ABSTRACT
During a presentation at a medieval conference, the theme of deification was raised in connection with Marguerite Porete. Despite the efforts of several scholars, most notably Bernard McGinn in his seven-volume Presence of God: A History of Western Christian Mysticism, there is a relative paucity of publications that focus on medieval articulations of the doctrine of deification, especially in the mystical tradition. Indeed, the apparent division between Eastern and Western Christianity with respect to the doctrine of deification has often been noted. Some contemporary theologians, in line with Adolf von Harnack, applaud the supposed absence of the theme in the West because they consider it as such to be incommensurable with the foundations of Christian thought. The apparent division between Eastern and Western Christianity with respect to the doctrine of deification has often been noted. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
