©Paul Rogers
Books by Rowan Williams
Rowan Williams is the former Archbishop of Canterbury and was the Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, a position from which he retired in 2020. He was also Lady Margaret Professor at Oxford. He has written dozens of books including On Augustine, The Way of St Benedict, Holy Living, The Edge of Words, and Justice and Love and Teresa of Avila.
“In my view, Rowan Williams is the biggest intellectual genius of our time by quite a long way. Rowan translates from about 11 languages; anything you think you know about, he knows far more. It is really rather depressing! Some of his work is very easy – for example, some of his simple sermons. But some of his essays on theology need quite a lot of grappling with. I am assuming that my five books are for people who really want to grapple quite seriously, so there must be something of Rowan Williams. On Christian Theology is a collection of his essays from the 1980s and 90s and on a range of subjects.” Read more...
The best books on Christianity
Richard Harries, Theologians & Historians of Religion
Interviews with Rowan Williams
The best books on Saint Teresa of Avila, recommended by Rowan Williams
St Teresa of Avila was one of the towering figures of the Counter-Reformation, both as a theologian and as a reformer of the religious life. Here, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, discusses her insights into spiritual growth and prayer, the impact her Jewish roots had on her life and career, and why Bernini’s statue of her in ecstasy is unhelpful.
Interviews where books by Rowan Williams were recommended
Books by Christian Authors
From the early days of Christianity in the first centuries after the death of Jesus of Nazareth, believers have sought to write down their experiences, their struggles, and their transformation as they found God. Our recommendations are weighted towards earlier Christian texts, in keeping with the historical focus of our site, though some books by exceptional modern theologians and writers also feature.
The best books on Christianity, recommended by Richard Harries
The former bishop of Oxford tells us about books that explore what it means to be a Christian – from St Augustine and medieval mysticism to grappling with Dostoyevsky and more modern dilemmas. He picks the best books on Christianity.
