Embracing God: Essays on the Spiritual Treatises of Aelred of Rievaulx

Marsha L. Dutton is the executive editor of Cistercian Publications. A former professor of medieval English literature at Ohio University, she is the editor of A Companion to Aelred of Rievaulx (1110–1167) (Brill, 2017), of four volumes of Aelred’s works in translation, and of "Aelred of Rievaulx" and (with Tyler Sergent) "The Cistercians" in the Oxford Bibliographies in Medieval Studies. Her sixteen presentations on Aelred for Schola Cisterciensis appear on YouTube.

"Marsha Dutton's close readings of Aelred's works bring a deeper understanding of a major unifying thread in Aelred's thought—the relationship between human beings and God. This collection of essays underscores the manner in which that relationship informs in unanticipated ways a diverse array of Aelred's texts. From iconographic imagery to theological philosophy, to ideological origins and contexts, the reader will find no shortage of illuminating insights in Dutton's work. Aelred scholars will not be disappointed."
Christopher Coski, professor of French, Ohio University
 
"In this valuable gathering of seven essays, one finds not only a fruitful remembrance of Marsha Dutton's distinguished career in Cistercian studies, but also the tracing of a soul's journey into God in the depths of memory. In that journey, Dutton has been a faithful companion of Augustine, Aelred, and Bernard; a trustworthy guide for their readers; and a friend to their friends."
Ann W. Astell, John Cardinal O'Hara Professor of Theology, University of Notre Dame