Entertaining Angels

Entertaining Angels (2005) by Geoffrey Duncan – Canterbury Press

ISBN: 9781853116421
Condition: Good
Published: 2005
Offered by: Crappy Old Books

There was a time when encountering an angel was considered a momentous spiritual event, generally involving divine revelations, extraordinary circumstances and the occasional instruction not to be afraid. These days, one suspects that an angel appearing unexpectedly at the front door would be asked whether they had an appointment, possessed appropriate identification or wished to discuss an attractive new electricity tariff.

Welcome to Entertaining Angels, Geoffrey Duncan’s thoughtful exploration of faith, spirituality and the possibility that the sacred might occasionally make itself known in the most ordinary and unexpected circumstances.

The title recalls the biblical injunction to show hospitality to strangers, since some have entertained angels without realising it. It’s a wonderfully unsettling proposition, particularly for anyone who has ever pretended not to be at home when the doorbell rings.

After all, one never knows whether the unexpected visitor is a heavenly messenger, an insurance salesman or somebody attempting to deliver a parcel to the wrong address.

Published by Canterbury Press in 2005, this volume belongs to a tradition of Christian writing that invites readers to look beyond the familiar routines of everyday existence and consider the deeper spiritual significance of human encounters.

Angels have occupied a curious position in religious and popular imagination for centuries. Sometimes they appear as magnificent celestial beings announcing events of cosmic importance. Elsewhere, they seem rather more discreet, offering guidance, comfort or an unexpected reminder that human affairs may involve more than immediately meets the eye.

Modern culture, meanwhile, has enthusiastically transformed them into decorative ornaments, sentimental greeting cards and suspiciously attractive television characters.

The contrast between these interpretations raises intriguing questions about belief, perception and the ways in which people recognise—or fail to recognise—the extraordinary within the ordinary.

Whatever one’s personal religious convictions, the enduring fascination with angels reflects something profoundly human: the desire to believe that existence contains mysteries beyond the relentlessly practical business of earning money, paying bills and remembering which day the recycling is collected.

Condition: Good. A respectable copy of this 2005 Canterbury Press publication, showing the ordinary signs of previous ownership and reading. It has survived two decades of changing fashions, technological upheaval and humanity’s continued inability to agree on almost anything metaphysical.

Unlike many of our more venerable literary offerings, this volume actually possesses an ISBN, demonstrating that even spiritual contemplation eventually submitted to the administrative necessities of modern publishing.

Offered by Crappy Old Books, where theological curiosity is welcomed, celestial intervention is neither guaranteed nor expressly prohibited, and customers are free to contemplate the mysteries of existence without being required to join a choir.

An appealing addition to a collection of Christian spirituality, religious reflection or contemporary theological literature.

And perhaps a useful reminder that the next unexpected visitor might deserve a little more consideration than simply pretending nobody is home.

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