Wanting Like A God: Desire and Freedom in Thomas Traherne

Thomas Traherne has long been hailed as a poet of innocence and felicity - this book offers the reader a new understanding of him. Here we see a theologian for whom desire is the leitmotif and spring of action, and felicity is not so much about early innocence as it is about finding august desires satisfied and renewed.
In a world that 'allured God to make it', Traherne commands his reader to want: 'You must Want like a GOD that like GOD you might be Satisfied'; 'He is from Eternity full of Want. He made us Want like GODS'. What kind of God does Traherne believe in? Who are we as humans, and what may we become? These are just some of the questions Traherne explores in his theory of desire around which circle profound issues of power, volition, and act that are at the heart of human identity and resonate deeply with human experience.
Traherne's theology of desire provides a hitherto undiscovered link between early Patristic writings on desire in God and more contemporary works, making him an exciting partner for dialogue with contemporary theologians. Never before has so much new material by Traherne been available, and this study incorporates the most recent biographical information and the insights of huge manuscript discoveries as it brings to light a Traherne who is rooted in his own day and surprisingly relevant to ours.