From the book
Centuries of Meditations
Thomas Traherne · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordPerson ordinarily names a particular human or spiritual being.
- In TraherneA person is the greatest gift that love can offer.
- In this editionKeep ordinary persons distinct from the technical phrase Trinity of persons in III.43.
- A place to beginPresence and affection can delight a loving person more than costly gifts.
Meaning
Person ordinarily names a particular human or spiritual being. In Trinitarian contexts it has a distinct theological use within the unity of God.
Use in the book
A person is the greatest gift that love can offer. In II.86 wisdom and inward light adorn the lover so that the gift of self becomes acceptable and precious. This adornment is not an alternative to generosity: the person’s formed life is what is most fully given.
Universal love does not abolish particularity. IV.69 asks that every person be loved intimately, as if alone, while all are included. The expansive lover becomes concerned in many transactions and remains willing to humble himself for the individual beloved. The test of an apparently lofty universality is thus concrete readiness to serve. Each person contributes a centre of delight that cannot be replaced by an abstract total.
Places to read
In this edition
Keep ordinary persons distinct from the technical phrase Trinity of persons in III.43. The shared word does not erase differences between those contexts.