrier to truth imposed by the culture in which he has been born and now lives. The Roman Catholic church, the resurrected Christ, the sacramental system are all proffered as essential vessels for carrying Chardin's grand new vision forward. They are not adequate. And in this century they are being challenged on many fronts, scriptural, scientific and historical.
What would he have written if he had written now? Still and all. If you have not read the Divine Milieu buy it and read it. (If you have only a smattering of an education in science it is the easiest path to his teaching.) I know no one who has matched his vision for the unfolding of evolution within a christian context. In this arena, all others still come in second. If you are no longer, or never were, an adherent of the Roman Catholic theological system skim the last chapters as evidence that even the mighty cannot rise above every limitation.
17 people found this helpful
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dpk
4.0 out of 5 starsBrilliant, albeit somewhat obscureAugust 18, 2017
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Teilhard de Chardin is a brilliant thinker. His approach to science and theology is unique and fascinating. The writing style is obscure, and I can't pretend to understand it all, but what I do get is so valuable that it is well worth the effort.
2 people found this helpful
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carol sethmann
5.0 out of 5 starsThis is one of my favorite books of all timeOctober 17, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is one of my favorite books of all time; I bought copies of it to share. They had some wear as I expected for such a small price, but they were very usable and arrived quickly. Much of the writing is dense, but some of it is true poetry when he discusses his perception of the "milieu". It is a book to give meaning to the average person and the value of daily activity...by learning to see Christ in all of our endeavors.
10 people found this helpful
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Jo Ann Jackowski
5.0 out of 5 starsRelationship with God is necessarily rooted in our scientific understanding of the universeDecember 16, 2013
For those in tune with the importance of understanding the slow evolution of the universe and its deep relationship with spirituality, this book is a classic and a gem. The concepts are so on track with what scientists are discovering about the interrelatedness of all of creation, that I find it incredible that Teilhard first wrote these words in the 1940's-50's. All of his book deserve a re-read by serious spiritual seekers.
7 people found this helpful
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Sally A Fennell
5.0 out of 5 starsmy heart sang for joy. One of the greatest minds the Church has ...July 30, 2014
I was introduced to Chardin in the early 60's and although at the time I couldn't really understand what he was saying, my heart sang for joy. One of the greatest minds the Church has known, and there have been many. Unfortunately, like many other gifted minds, their knowledge and foresight aren't appreciated until a long time after they've gone. We all must move toward freedom of fear and the openness to explore.
4 people found this helpful
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