Spirit and Beauty

This text discusses what both the early Fathers and later writers such as Calvin and Sergius Bulgakov said about the association of beauty, both in nature and art, with the Holy Spirit. It also considers topics such as divine glory, inspiration and the eschatological character of beauty. Many Christian theologians have associated beauty, both in nature and art, with the Holy Spirit. They include early Fathers like St Irenaeus and St Clement of Alexandria, as well as later writers like Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, Sergius Bulgakov and Hans Urs von Balthasar. This text investigates what they said and why. In doing so, it also serves as an introduction to the whole area of theological aesthetics. Besides exploring the connection between the Holy Spirit and beauty, it ranges more widely by considering topics such as divine glory, inspiration and the eschatological character of beauty. Its discussions bring together two areas of lively interest in contemporary Christianity: the theology of the Holy Spirit and theological aesthetics.