Christian Mysticism Research Articles

‘Mystic Atheism’: Julia Kristeva's Negative Theology

This article examines Julia Kristeva's paradoxical concept of a ‘mystic atheism’. It falls into three parts. First, it briefly surveys Kristeva's psychoanalytic account of Christian theology in Au commencement était l'amour (1985). Secondly, it assesses Kristeva's analysis of the Christian mystical tradition from Teresa of Avila to Angela of Foligno in such works as Le féminin et le sacré (1999) and the three volumes on Le génie féminin (1999-2002). For Kristeva, Christian mysticism represents a key moment in the transition from theology to psychoanalysis: what she locates within the work of the female mystics is a so-called ‘mystic atheism’, that is to say, an affirmation of an other within the subject as opposed to the divine other that supposedly lies outside it. Finally, the article offers some critical comments upon Kristeva's own ‘mystic atheism’: I argue that—like much negative theology—Kristeva's psychoanalysis remains ontotheological in form and that this dimension expresses itself in a problematic tendency to anthropomorphize the other within. In conclusion, I will suggest that Kristeva's ‘mystic atheism’ ultimately remains within the theological tradition it seeks to call into question.

The Thought and Legacy of Masao Abe

Masao Abe stands as the most important Buddhist in modern interfaith dialogue and the main transmitter of Zen thought to the West following the death of D. T. Suzuki. His most widely read work, Zen and Western Thought, edited by William LaFleur, won an award in 1987 from the American Academy of Religion as the best recent publication in the constructive and reflective category. Abe followed that influential volume with further collections of essays edited by Steven Heine: Buddhism and Interfaith Dialogue, Zen and Comparative Studies, and Zen and the Modern World. Abe also wrote widely in Japanese, with his most mature thought finding expression in several volumes he published later in life: Kongen no shuppatsu (Starting from the Root), Kyogi to kyomu (Falsehood and Nihility), and Hibutsu hima (Neither Buddha nor Devil). Abe also made significant contributions to the study of the renowned Soto Zen thinker Dogen (1200-1253). With Norman Waddell he translated a number of fascicles of Dogen's Shobo-genzo, which appeared in The Eastern Buddhist and were then compiled as The Heart ofDogen 's Shobo-genzo. Abe published his own essays on Dogen, again with Heine's editorial help, in the volume Dogen: His Philosophy and Religion. In such journals as International Philosophical Quarterly, Abe also published essays on Nishida Kitaro and other Kyoto school thinkers, and with me he translated Nishida's seminal work, Zen no Kenkyu (An Inquiry into the Good). In the 1980s, Abe and his main Christian dialogue partner, process theologian John Cobb, started the North American Buddhist-Christian Theological Encounter. They were also instrumental in the founding of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies. Records of Abe's dialogue with Christian and Jewish thinkers can be found in such volumes as The Emptying God, which John Cobb and I coedited, and in a follow-up volume I edited alone, Divine Emptiness and Historical Fullness. In terms of his legacy, Abe may ultimately be seen less as a purely Zen thinker than as a Japanese philosopher of religion indebted to his teacher, Hisamatsu Shin'ichi, the Zen and Pure Land traditions, and the Kyoto school of philosophy, while also influenced by Christian mysticism and theology, process philosophy, German idealism,

“The New World of Realities in Which We Live”: How Speaking in Tongues Empowered Early Pentecostals

AbstractHistories of Pentecostalism have recounted how early adherents anticipated preaching in their newfound languages until disappointing reports from missionaries trickled home. Yet, in the years from 1901 to 1908, many Pentecostals recognized the value of glossolalic utterances to include languages not only for preaching but also as a means of prayer, with the latter especially denoting their willingness to step beyond the border of rational spirituality into the realm of Christian mysticism. At the same time, they addressed the connection of Spirit baptism to love in the Spirit-filled life and struggled with questions that arose about the meaning of the gift of interpretation. This essay proposes that the early literature reveals a consistently held role for adoration and prayerful intercession that enabled the faithful to withstand the impact of other changes in meaning.

On love: in the Muslim tradition

This rare and important contribution to the field of Islamic studies, philosophy, and comparative religion achieves a twofold objective. First, it draws from a broad and authoritative well of sources, especially in the domain of Sufism, or Islamic mysticism. The scholarship is impeccable. Second, it is an in-depth meditation on the relationship between love and knowledge, multiplicity and unity, the example of the Prophet Muhammed viewed as Universal Man, spiritual union, heart and intellect, and other related themes--conveyed in fresh, contemporary language.The book is as much a work of Sufism as it is a book about Sufism. Many of these themes have a universal appeal for students of mysticism; consequently, there are distinct resonances with other traditions, especially within certain schools of Christian mysticism dominated by the language of love.In our day, when the divisions between many Muslims and many Christians have broadened into chasms of suspicion and fear, books such as this one are especially important for the help they can offer in bridging these rifts. The capacity of scholars to understand these two religions, which stem from the same Abrahamic source, is of the utmost significance, and the best approach to better understanding may be through the mystical traditions, which tend to reflect more tolerance and to recognize a potential for seeing unity in a multiplicity of perspectives. This work conveys the beauty at the heart of the Islamic tradition in a language devoid of technical terminology.

Some Aspects of Christian Mystical Rhetoric, Philosophy, and Poetry

This is an article about poets and poetic philosophers who make spirited arguments. My purpose in particular is to clarify the nature of mystical rhetoric, which needs to be distinguished from secular rhetoric (i.e., secu lar as nonspiritual). As ways of existing in language, they are ontologically incommensurable, and we should treat them as such. Mystical rhetoric is that into which Spirit enters, conveying to both writer and reader some aspect of providential kairos that cannot otherwise be attained. That is, God completes mystical inferences. God participates, illuminating the hearts of those who open themselves to grace through faith. Or, in other words, writ ers and readers who want to enter into numinous arguments must shelve the hermeneutics of suspicion. An overly critical stance actually diminishes the possibility of insight, even if it is well intended, much like nervous backseat driving, which?though aimed at producing safety?inevitably works against it. I am not suggesting, however, that skeptics are at a com plete loss when approaching mystical rhetorical situations. Rather, they simply do not grasp the metaphysical, enchanted, or occult dimensions of the discourses at work, because they have closed themselves off to Spirit or?more commonly?have attempted to transmogrify Spirit into secular concepts, which distorts spirited language and leads to mischaracteriza tions of religious experience.1 In contrast, I provide a Christian approach to

Some Aspects of Christian Mystical Rhetoric, Philosophy, and Poetry

Some Aspects of Christian Mystical Rhetoric, Philosophy, and Poetry

Some Aspects of Christian Mystical Rhetoric, Philosophy, and Poetry

Some Aspects of Christian Mystical Rhetoric, Philosophy, and Poetry

Paradise Now: Essays on Early Jewish and Christian Mysticism. Edited by April D. DeConick

Paradise Now: Essays on Early Jewish and Christian Mysticism. Edited by April D. DeConick

The Harvest of Mysticism in Medieval Germany. By BERNARD MCGINN.

This is the fourth volume of an extensive series: two further volumes are promised, so that the complete work will be a quite magisterial treatment of its subject-matter. One must feel something approaching awe at the author's courage in undertaking such a monumental task. Though mysticism has had a place in Christianity from very early times, it has also had its critics who have questioned whether it really should be allowed such a place. In a scientific age like ours, the very word ‘mysticism’ is sometimes used as a term of abuse. Professor McGinn, who teaches at the University of Chicago, has studied the subject thoroughly and sympathetically, and his multi-volume work is already regarded as a classic in the subject. Mysticism, defined in Webster's dictionary as ‘the experience of union or direct communion with ultimate Reality’, may be an uncommon experience, but it is certainly just about as widespread as the human race itself. Therefore this vast work of McGinn, in order to have a manageable subject, confines itself to Christian mysticism and leaves aside the similar forms of religious experiencence known in Judaism, Islam, and perhaps especially in the great religions of the further East. The author limits his study further by confining himself to western Christian mysticism, particularly German mysticism, although a mystical spirituality has been very much a mark of eastern forms of the Christian religion. In the particular volume before us, the subject-matter is further confined to the years 1300–1500. Even so, the subject remains vast, and one can only admire the patience and energy which McGinn has expended in producing this work. It not only throws much light on a subject wnich is usually considered to be obscure, but inspires in the reader a deep respect for the mystic way. The present reviewer has never had any deep mystical experience, but he has always had a great respect for this form of spiritual experience, so far as he can grasp what it is, and that respect is greatly increased by McGinn's work in which questioning and criticism are not ignored. To keep the review within a reasonable length, two leading mystics, Meister Eckhart and Nicholas of Cusa, are discussed in some detail, out of the large number treated by the book's author.

Book Review: Early Jewish and Christian Mysticism

Book Review: Early Jewish and Christian Mysticism

Teaching & Learning Guide for: Breaking Old Habits: Recent Research on Women, Spirituality and the Arts in the Middle Ages

Teaching & Learning Guide for: Breaking Old Habits: Recent Research on Women, Spirituality and the Arts in the Middle Ages

An Analysis of the image of Death in the literature of Christian Mysticism and Zen Buddhism and it's application for Literary Therapy

An Analysis of the image of Death in the literature of Christian Mysticism and Zen Buddhism and it's application for Literary Therapy

Kierkegaard, mysticism, and jest: The story of little Ludvig

Throughout his authorship, Kierkegaard appears remarkably uninterested in the tradition of Christian mysticism. Indeed, in the only two places in the authorship where he broaches the topic directly, the discussion is disclaimed in such a way as to suggest that Kierkegaard really has nothing to say about it at all. However, attending to the successive incarnations of the character(s) named “Ludvig” throughout the authorship – an appellation that harbors an especially self-referential dimension for Kierkegaard – the present paper attempts to elucidate what may, with due reservation, be referred to as the mystical element in Kierkegaard’s thought. The ultimate yield of this endeavor is a vision of “mysticism” that is more act than thought oriented, and a vision of the author “Kierkegaard” that is more delightful than melancholy.

Sexual Symbolism, Religious Language and the Ambiguity of the Spirit: Associative Themes in Anglican Poetry and Philosophy

In the seventeenth century, the word ‘spirit’ stood euphemistically for semen and erections. Shakespeare knew this, as did the more explicitly theological poets, Donne and Herbert. These euphemistic meanings were exploited by the latter when writing religious poetry. Moving beyond the sexual language typical of much Christian mysticism, Donne also drew on renaissance ideas of metempsychosis which allowed him to view sperm as something physically connected with the spirit of a man, and potentially associated with the Holy Spirit itself. The reproductive potential of sperm was further associated with the creative power of the poet, and poetry became for Donne and Shakespeare a substitute for sexual reproduction. The ambiguous, playful and erotic spirit of poetry is considered as in terms of the equally ambiguous, playful and erotic spirit of theological language.

The Harvest of Mysticism in Medieval Germany (1300–1500). Vol. 4. The Presence of God: A History of Western Christian Mysticism. By Bernard McGinn. New York: Herder & Herder/Crossroad, 2005. xx + 739 pages. $34.95 (paper).

The Harvest of Mysticism in Medieval Germany (1300–1500). Vol. 4. The Presence of God: A History of Western Christian Mysticism. By Bernard McGinn. New York: Herder & Herder/Crossroad, 2005. xx + 739 pages. $34.95 (paper). - Volume 34 Issue 2

Maestro Eckhart (1260-1327) o la "secularización" de la experiencia mística cristiana

Since the thirteenth century it is possible to talk about “secularization” of the mystic experience that led to a new stage in the history of the Christian mysticism. Meister Eckhart can be undoubtedly considered as an exceptional theologian who proclaims and justifies, theologically, the possibility of reintegrating the ontological identity with God without the necessity to leave the world. With his own life and instructions, he made possible that true contemplation was a Christian action. This Chistian action arises as a contemplative style of life

The Riddle of Christian Mystical Experience

The Riddle of Christian Mystical Experience

“Taste and see that the Lord is sweet” (Ps. 33:9): The Flavor of God in the Monastic West

Next article No Access“Taste and see that the Lord is sweet” (Ps. 33:9): The Flavor of God in the Monastic West*Rachel FultonRachel FultonUniversity of Chicago Search for more articles by this author University of ChicagoPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Journal of Religion Volume 86, Number 2April 2006 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/499638 Views: 156Total views on this site Citations: 9Citations are reported from Crossref © 2006 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:David Howes In defense of materiality: Attending to the sensori-social life of things, Journal of Material Culture 27, no.33 (May 2022): 313–335.https://doi.org/10.1177/13591835221088501Stefka G. Eriksen Castles of the Mind in Old Norse Culture: Archeological and Literary Evidence of St. Clement’s Church in Niðaróss, Environmental Archaeology 5 (Jul 2021): 1–10.https://doi.org/10.1080/14614103.2021.1953935Matthew V. Desing Tropes of taste: The poetics of food and flavor in the Libro de Apolonio, Romance Quarterly 67, no.33 (Jun 2020): 149–164.https://doi.org/10.1080/08831157.2020.1772660ELEANOR BARNETT REFORMING FOOD AND EATING IN PROTESTANT ENGLAND, c. 1560–c. 1640, The Historical Journal 63, no.33 (Oct 2019): 507–527.https://doi.org/10.1017/S0018246X19000426Line Cecilie Engh Divine Sensations: Sensory Language and Rhetoric in Bernard of Clairvaux's ‘On Conversion’, Journal of Qur'anic Studies 22, no.11 (Feb 2020): 51–77.https://doi.org/10.3366/jqs.2020.0411Amy Hollywood, Patricia Z. Beckman The Cambridge Companion to Christian Mysticism, 6 (Dec 2012).https://doi.org/10.1017/CCO9781139020886Barbara Newman Latin and the Vernaculars, (Sep 2012): 225–239.https://doi.org/10.1017/CCO9781139020886.017Jeffrey F. Hamburger Mysticism and Visuality, (Sep 2012): 277–293.https://doi.org/10.1017/CCO9781139020886.021Boyd Taylor Coolman Alexander of Hales, (Nov 2011): 121–139.https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139032797.010

A Christian Mysticism?

A Christian Mysticism?

Two Worlds are Ours: An Introduction to Christian Mysticism – By John Macquarrie

Two Worlds are Ours: An Introduction to Christian Mysticism – By John Macquarrie