Dr. Milliner & the ghost of Teilhard: recommended reading
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This isn’t the first time I’ve recommended something from Matthew Milliner (art historian, Wheaton prof, and author of two fascinating books and numerous articles), and it’s not likely to be the last time, either — especially when it’s an article as illuminating as the piece below.
It seems that Matt has experienced another spectral visitation (some may recall his previous encounter with Dionysius the Areopagite in Manhattan), this time with the all-too-palpable ghost of Père Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955) at the Field Museum in Chicago — a favorite haunt of mine in years gone by.
It’s an unfortunate fact that Teilhard de Chardin has been ill-served as often by his admirers as by his detractors. Matt’s percipient “dialogue” presents the needed corrective to the worst distortions and misreadings of Teilhard on offer (frequently by “expositors” with agenda of their own), as well as justifiable but uncharitable accusations leveled at him. You can read “At the Field Museum with Father Teilhard” by clicking here (and you may want to consider subscribing to Matt’s “Material Mysticism” posts at Comment magazine while you’re at it, too).
I will add that this piece fits rather nicely, I think, alongside my last Substack post, which appeared about the same time Matt’s did. Whereas the latter is unquestionably an uncanny encounter with the wraith of Teilhard, my less remarkable article merely cites Dean Inge and John Polkinghorne — neither of whom appeared to me from behind the veil, alas. But, despite its lack of ghosts, you can find that piece here:
