Health as a Virtue: Thomas Aquinas and the Practice of Habits of Health
How are we to care for our bodies and our health as part of faithful Christian living? Melanie Dobson excavates from Thomas Aquinas an answer for how contemporary Christians might live well in the midst of a very sick culture.
Through a close reading of Aquinas's Treatise on Habit, Dobson reveals that the moral practice of habit does indeed include health. Thomas's keen understanding of the human person and of human longings supports the book's argument for a practice of health that directs us deep into the heart of God.
Field research with clergy and missionaries offers concrete examples of the implementation of habits of health as part of the life of Christian virtue. The stories from the Clergy Health Initiative and Word Made Flesh missionary organization exhibit transformations that ushered Christian leaders into deeper love of God, neighbor, and themselves. In the end, the theology of habits of health means that our quotidian care of our bodies is not only faithful, but directs us into a life of flourishing.
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Health as a Virtue: Thomas Aquinas and the Practice of Habits of Health
How are we to care for our bodies and our health as part of faithful Christian living? Melanie Dobson excavates from Thomas Aquinas an answer for how contemporary Christians might live well in the midst of a very sick culture.
Through a close reading of Aquinas's Treatise on Habit, Dobson reveals that the moral practice of habit does indeed include health. Thomas's keen understanding of the human person and of human longings supports the book's argument for a practice of health that directs us deep into the heart of God.
Field research with clergy and missionaries offers concrete examples of the implementation of habits of health as part of the life of Christian virtue. The stories from the Clergy Health Initiative and Word Made Flesh missionary organization exhibit transformations that ushered Christian leaders into deeper love of God, neighbor, and themselves. In the end, the theology of habits of health means that our quotidian care of our bodies is not only faithful, but directs us into a life of flourishing.
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Health as a Virtue: Thomas Aquinas and the Practice of Habits of Health

Health as a Virtue: Thomas Aquinas and the Practice of Habits of Health

by Melanie L. Dobson
Health as a Virtue: Thomas Aquinas and the Practice of Habits of Health

Health as a Virtue: Thomas Aquinas and the Practice of Habits of Health

by Melanie L. Dobson

eBook

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Overview

How are we to care for our bodies and our health as part of faithful Christian living? Melanie Dobson excavates from Thomas Aquinas an answer for how contemporary Christians might live well in the midst of a very sick culture.
Through a close reading of Aquinas's Treatise on Habit, Dobson reveals that the moral practice of habit does indeed include health. Thomas's keen understanding of the human person and of human longings supports the book's argument for a practice of health that directs us deep into the heart of God.
Field research with clergy and missionaries offers concrete examples of the implementation of habits of health as part of the life of Christian virtue. The stories from the Clergy Health Initiative and Word Made Flesh missionary organization exhibit transformations that ushered Christian leaders into deeper love of God, neighbor, and themselves. In the end, the theology of habits of health means that our quotidian care of our bodies is not only faithful, but directs us into a life of flourishing.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781630873455
Publisher: Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date: 06/25/2014
Series: Princeton Theological Monograph Series , #209
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
File size: 2 MB

About the Author

Melanie L. Dobson is an ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church. She holds a ThD in theology and ethics from Duke University and is currently serving at Myers Park United Methodist Church in Charlotte, NC.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xi

Part 1 Thomas Aquinas and Habits of Health

1 Introduction: A Story of Habits Learned 3

2 Habit and Health in Aristotelian Thought 9

3 Habit in Aquinas 17

4 Health as a Habit in Aquinas 24

5 Body, Soul, and the Healthy Life 39

6 Passionately Longing for Health 47

7 The Action of Habits of Health 54

8 What Is Health For? The Ends of Habits of Health 64

Part 2 Habits of Health in Christian Community

9 Clergy Health Initiative 77

10 Word Made Flesh 102

11 Conclusion: Habits of Health and the Church 131

Appendix: Interview Questions 137

Bibliography 141

Subject Index 147

Names Index 155

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