{"product_id":"through-anthroposophy-to-the-universal-church-a-spiritual-memoir-with-letters-from-valentin-tomberg-9781621389392","title":"Through Anthroposophy to the Universal Church: A Spiritual Memoir, with letters from Valentin Tomberg","description":"\u003cp\u003eBernhard Martin (1900-1985) grew up Germany in what he calls the \"ungodly\" age of the First World War and the post-war crisis. Raised a lukewarm Protestant, in secondary school he came to feel disconnected from spiritual life. He made forays into the academic world, but in the end felt himself a \"poor fool\" with no notion what to do in life. This crisis led to several years at a sanitarium. After returning to university, a friend introduced him to the Anthroposophy of Rudolf Steiner and the \"Christian Community,\" a movement for religious renewal founded under Steiner's inspiration. These perspectives rescued him from his crisis and led to a strong recovery in soul and spirit. Between 1942 and 1944, Martin encountered the writings, then the person, of the Christian esotericist Valentin Tomberg (1900-1973), which led to an enduring friendship during which Tomberg introduced him to the spirituality of the Catholic Church. In 1946, Martin converted to the Catholicism; but, in contrast to Tomberg, elected to remain connected with the Anthroposophical Movement until the end of his life. This book tells the gripping tale of that journey.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A work of moral genius... Its true tolerance (i.e., an understanding unsullied by fear or hatred) of the 'heresies' of the modern age, and its confidence that Catholic Christianity is a 'powerful competitor' able to fully engage with all the intellectual trends of the present, offers intimate insight into just how it can be that 'all roads lead to Rome.' I most prize in the book the unconquerable weapon of modesty and honesty... It fills a gap I had perhaps once thought it my duty to fill-and now it has been done in a way I could have striven for, but never attained.\"-\u003cstrong\u003eValentin Tomberg\u003c\/strong\u003e, author of \u003cem\u003eLazarus: The Miracle of Resurrection in World History\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"The German edition of this book had a deep resonance in Catholic and Anthroposophical circles. It contains a uniquely thoughtful and conscientious discussion of two spiritual paths that, according to its author, require mutual understanding.\"-\u003cstrong\u003eHarrie Salman PhD\u003c\/strong\u003e, author of \u003cem\u003eValentin Tomberg and the\u003c\/em\u003e Ecclesia Universalis: \u003cem\u003eA Biography\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Moving from mainstream (if somewhat uninspired) Protestant Christian to Anthroposophist to devoted Catholic, Bernhard Martin's tale is that of a spiritual seeker, hungry for Christian truth, who interprets his path with moral and intellectual scrupulousness. Through his encounters with Valentin Tomberg, Martin found a fellow-traveler, and in due course, a home in the traditions of the Roman Church.\"-\u003cstrong\u003eMichael Martin\u003c\/strong\u003e, author of \u003cem\u003eSophia in Exile\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Submerged Reality\u003c\/em\u003e, etc.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Angelico Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50458054623506,"sku":"9781621389392","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_06331bf9-5ec6-4ff6-b8b8-21c15568ef34.jpg?v=1729950563","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/through-anthroposophy-to-the-universal-church-a-spiritual-memoir-with-letters-from-valentin-tomberg-9781621389392","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}