Herz, Gott, Kreuz: Die Spiritualitat des Anatomen, Geologen und Bischofs Dr. Med. Niels Stensen (1638-86) (review)

The literature on Blessed Niels Steensen (normally known as Nicholas Steno in the English-speaking world) is abundant. The scientific and theological works of this prominent Dane who lived from 1638 to 1686 have been published in modern editions in four folio volumes (Opera Philosophica, ed. Vilhelm Maar [Copenhagen, 1910], and Opera Theologica, ed. Knud Larsen and Gustav Scherz [Copenhagen, 1941–1947]. His correspondence has been edited in two folio volumes (Epistolae, ed. Gustav Scherz [Copenhagen, 1952]). A respectable number of monographs and anthologies, not to mention a plethora of articles, deal with his life and work. The present revised doctoral dissertation from the University of Münster does not merely add another volume to the already substantial library of Steno-scholarship which up until now has concentrated on Steno's life and scientific achievements in the areas of anatomy and geology. This state of affairs is perhaps understandable from a Danish, Protestant point of view, according to which Steno "was lost" to the fatherland when he converted to the Catholic faith in 1667. It is more difficult to explain the reluctance of Catholic authors to deal systematically with Steno's theological and spiritual writings, but maybe they were influenced by the damning verdict of the philosopher Wilhelm Leibniz, who said that Steno changed from a great anatomist to a poor theologian. Leibniz' famous quibble, however, misses the point, because Steno never wanted to become a great theologian. When in 1675 he was ordained to the priesthood, he wanted to be a pastor of souls, not a theologian in the strict, scholarly sense. And as a pastor of souls he had considerable success and made an enduring impression on everybody he met. In fact, he died in the odor of sanctity and was beatified by John Paul II in Rome in 1988. This means that even if the theology of Steno for evident reasons is of no great interest, his spirituality on the other hand is of prime importance for the proper understanding of his historical life as well as for his contemporary relevance. This is where Sobiech's dissertation opens up new perspectives, because it deals with the spirituality of Steno, a subject that hitherto has been dealt with only by a small number of articles (among them also by the present reviewer). The merit of Sobiech's dissertation lies chiefly in its comprehensive and systematic treatment of the topic and it will form the basis for all future research on Steno's theological and spiritual writings. The subject being the spirituality rather than the theology of Steno, it is only natural that the analysis of Steno's spirituality proper is preceded by an eighty-page sketch of his life and personal development as a human being and a Christian. This small biography is, however, not the only prolegomenon. With truly Germanic thoroughness, Sobiech also presents an overview of research on Steno and of his "career" as a Catholic saint. This, in combination with the above-mentioned comprehensiveness and a huge number of meticulously prepared footnotes, accounts for the length of the book and turns it into much more than a study of one neglected aspect of Steno's life and letters. It is also a Steno-handbook crammed with reliable information. As mentioned above, the approach to Steno's spirituality is systematic. Steno was, however, no systematic spirit, and he never tried to formulate a system of theology or spirituality. His theology was without doubt orthodox Catholicism, informed by the Fathers of the Church and the spirit of Tridentine reform, but with few traces of scholasticism. This accounts both for the continuing appeal of his writings as well as for their thematic rather than systematic coherence. Sobiech, however, has decided on a systematic approach in order to establish an analytical "grid" in which to situate all of...