From the book
Centuries of Meditations
Thomas Traherne · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordFace means the visible front or countenance of a person, and by extension an appearance through which something becomes present.
- In TraherneThe term carries several degrees of disclosure.
- In this edition“Face” may be literal, figurative, or scriptural.
- A place to beginHuman faces and sparkling eyes form part of the child’s undivided inheritance.
Meaning
Face means the visible front or countenance of a person, and by extension an appearance through which something becomes present. In biblical language the face of God can name direct divine presence.
Use in the book
The term carries several degrees of disclosure. The ruddy faces of people belong to the child’s first vision of communal treasure; Christ’s damaged face confronts the beholder with a love whose depth cannot be read from wounds alone. The divine face is presently seen as in a glass, while unclouded sight would make the attraction of blessedness unmistakeable. Traherne therefore uses facial imagery to explore both intimacy and the limits of surface perception.
Places to read
In this edition
“Face” may be literal, figurative, or scriptural. The claim to see God’s face in a mirror is not a description of a visible divine body.