At any time there is only a small number of people writing original and creative theology. Raimundo Panikkar is one of those today. The sub-title and the table of contents of this book give a hint of its themes and purpose. The author sums it all up in words to be found on his final page: ‘Man is more than “man”; he is a Theandric mystery. In some of the opening pages he summarises his purpose and method: ‘After studying the three most characteristic forms of spirituality that are to be found as a human invariant in the majority of religions, we shall venture a consideration of the theological problem of the Trinity, that mystery which out of a kind of reverential awe has been virtually allowed to atrophy in a great part of Christianity. In the third part of our study we shall embark on an outline of what ! would call, following an ancient tradition, Theandrism, i.e. the fundamental attitude through which we are enabled to understand and share the basic insights of most of the religions of the world.’
Raimundo Panikkar is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California in Santa Barbara. He is also Honorary Professor in the United Theological College, Bangalore, and Libero Docente in the University of Rome.
He spends several months each year in India.
Previous works of Raimundo Panikkar include: The Unknown Christ of Hinduism and Worship and Secular Man.