A sharp, almost sweet
smell began to rise from her open mouth.
He watched her chest go still.
With his thumb he closed her round brown eyes.
– Donald Hall, “Her Long Illness.” Without.
Holbein the Younger, Hans. The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb. Basel, Switzerland. Kunstmuseum, 1522. Oil and tempera on limewood.
“Now, Lord, since it is you who gives understanding to faith, grant me to understand as well as you think fit, that you exist as we believe, and that you are what we believe you to be. We believe that you are that thing than which nothing greater can be thought.” – Anselm of Canterbury, Proslogion
“Discourse about God comes second because faith comes first and is the source of theology; in the formula of St. Anselm, we believe in order that we may understand (credo ut intelligam).” – Gustavo Gutiérrez, A Theology of Liberation
Romanelli, Giovanni Francesco. The Meeting of the Countess Matilda and Anselm of Canterbury in the Presence of Pope Urban II. 1642. Oil on canvas.
“Upon the disappearance of the fixed points that should give unity to everyday activity, persons live at the mercy of events, unable to establish fruitful links between them and forced simply to jump from one to another.” – Gustavo Gutierrez, We Drink for Our Own Wells
Van Gogh, Vincent. Wheatfield with Crows. Amsterdam, Netherlands. Van Gogh Museum, 1890. Oil on canvas.
“We cannot believe that having shared so intimately in God’s reality in life we do not continue to share it beyond the grave.” – Eugene Borowitz
Tissot, James. God’s Promises to Abram. 1902. Gouache on board.
“He felt shame
to understand he would miss
the months of sickness and taking care.”
– Donald Hall, “Her Long Illness.” Without.
“In our first session, she asked me what it was like to live with Anne on a daily basis. I told her how I would watch Anne’s facial ticks because they sometimes indicated she was going into an episode. Joann responded, “You have certainly lost a job.” She was right. I had lost a job. And even though it was a job I would rather not have had, I missed it.” – Stanley Hauerwas, Hannah’s Child: A Theologian’s Memoir
Van Gogh, Vincent. Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear. Courtauld Institute of Art, 1889. Oil on canvas.
“If theologians become famous in times like ours, surely they must have betrayed their calling.” – Stanley Hauerwas, Hannah’s Child: A Theologian’s Memoir
Eakins, Thomas. The Champion Single Sculls (Max Schmitt in a Single Scull). Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1871. Oil on canvas.
“But to speak freely, I greatly fear, and this fear remains, that so many autumns will be spent in procrastinating, that the cold of a perpetual winter will set in.” – John Calvin
Gauguin, Paul. Garden under Snow. Budapest. Museum of Fine Arts, 1879. Oil on canvas.
