Toward a Theology of the Imagination with S.T. Coleridge, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien

While many authors continue to use terms like Christian Imagination or Sacramental Imagination, few seek to define what the term imagination means. In this paper, the author presents his findings based on a close reading of S.T. Coleridge, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien. Rather than relying either on the definition of imagination as the ability to hold images in one’s head, or the definition by which is meant creativity, this paper puts forward a synthesis of the positions of the three authors listed above. In the end, this paper concludes that the imagination is inherently connected to the divine act of Creation, which aids in clearing away the lenses of sin and familiarity.

Marriage, Maternity, and the Formation of a Sacramental Imagination

This chapter compares marital and maternal imagery in two stories that the Cistercian monk Engelhard of Langheim sent to nuns at Wechterswinkel around the year 1200. Newman draws on theories of exemplarity and cognitive blending to show how Engelhard taught both monks and nuns a sacramental imagination whereby they could imagine connections between heaven and earth. Newman argues that Engelhard’s marital imagery retained an ideology of gender difference but that he ameliorated gendered dichotomies by using maternal images that held gender neutral connotations. Whereas marital imagery relied on gender dichotomies to express transcendent ideals and differentials of power and authority, Engelhard’s maternal imagery instead depicted a spirituality of immanence and productivity applicable to men and women alike.