From the book
Centuries of Meditations
Thomas Traherne · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordCondescension is the voluntary descent of one who is high toward someone low or needy.
- In TraherneThe crucified Christ's descent into humiliation manifests love through the extremity of bodily suffering.
- In this editionI.89 spells the plural “condescencions.”
- A place to beginChrist’s humiliating sufferings disclose the effects and expressions of His descending love.
Meaning
Condescension is the voluntary descent of one who is high toward someone low or needy. In this historical devotional sense it need not imply the insulting superiority now commonly associated with the word.
Use in the book
The crucified Christ's descent into humiliation manifests love through the extremity of bodily suffering. The beholder trembles before the distance voluntarily crossed, yet draws nearer rather than recoiling. In the commentary on the psalm, divine condescension to the poor and needy is a cause of David's joy and a motive for universal praise. The image therefore combines unequal condition with genuinely shared concern. Its ethical analogue is a sublime love ready to humble itself in the dust to serve a person. Greatness proves itself capable of service rather than protecting its rank against contact with the lowly.
Places to read
In this edition
I.89 spells the plural “condescencions.” Preserve that spelling in an exact quotation; the standard headword gathers it without adopting the modern pejorative sense.
Source note
Primary text: I.89, III.73, IV.69. The first two references name condescension; IV.69 supplies its explicit practical counterpart.