Mystics / William Harmless.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Harmless, William, 1953-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mysticism.

Mystics.

Physical Description:

xv, 350 p. : ill.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2008.

Summary:

Mystics are path-breaking religious practitioners who claim to have experienced the infinite, word-defying Mystery that is God. Many have been gifted writers with an uncanny ability to communicate the great realities of life with both a theologian's precision and a poet's lyricism. They usewords to jolt us into recognizing ineffable mysteries surging beneath the surface of our lives and within the depths of our hearts and, by their artistry, can awaken us to see and savor fugitive glimpses of a God-drenched world.In Mystics, William Harmless, S.J., introduces readers to the scholarly study of mysticism. He explores both mystics' extraordinary lives and their no-less-extraordinary writings using a unique case-study method centered on detailed examinations of six major Christian mystics: Thomas Merton,Bernard of Clairvaux, Hildegard of Bingen, Bonaventure, Meister Eckhart, and Evagrius Ponticus. Rather than presenting mysticism as a subtle web of psychological or theological abstractions, Harmless's case-study approach brings things down to earth, restoring mystics to their historical context.Harmless highlights the pungent diversity of mystical experiences and mystical theologies. Stepping beyond Christianity, he also explores mystical elements within Islam and Buddhism, offering a chapter on the popular Sufi poet Rumi and one on the famous Japanese Zen master Dogen. Harmless concludeswith an overview of the century-long scholarly conversation on mysticism and offers a unique, multifaceted optic for understanding mystics, their communities, and their writings. Geared toward a wide audience, Mystics balances state-of-the-art scholarship with accessible, lucid prose.

Contents:

A theology called mystical : Jean Gerson and William James

Mystic as fire watcher : Thomas Merton

Mystic as experienced exegete : Bernard of Clairvaux

Mystic as multimedia artist : Hildegard of Bingen

Mystic as cartographer : Bonaventure

Mystic as mystagogue : Meister Eckhart

Mystic as desert calligrapher : Evagrius Ponticus

Mysticism and Islam : Rumi

Mysticism and Zen Buddhism : Dogen

Reading mystics : text, community, experience.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. [315]-335) and index.

Description based on metadata supplied by the publisher and other sources.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9786611162818

9780198041108

0198041101

9780199851560

0199851565

9781281162816

1281162817

9780199885220

0199885222

9781435617797

1435617797

9780195300390

0195300394

OCLC:

437093919