The Jewish Quarterly Review
January 1, 1999
E. Ann Matter, Moshé Idel, Bernard Mcginn
40 citations
This book provides an updated overview of comparative mysticism, featuring contributions from leading scholars in the field. It examines mystical traditions across different religions, including Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and others, exploring their practices, experiences, and philosophical underpinnings. The work aims to offer a comprehensive and current perspective on the study of mysticism from a comparative religious studies viewpoint.
The Oxford Handbook of Mystical Theology
February 25, 2020
Bernard Mcginn
1 citation
Three main models of Christian mystical union evolved from biblical foundations to the late 1600s crisis of mysticism. The first, unitas spiritus (union of spirit), rooted in 1 Corinthians 6:17, describes God and a person uniting in spirit through shared will, often expressed erotically. The second, Trinitarian union, involves a human sharing in the inner life of the Trinity's three Persons. The third, union of indistinction, entails merging with God beyond all distinction. The technical term 'mystical union' was rarely used for most of this period, yet many Christian thinkers discussed becoming one with God through grace.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
August 1, 2022
Bernard Mcginn
Ecstasy, the experience of standing outside ordinary consciousness, is a universal human phenomenon. Religious ecstasy, believed to originate from a divine source, is a major component of Christian mysticism across centuries. This essay traces forms of religious ecstasy and related terminology from biblical texts through the end of the seventeenth century. It examines three periods in detail: the Early Middle Ages (ca. 600-1200), especially the twelfth century; the later Middle Ages (1200-1500); and Early Modern Mysticism (1500-1700), with particular focus on Teresa of Avila. Although ecstasy is not the essence of Christian mysticism, it has been a significant element over many centuries.
The Oxford Handbook of Mystical Theology
February 25, 2020
Bernard Mcginn
Christian mystical theology developed through several historically coherent traditions from the patristic period through the medieval era and into early modernity, until the Quietist Controversy at the end of the seventeenth century and the triumph of the Enlightenment, which took a generally negative attitude toward the mystical element in Christianity. The chapter traces main genealogies of mystical theology, including eastern and western patristic traditions, medieval monastic, Franciscan, German, Flemish, French, Italian, and English traditions, and early modern Protestant and Reformed Catholic genealogies, especially from Spain and France.
Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality
March 1, 2008
Bernard Mcginn
Mystical consciousness, rather than isolated mystical experiences, offers a more complete framework for understanding claims of direct divine presence. Drawing on Bernard Lonergan's transcendental method, the essay analyzes the writings of Meister Eckhart, Nicholas of Cusa, and John of the Cross to argue that mystical consciousness is the meta-conscious co-presence of God throughout the entire process of experiencing, understanding, affirming, loving, and deciding. This approach addresses theoretical and historical complexities surrounding the modern term 'mystical experience' and provides a deeper account of how mystics describe attaining God's presence.