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quietism
quietism a heretical form of religious mysticism founded by Miguel de Molinos, a 17th-century Spanish priest. Molinism, or quietism, developed within the Roman Catholic Church in Spain and spread especially to France, where its most influential exponent was Madame Guyon . She preached her doctrines to members of the French aristocracy, winning a convert and friend in Madame de Maintenon, Louis XIV's wife, and an ally in Archbishop Fénelon . Another quietist was Antoinette Bourignon . The essence of quietism is that perfection lies in the complete passivity of the soul before God and the absorption of the individual in the divine love to the point of annihilation not only of will but of all effort or desire for effort. Molinos talked about an entire cessation of self-consciousness, and Madame Guyon maintained that she could not sin, for sin was self, and she had rid herself of self. Molinos and his doctrines were condemned by Pope Innocent XI in 1687. A commission in France found most of Madame Guyon's works intolerable, and in 1699 Pope Innocent XII prohibited the circulation of Fénelon's book, the Maxims of the Saints. |
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"quietism." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "quietism." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-quietism.html "quietism." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-quietism.html |
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Quietism
Quietism. The teaching of certain 17th-cent. writers, especially M. de Molinos (condemned in 1687) and to a lesser degree Mme Guyon and Abp. Fénelon; by extension the term is used loosely of any system of spirituality minimizing human activity.
The fundamental principle of Quietism is its condemnation of all human effort. Its exponents seem to have exaggerated earlier teaching, such as that of St Teresa of Ávila, on the ‘prayer of quiet’. They held that, in order to be perfect, a man must attain complete passivity and annihilation of will, abandoning himself to God to such an extent that he ceases to care even about his own salvation. This state is reached by a form of mental prayer in which the soul consciously refuses not only discursive meditation but any distinct act, and simply rests in the presence of God in pure faith. Once a man has reached this state, outward acts are superfluous and sin impossible. |
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Quietism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Quietism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Quietism.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Quietism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Quietism.html |
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Quietism
Quietism. Used broadly of any spirituality that minimizes human activity and initiative, leaving all to the will of God. More strictly, it is applied in Christianity to the teaching of certain 17th-cent. writers, especially Miguel de Molinos (condemned in 1687), but also Mme. Guyon and Archbishop Fénelon. In its essence, it takes teaching about the importance of simple surrender to God's will (characteristic of contemplation) out of its context as the end-result of a life of moral discipline and participation in the sacraments. Christian perfection is attained by contemplatio passiva infusa, in which the powers of the self are suspended, to be replaced by God himself.
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JOHN BOWKER. "Quietism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Quietism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Quietism.html JOHN BOWKER. "Quietism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Quietism.html |
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quietism
quietism Mystical Christian movement begun by a Spanish priest, Miguel de Molinos, in the 17th century. It achieved great influence in 17th-century France and in the Wesleyan movement in 18th-century Britain. Its adherents believed that only in a state of absolute surrender to God was the mind able to receive the saving infusion of grace.
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"quietism." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "quietism." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-quietism.html "quietism." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-quietism.html |
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Quietism
Quietism. See TONALISM.
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IAN CHILVERS. "Quietism." A Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Art. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "Quietism." A Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Art. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O5-Quietism.html IAN CHILVERS. "Quietism." A Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Art. 1999. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O5-Quietism.html |
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