Part 2: Chapter 1, With a Great Price Summary and Analysis

Merton was turning his attention away from himself and from communism toward philosophy when, almost by accident, he purchased a book called The Spirit of Medieval Philosophy, a Catholic book, which influenced him greatly. He was almost angry at first because he bought it from Scribner's bookstore in New York without knowing it was a Catholic book. The book, however, went far in helping remove some of his fear of Catholicism which had heretofore seemed mysterious and secretive to him.

It promoted a concept called aseitas; that is, the character of God that is being himself. Since God is not created, only he has the power to exist absolutely in virtue of himself. This was part of the new concept of God which Merton learned from the book that gave him...