ABSTRACT
In order to examine the presence of the hero’s journey displayed in John of Ruusbroec’s theology of spiritual formation, the methodology employed in this book focuses on letting Ruusbroec’s writing speak, albeit in a way not previously recognised. The hermeneutical process involves acquiring a horizon of interpretation, which itself requires a fusion of horizons, typically understood in terms of past and present. This book’s subject matter is such a fusion of horizons, in which leading modern voices that have identified and, to a significant degree, codified the characteristics of the hero’s journey are brought into dialogue with Ruusbroec’s writing and his theology of spiritual formation. The result is the recognition of the patterns and tropes of the hero’s journey inherent in Ruusbroec’s formational path, establishing a new horizon of interpretation for Ruusbroec’s work.
