This book introduces students to Christian mysticism and modern critical responses to it. Christianity has a rich tradition of mystical theology that first emerged in the writings of the early church fathers, and flourished during the Middle Ages. Today Christian mysticism is increasingly recognised as an important Christian heritage relevant to today's spiritual seekers. The book sets out to provide students and other interested readers with access to the main theoretical approaches to Christian mysticism – including those propounded by William James, Steven Katz, Bernard McGinn, Michael Sells, Denys Turner and Caroline Walker-Bynum. It also explores postmodern re-readings of Christian mysticism by authors such as Jacques Derrida, Jean-Luc Marion and Jean-François Lyotard. The book first introduces students to the main themes that underpin Christian mysticism. It then reflects on how modern critics have understood each of them, demonstrating that stark delineation between the different theoretical approaches eventually collapses under the weight of the complex interaction between experience and knowledge that lies at the heart of Christian mysticism. In doing so, the book presents a deliberate challenge to a strictly perennialist reading of Christian mysticism. Anyone even remotely familiar with Christian mysticism will know that renewed interest in Christian mystical writers has created a huge array of scholarship with which students of mysticism need to familiarise themselves. This book outlines the various modern theoretical approaches in a manner easily accessible to a reader with little or no previous knowledge of this area, and offers a philosophical/theological introduction to Christian mystical writers beyond the patristic period important for the Latin Western Tradition.

The Quest for God is a study of the explosion of interest in newer approaches to spirituality that took place in the west among Christians, Jew, and Muslims in the twelfth century. The book explores the historic internal and external forces that influenced members of the three major faith groups who were looking for new ways to approach their personal relationship with God. It contains a detailed explanation of the new attitudes and religious practices that emerged among the three groups during that century. This includes special emphasis placed on the mysticism of Christian monks and nuns, the Kabbalah of the Jews, and the tenets of Sufism in Islam. It also paints a clear picture of the role played by the leading figures, both male and female, who pioneered this effort. A unique feature of the book is the linkage of similar imagery, biblical references, mystical attitudes, and actual religious practices utilized by all three faith systems to achieve a newer more mystical approach to spirituality. The fundamental development of spiritual approaches initiated by these three faiths laid the foundation for many of the spiritual practices we have today. Each of the three faiths is covered in a separate section. Preceding the discussion of the spiritual elements of each is a chapter dealing with the historical setting in which that faith operated. A final chapter summarizes the entire work and shows the common characteristics that each group had and links them together.

In popular usage, "mysticism" typically refers to New Age or Eastern forms of spirituality. However, the mystical tradition is also an important component of the Christian tradition. At its heart--and much like its expression in other faith traditions--Christian mysticism is an ancient practice that incorporates meditation, contemplation, worship, philosophy, the quest for personal enlightenment, and the experience of Divine presence. This volume is a comprehensive introduction and guide to Christian mysticism. It is a big book about a big possibility: the hope of achieving real, blissful, experiential unison with God. Among the topics covered here are a general introduction to mysticism, the Bible and mysticism, the history and types of Christian mysticism, biographical sketches of leading Christian mystics, and practical instructions about practicing mysticism today. This is a breathtaking work that explores a form of spirituality that has changed lives over the course of 2,000 years. Learning about Christian mysticism and how it has been articulated through the centuries will prove inspirational for today's seekers, regardless of the faith tradition. "The mystic is not a special kind of person; every person is a special kind of mytic." --William McNamara

Offers a straightforward look at the Christian mystical tradition, using examples of the classical mystical journey from the lives of Christian mystics.

Review quote. A quote from a review of the product: "Dieser Band ist für Religionswissenschaftler ein Glücksfall, da er Beiträge namhafter Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler zu einem ebenso viel diskutierten wie wenig beherrschten Gebiet der Forschung aus der Perspektive dreier Religionen bietet." Susanne Talabardon in: Theologische Literaturzeitung "Wer an der neueren Forschung zur Merkava-Mystik interessiert ist, erhält hier etwa 70 Seiten dichte Informationen, die vor allem auch den von Scholem selbst bereits als Desiderat erkannten Bezug zu den damals erst angfänglich erforschten Qumran-Texten herstellen." Marco A. Sorace in: Theologische Revue, Nr. 6/2008

’Mystical theology’ has developed through a range of meanings, from the hidden dimensions of divine significance in the community’s interpretation of its scriptures to the much later ’science’ of the soul’s ascent into communion with God. The thinkers and questions addressed in this book draws us into the heart of a complicated, beautiful, and often tantalisingly unfinished conversation, continuing over centuries and often brushing allusively into parallel concerns in other religions. Raising fundamental matters of epistemology, representation, metaphysics, and divine reality, contributors approach the mystical from postmodern, feminist, sociological and historical perspectives through thinkers such as Meister Eckhart, Thomas Aquinas, Catherine of Siena, Ignatius of Loyola, William James, Evelyn Underhill, Ernst Troeltsch, Rudolf Otto, Jacques Derrida, Jean-Luc Marion and Jean-Louis Chrétien. Medieval and early modern radical prophetic approaches are also explored. This book includes new essays by Sarah Apetrei, Tina Beattie, Raphel Cadenhead, Oliver Davies, Philip Endean, Brian FitzGerald, Ann Loades, George Pattison, Simon D. Podmore, Joel D.S. Rasmussen, and Johannes Zachhuber.

"Just as many rivers lead to the sea, there are many paths to God. Each of the seven primary energy centers of the human body, the chakras, corresponds to a specific path." In this book, Joan Borysenko tells you how a mystical moment can strike at any time when you are fully present in the moment: when looking at a beautiful full moon, a sunset, walking in nature, or looking into the eyes of a child. When you are fully present in the moment, you will be filled with a sense of awe, and beauty, and feel fully connected with the universe. This book outlines the 7 paths, complete with spiritual exercises, giving the reader a sense of the most fruitful direction for their journey. You will learn that you don't have to go to Nepal or go climb a mountain to have a mystical moment, but in learning how to be fully present in your everyday life, you will find that mystical moments can be found in the mundane, the ordinary, or also in the extraordinary.