Abstract: | Abstract : This article examines how images of suffering are interpreted in Augustine and Luther, using their recommendations on meditations on the suffering Christ as a case study. Augustine and Luther are ambivalent about how such images mold religious experience. On the one hand, Augustine cautions that they can distort human affections, while Luther warns that they can deceive the mind. On the other hand, meditations on images of the suffering Christ can contribute to a Christian spiritual practice that builds faith. |