I have worked in the Catholic Church much of my adult life. I watched and listened carefully to the emergence of the tragic news of the widespread sexual abuse crisis. I heard ideas that disturbing forms of spiritual beliefs and actions lurked in some of these illegal and scandalous events. I wrote this novel in hopes of exposing the occurrence of these diabolical behaviors needs to be addressed with prayer and fasting. Our Christian faith still needs cleansing after the horror of the sexual abuse crisis and I pray this novel helps bring this evil to light.
- Nancy James
Mystical Perfection
"This translation of Jeanne Guyon's commentary on John is key to Guyon studies. Was this seventeenth-century mystic really a closet Protestant? We now have the answer. She was not; her deep sacramental theology comes shining through this commentary. Nancy James has done remarkable work: she locates, understands, and interprets this remarkable mystic. This is not just an important text for the academy but it is important for every faithful Christian. Madam Guyon is a person to admire and learn from. This is a vitally important text that every person serious about the mystical tradition should have in their library."
--Ian S. Markham, Virginia Theological Seminary
More New Books
The Complete Madame Guyon (Paraclete Press)
Praise for The Complete Madame Guyon:
"Thanks to Nancy James’s scholarly labors, Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Mothe, more widely known as Madame Guyon (1648-1717) will hopefully become a household word, at least among students of mysticism. By no means an uncontroversial thinker, twice imprisoned for her allegedly heretical ideas, and defended by one bishop (Fénelon) and attacked by another (Bossuet), Madame Guyon’s ideas, especially her concept of self-annihilation in the soul’s union with God, will likely arouse challenge, even today. We owe Dr. James an enormous debt for her translation of Madame Guyon’s works and popularization of her ideas. Through Dr. James’s work we can gain insights into not only mystical theology but also seventeenth-century French secular and ecclesiastical politics."
-- Dr. Peter C. Phan
The Ignacio Ellacuria Chair of Catholic Social Thought
Theology Department, Georgetown University
“By means of graceful, often elegant translations of primary texts – especially of the poetry – Nancy James makes the writings of the great mystic and savant of the inner life freshly and attractively available to twenty-first century readers. She introduces us to Guyon by means of a crisply written biography that captures well the dramatic adventure of Guyon’s seventeenth-century odyssey that took her to Louis XIV, the court of Versailles, and spiritual friendship with the great Fenelon, and an incisive interpretive essay in which she construes Guyon’s spirituality in terms of the transformative, sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Scholarly notes, a large bibliography, and a recommended reading list make this edition of Guyon’s work useful for anyone wishing to go deeper.”
-- Peter Gorday, author of François Fénelon: The Apostle of Pure Love--A Biography
"Professor Nancy James' translation and study of the prose and poetry of Madame Guyon, in the context of her life and times, paints a captivating chapter in the sixteenth and seventeenth history of French spirituality..."
--Rev. Dr. Paul Haffner, Pontifical Athenaeum «Regina Apostolorum»
"In this remarkable book, sound scholarship meets devotion. James has done an outstanding service to the Church and the academy in providing this excellent introduction to the great French mystic. Not only is Madame Guyon a deep and profound theologian, but she invites the Christian into an ever deeper relationship with God. She stands alongside the greats in the mystical tradition: Mother Julian of Norwich, Meister Eckhart, and Thomas a Kempis. Anyone interested in prayer, poetry, and a remarkable life should read this book.”
-- Ian Markham, Dean of Virginia Theological Seminary
Available at Amazon or from the publisher
"Thanks to Nancy James’s scholarly labors, Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Mothe, more widely known as Madame Guyon (1648-1717) will hopefully become a household word, at least among students of mysticism. By no means an uncontroversial thinker, twice imprisoned for her allegedly heretical ideas, and defended by one bishop (Fénelon) and attacked by another (Bossuet), Madame Guyon’s ideas, especially her concept of self-annihilation in the soul’s union with God, will likely arouse challenge, even today. We owe Dr. James an enormous debt for her translation of Madame Guyon’s works and popularization of her ideas. Through Dr. James’s work we can gain insights into not only mystical theology but also seventeenth-century French secular and ecclesiastical politics."
-- Dr. Peter C. Phan
The Ignacio Ellacuria Chair of Catholic Social Thought
Theology Department, Georgetown University
“By means of graceful, often elegant translations of primary texts – especially of the poetry – Nancy James makes the writings of the great mystic and savant of the inner life freshly and attractively available to twenty-first century readers. She introduces us to Guyon by means of a crisply written biography that captures well the dramatic adventure of Guyon’s seventeenth-century odyssey that took her to Louis XIV, the court of Versailles, and spiritual friendship with the great Fenelon, and an incisive interpretive essay in which she construes Guyon’s spirituality in terms of the transformative, sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Scholarly notes, a large bibliography, and a recommended reading list make this edition of Guyon’s work useful for anyone wishing to go deeper.”
-- Peter Gorday, author of François Fénelon: The Apostle of Pure Love--A Biography
"Professor Nancy James' translation and study of the prose and poetry of Madame Guyon, in the context of her life and times, paints a captivating chapter in the sixteenth and seventeenth history of French spirituality..."
--Rev. Dr. Paul Haffner, Pontifical Athenaeum «Regina Apostolorum»
"In this remarkable book, sound scholarship meets devotion. James has done an outstanding service to the Church and the academy in providing this excellent introduction to the great French mystic. Not only is Madame Guyon a deep and profound theologian, but she invites the Christian into an ever deeper relationship with God. She stands alongside the greats in the mystical tradition: Mother Julian of Norwich, Meister Eckhart, and Thomas a Kempis. Anyone interested in prayer, poetry, and a remarkable life should read this book.”
-- Ian Markham, Dean of Virginia Theological Seminary
Available at Amazon or from the publisher
Listen to Nancy speak about witnessing heroism amid the COVID-19 crises on NPR here: https://fm.kuac.org/post/witnessing-heroism
Nancy is available to speak to your group or to conduct a spiritual retreat featuring the writings of Jeanne Guyon
write her at: nancycaroljames@gmail.com (click to go to Outlook, copy for web-based clients like Gmail) Her business phone number is 571-236-8038.