Descending the Ladder: The Theological Anthropology of Jean Vanier's Key Metaphor

TitleDescending the Ladder: The Theological Anthropology of Jean Vanier's Key Metaphor
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2011
AuthorsComensoli, PA
Journal TitleJournal of Religion, Disability & Health
Volume15
Pages115–129
ISSN1522-8967
Abstract

The image of a ladder is commonplace in Jean Vanier's writings. This image is used as a metaphor for people who are most often considered weak or broken in society. Yet Vanier calls those people who are not so marked to “descend the ladder”, to be in communion with the marginalized or outcast. Vanier uses the metaphor as a pointer toward the deeper purposes of being human: of body, of community, and of heart. This discussion highlights aspects of the theological anthropology emerging from Vanier's uses of the metaphor and considers how these uses inform the notions of including and befriending.

URLhttp://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15228967.2011.565572
DOI10.1080/15228967.2011.565572

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