Early and medieval Christianity developed a varied spiritual senses tradition to describe the grace-filled capacity to pierce the thin crystal membrane that separates the sensible world from the divine. Just as our physical senses of touch, taste, smell, sight and sound allow us to perceive the tangible world around us, the spiritual senses engrace us to perceive God in our midst.
In this book, Paul Dominiak unpacks the scriptural roots, historical development and persisting power of this tradition. Each chapter considers in turn the spiritual senses of touch, taste, smell, sight and sound, illustrating the transformative potential of each for Christian communities in relation to contemporary concerns around trauma, class, immigration, race and gender.