Medieval Mysticism Research Articles

Hearing Spiritual Voices: Medieval Mystics, Meaning and Psychiatry by Christopher Cook

<i>Hearing Spiritual Voices: Medieval Mystics, Meaning and Psychiatry</i> by Christopher Cook

THE SEVEN-LEVEL HUMAN AS A BASIS FOR UNDERSTANDING HEALTH

The health crisis is deepening due to the lack of a holistic view of the human being, necessitating a reevaluation of approaches to holistic health, transcending the medieval notion of the unity of spirit, soul, and body, which remains relevant to this day. A deeper understanding of the holistic essence of humans and their health can be found in the seven-level system, references to which are found in ancient Eastern traditions. In Western culture, the concept of sevenfoldness is also present in the works of medieval mystics, particularly the German thinker Jakob Böhme. The purpose of this article is to analyze the seven qualities of the Spirit, described by Böhme as his empirical experience of knowing God, which can serve as the basis for the concept of the seven-level structure of humans and their health. The analysis of the divine qualities described by Böhme, such as cold, heat, bitterness, sweetness, acidity, and saltiness, showed that separately, under certain conditions, they can cause human diseases. The seven types of Spirit classified by Böhme combine primary qualities into flexible, changing fluid groups that form certain states and can serve as the basis for the structuring of the seven-level human. Each of these seven qualities has its structure: each subsequent one absorbs and is based on the previous one. The first three qualities correspond to the earthly manifestation of humans in the physical, emotional, and active spheres of life. The fourth quality has a dual nature and combines the earthly and heavenly manifestations of the Spirit, while the three higher qualities define the higher spiritual triad, which, presumably, corresponds to the triune higher values that require further research. The analysis of Böhme’s works also showed that the lower qualities are reflected in the higher ones, being similar to them and at the same time opposite. Such a system can serve as a starting point for further studies of the structure of human wholeness and health, integrating the empirical experience of mystics and alchemists into the modern scientific context.

Helen Keller’s ‘Sense of light’: life-writing, light-writing and the photosynthetic subject

ABSTRACT Contributors to Mere Light ask how ‘light’ falls in and through the non-visual medium of the literary text, illuminating that medium’s potential to initiate an experience of immediacy. While we might look to the luminous inscriptions of medieval mystics for its template, a fascinating post-Enlightenment exemplar of this paradox is the literary ‘self-recording’ of the deafblind modern ‘miracle’ Helen Keller. ‘Illustrated’ with often surreal photographs that both marked their modernity and complemented their thematic preoccupation with the dynamics of light, Keller’s nine autobiographies strove to replicate her primarily ‘tactual’ sense experience in graphic language while tendering apparently eyewitness images of light. Where these literary dissimulations bring the body of Keller’s disabled I into view, they develop a complex ‘sense of light’ as vibrant, self-actualising literary metaphor, capable of moving between sight and touch, and thus beyond the limits of both. Projecting its speaking I as light’s writing alongside illustrative photographs that projected that I as light-written, Keller’s life-writing synthesises sight and touch. Epitomised in her experimental The World I Live In (1908), this was to ‘photo’ synthesise the mimetic pretenses of post-Enlightenment visualising technologies with a transhistorical disability aesthetics oriented around peripheral – hence invisible – embodiment.

Ontological ekphrasis Elena Shvarts’ poem “Memory of the Fresco of Fra Beato Angelico ‘Baptism’ at the Sight of the Head of John the Baptist in Rome”

Scientific interest in the problem of ekphrasis and the peculiarities of ekphrastic description has increased over the past decades. The article analyzes the ekphrastic poetics of E. Shvarts’ poem “Memory of Fra Beato Angelico’s fresco ‘Baptism’ at the sight of the head of John the Baptist in Rome”. The aim of this article is to identify the intermedial correlation of the verbal level with the visual level, revealing the ontological ekphrasis in this poem. The author of the article examined how the three levels of the image in the poem correlate in their ratio: artistic text, frescoes’ visual images, and symbolism (cultural codes). Ontological ekphrasis helps the poet find new ways to reveal traditional Christian themes. Visual images of the early Renaissance fresco acquire an ontological status in the text (dove, “rose,” gray color, water, fog, coal [fire], flower, river, blood, wine, relics [the head of John the Baptist], Lapis Niger, dawn). Through symbols and cultural codes, these images reveal the metaphysics of Baptism from a historical, cultural, and modern perspective, leaving the reader with options for interpretation. In the spirit of the early Renaissance artist himself, Shvarts ontologically recodes the medieval symbolism of Baptism, immersing it into thereality, perceiving Christian history as a struggle of life and death, culminating in the eschatological hope of the Second Coming of Christ. Fra Angelico turned out to be in tune with Shvarts precisely as an artist of the early Renaissance, in the painter’s movement of medieval mysticism to Renaissance ontologism and humanism.

TIME, MYTH AND NARRATIVE IN BEAT FURRER'S NUUN

AbstractThe title of Beat Furrer's nuun, for two pianos and chamber orchestra (1996), invites two principal readings. As a pun on the German ‘nun’, meaning ‘now’, it invokes a presentist mode of musical thinking, whereby each moment is heard to exist in a continuous state of development. It also invokes myth, as suggested by Wolfgang Fuhrmann, in its palindromic reflection of the name of the Breton goddess Nu, who, in medieval mysticism, ‘had the power to let time stand still’. In this article, I use Byron Almén's 2017 theory of musical narrative as the basis for a narrative analysis of nuun, aiming to reconcile these allusions with the aesthetics and formal processes of the piece, as well as Furrer's documented preoccupation with notions of storytelling in music. In doing so, I expand upon the hermeneutic readings of the piece proposed thus far, establish connections with textural archetypes in Furrer's oeuvre, both pioneered by and preceding nuun, and consider lines of dialogue with broader discourse on time in contemporary music.

Crafting Sacred Blooms: Late Medieval Mystical Floriculture as Tactile Devotion

Abstract: The Besloten hofes (enclosed gardens) of Mechelen are cabinet-shaped altarpieces that feature miniature garden spaces filled with an assortment of handmade silk flowers, devotional images, and relics. This article examines the process of creating these silk flowers and their impact on the presumed crafters or restorers—the professed nuns at the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwegasthuis (Hospital of Our Lady), where the Gardens were housed. It argues that this craftwork was a contemplative and tactile activity analogous to the rosary, a prayer method that involved reflection on exegetical understanding and constant touching of the prayer beads. Similar to the rosary, the silk flower craftwork enabled the nuns to enter a supernatural state where they experienced a profound connection with sacred entities. This article reinterprets the silk flower crafts in the cabinets not merely as decorations, but as tools for personal devotion.

Optics and Visio Dei: Interpretations of Female Mystic Art

Religious visions are personal experiences in which individuals have a sensory experience that is in some way supernatural or divine. In the context of medieval Christianity, true visionaries were understood to have received revelations directly from God, without mediation from priests. In the tradition of the medieval Church and society, women were relegated to a subordinate role; thus, when the mystic who experienced a vision from God was a woman, the situation required careful interpretation, for in bypassing the intermediary authority of the priest, the woman was potentially subverting a hierarchy which itself was considered to have been established by God. This paper will analyze one of the most important medieval mystics, Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179), and examine her writings and her images produced in Scivias. It is hypothesized that the medieval ideas of optics and biblical exegesis worked in harmony to structure Hildegard’s experiences and to legitimize those experiences to others at the time. In this paper, key images created by Hildegard were analyzed to interpret the descriptions of her experiences and their rendering in visual form in relation to the medieval theories of vision and theology itself.

Motives and Images of Medieval Mysticism in the Works of Nikolai Gumilyov

This scientific article is devoted to the study of the influence of mystical motifs and images of the Middle Ages on the work of the Russian poet Nikolai Gumilev. The central task of the study is to analyze the specific works of the poet, in which the influence of mystical themes is most clearly traced. The article draws attention to various aspects of the interaction of mysticism and creativity, including structure, rhythm, language and images in Gumilev's works. The article uses methods of comparative analysis, textual interpretation and cultural and historical contextualization. Particular attention is paid to the reception of mystical elements in Gumilev's work among his contemporaries and critics, such as Marina Tsvetaeva and Anna Akhmatova. One of the conclusions of the study is that mystical motifs and images not only enrich Gumilev's creative world, but also serve as a key factor in the formation of his unique style. This, in turn, allows us to consider him one of the most significant and interesting authors of Russian literature of the early XX century. The novelty of the study is a detailed analysis of mystical elements in the context of Gumilev's general style and aesthetic principles, which was not previously considered in such completeness. These results may be useful for further study of the influence of mystical themes on Russian literature in general and on Gumilev's work in particular.

Die Middeleeus-mistieke en Kaaps-piëtistiese Kontekstualisering van Dorothea Magdalena Goosen (c.1774–c.1840) se Uitdrukkings van Liefdesnumineuse in haar Outobiografiese Aantekeninge en Poësie

Cape Pietism is a hybrid, transnational and transconfessional form of spirituality, emanating from the Pietistic movement in Germany, with its emphasis on medieval mysticism, piety and spiritual devotion to Christ, and Dutch Second Reformation influences. Feminine Pietists in South African frontier communities were the practitioners of this form of spirituality, analogous to similar trends in the mystical cultures in German and Dutch Medieval mysticism. In addition to the influence of religious literature of German and Dutch Pietists, the marginalisation and isolation of feminine believers on the South African frontier cultivated tendencies similar to those in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Pietism in Europe. Lay feminine spirituality in Cape frontier communities reflects forms of Pietistic mysticism parallel to the Beguines, the Dominican penitent women and female mystics elsewhere in Europe. Common to the diverse mystical cultures in Europe and the Cape frontier communities, is the expression of numinous experiences through mystical love metaphors—a legacy of Dionysius the Areopagite and other Neoplatonic Christian believers. Dorothea Magdalena Goosen is an exponent of Cape Pietistic tendencies with a strong undercurrent of melancholy and a feeling of spiritual abandonment. Her autobiographical ego-text and self-composed verses testify to her finding consolation in the grace of God through the inpouring of Christ’s love in her heart. Typical to female exponents of Cape Pietism, she longs for the heavenly rejoicing with Christ and the sweet elation of the heart following the embrace of the Bridegroom and restored consolation. Her numinous mystical experiences are recorded in Pietistic outpourings of love and bridal metaphors—mostly in an erotic form. A study of her mystical spirituality adds to broaden the corpus of knowledge of Cape Pietistic mysticism by tracing the roots of her love mysticism to the Neoplatonic legacy of German and Dutch female spirituality. The conclusion provides a clearer view of the mystical profile of feminine members of the petit bourgeoisie and their efforts at spiritual self-empowerment in their isolated living conditions in South African pioneering communities.

Mysticism and scholasticism

AbstractThis article offers some reflections on Christina Van Dyke's Hidden Wisdom, using the opportunity to make some suggestions as to possible lines of influence between the world of scholastic theology and that of the female medieval mystics in what Van Dyke considers their ‘annihilationist’ mode: that the goal of the spiritual life is transformation into God in some sense.

Вчення р. Цві Гірша Шапіри про владу цадиків та їхню роль у наближенні месіанського визволення єврейського народу

The second tzadik of Mukachevo Tzvi Hirsh Shapira is a little-studied figure among the Hasidic leaders of the late 19th&nbsp;–&nbsp;early 20th&nbsp;centuries. However, his teaching had a considerable influence on the development of modern Hasidic thought. Unlike the founders of Hasidism, the attention of this rebbe was directed mainly to the interpretation of the sacred law and religious ritual. At the same time, almost all aspects of worship are reinterpreted in his works as a tool for understanding the history of the Jewish People and the existing system of government in the Hasidic community. According to R.&nbsp;Tzvi Hirsh, the unlimited power of a tzadik over his followers is determined by his ability to independently fulfill all the obligations of the community of believers before God. The worship of a perfect righteous man maintains proper order in the higher worlds. But, on the other hand, the longevity of a leader depends on the piety of the community and faith of believers in their teacher. There are clear parallels between the tzadik’s influence on the divine pleroma and the followers’ influence on rebbe. Our author combined this kind of reflection with ideas of future liberation of the Jewish People. According to the views of the second tzadik of Mukachevo, we are living in the age when it is possible to avoid the pre-Messianic suffering prophesied by the Bible and medieval mystics. Today any tragic events have ceased to be a necessary prerequisite for the victory of the kingdom of goodness and justice. But the realization of this opportunity depends both on the selfless service of the tzadiks and on the proper efforts of the community. As a result of this efforts the life of the great tzadik&nbsp;– messiah son of Joseph, who, according to Talmudic stories, must die for the salvation of the Jewish people, will be saved. Thus, the total commitment to power of current righteous leaders ensures a future redemption in the best way. The teachings of R.&nbsp;Tzvi Hirsh had a great influence on the views of his famous son R.&nbsp;Chaim Elazar Shapira.

Richard Rolle: On Lamentations. A Critical Edition with Translation and Commentary. Edited by Michael Van Dussen

Richard Rolle, the early fourteenth-century hermit and mystic, is often regarded as the founding father of English medieval mysticism, particularly of works written in the vernacular. However, most of Rolle’s works were written in Latin. Interest in the Latin works, particularly in the biblical commentaries that form over half of Rolle’s output, has been developing over the last 20 years or so, but needs modern critical editions of these works to flourish. This edition of Rolle’s commentary on Lamentations is therefore welcome. The author tells us that there are four extant manuscripts: two in Oxford (in the Bodleian Library and in Corpus Christi College), one in Dublin, and, perhaps surprisingly, one in Prague. Van Dussen has also drawn on the first printed edition, published in Cologne in 1536, which appears to have come from a fifth manuscript. The variations are not extreme, arising largely from the usual scribal errors, omissions, and occasional expansions. Looking at the textual notes, the variations do not suggest any deliberate slanting of the text, which is interesting given that Van Dussen goes on to situate its circulation in the context of Reformation religious controversy.

Martin Luther and Contemplation

ABSTRACT This essay addresses the vexed topic of Martin Luther's relationship to late medieval mysticism through a terminological approach focused on Luther's use of the word contemplation. The contribution that this article offers arises from the often repeated observation that what is called mysticism today was called contemplation in the Middle Ages. To that end, this article seeks a clearer view of three things: 1) what Luther meant by contemplation, 2) whether his usage was continuous or discontinuous with medieval usage of the same term, and 3) the extent to which Luther's use of the term maps onto current scholarly discussions about ‘mysticism.’ Special attention is given to the first two, thereby laying the groundwork for further reflections by other scholars on the third.

Late Medieval Mysticism and the Analogy of Grace and Nature

Erich Przywara’s insightful and Christological interpretation of Aquinas’ maxim regarding grace and nature suggests that nature and reason ought to pass through a redemptive ‘death’ with respect to grace and faith. This highlights the inadmissibility of proportioning finality to nature and reason. But more can be said regarding this particular reclamation of a high scholastic view. The late medieval mystical tradition shows a relationship between grace and nature, faith and reason, which sheds further light on this project, and in particular offers a way of valorising a Christological understanding of the relationship within each pair. I propose that this occurs specifically within the mystical context when any and all finality ascribed to apophasis ‘dies’, resulting in an oscillation between both ontic and noetic expressions of transcendence and immanence. This includes the question of mystical claims to spiritually outgrow ecclesial contexts and specificities. I highlight this with particular reference to Meister Eckhart and Jan van Ruusbroec.

Illuminating the sunbeam through glass motif

In the Middle Ages, the image of a sunbeam passing through glass or crystal was a popular metaphor for explaining Mary’s perpetual virginity. One of the most frequently repeated quotations that employs this metaphor has long been attributed to the twelfth-century Cistercian abbot St Bernard of Clairvaux, which might suggest that the emergent Gothic style contributed to its contemporaneous propagation in text and image. However, this much-repeated quotation is in fact the commentary of a seventeenth-century Dominican scholar, who mixed a widespread medieval trope with Bernard’s own discourse. A reevaluation of the use of the sunbeam motif in text and image suggests that, whereas it was commonly used to explain the Virgin Birth in literature, in visual art it was more frequently associated with the Incarnation. Furthermore, as I argue, the translation of the motif from text to image appears to have been catalyzed by a materially focused affective piety and the devotional texts of late medieval mystics such as the Meditationes vitae Christi and St Bridget of Sweden’s Revelations.

"The Black Man" by Sergei Yesenin: Motive-figurative Constants and Artistic Genealogy (Mystical Aspect)

The article is devoted to the analysis of the last poem by the bright representative of the Silver Age of Russian poetry Sergey Yesenin. The poem "The Black Man" is not only and not so much the poet's confession before his death, but the result of the poet's work, the logical, albeit tragic, completion of his artistic and life searches. The article examines the key images and motifs of the Yesenin poem in trans-literary and trans-cultural aspects, including references to medieval mysticism, mediated by the Russian literary tradition of the XIX-early XX century. The reception of mystical experience in the artistic world of Yesenin takes place through a rethinking of the traditions of Orthodox spirituality, the European Christian worldview and the romantic picture of the world.

On Being (Social), Selfhood and the Creative Experience in the Digital Age in Clara Janés’ Vilanos (E-mails) (2004)

Clara Janés intertwines contemporary e-communication and Spanish medieval mysticism to envision the texture of social experience, selfhood and creativity in the digital age. Vilanos (E-mails) invokes e-mailing’s mystical dimensions: cyberspace’s effacement of time and space and the cybernetic undoing of the self. Interrogating encounters with electronic ‘otherness’ in the cybernetic void, a digitized form of spiritual pilgrimage emerges, encompassing a search for self-knowledge and aesthetic intuition. Confronting the limitations of social connection through technological mediation, the digital’s invitation to self-encounter, nevertheless, can reveal the aleatory complexities of the self, cosmos and poetry itself, characterized by indeterminacy and constant movement.

Visual Aggression: Images of Martyrdom in Late Medieval Germany

Visual Aggression: Images of Martyrdom in Late Medieval Germany

In Defense of Heavenly Mother: Her Critical Importance for Mormon Culture and Theology

In Defense of Heavenly Mother: Her Critical Importance for Mormon Culture and Theology

Women’s Lives: Self-Representation, Reception and Appropriation in the Middle Ages: Essays in Honour of Elizabeth Petroff, ed. Nahir I. Otaño Gracia and Daniel Armenti. Religion and Culture in the Middle Ages. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2022, xiii, 258 pp., 1 b/w ill.

Abstract In honor of the well-known scholar on medieval mysticism and women, Elizabeth Avilda Petroff, who retired in 2014, her former students have put together a most in­triguing volume of critical studies dealing with significant cases of medieval women’s self-empowerment and self-expression. These articles cover both mystical literature and religious text of different kinds, and they include also examples from medieval Arabic and Chinese literature, highlighting relevant cases of major female figures who knew how to establish themselves as authorities in their own ways.