Christian mysticism 612916 222371778 2008-06-29T00:22:00Z SchuminWeb 231595 Removing backlinks to Church of Christian Mysticism that has been speedily deleted per ([[WP:CSD#A7|CSD A7]]); using [[WP:TWINKLE|TW]] {{portal|Christianity}} '''Christian [[mysticism]]''' is traditionally practised through the disciplines of: *[[prayer]] (including [http://www.preces-latinae.org oratio], [[Christian meditation|meditation]] and [[contemplation]]); *self-denial, including [[fasting]], broadly called [[asceticism]]; and *service to others, again broadly called [[almsgiving]]. In the tradition of [[Mystical Theology|Christian mysticism]] [[Bible|Biblical]] texts are typically interpreted [[metaphor]]ically, for example in [[Jesus]]' "[[Sermon on the Mount]]" ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] {{bibleverse-nb||Matthew|5–7|KJV}}) the text, in its totality, is held to contain the way for direct union with [[Trinity|God]]. Also, in the [[contemplation|contemplative]] and [[hermit|eremitic]] tradition of the [[Carmelite]] "[[Book of the First Monks]]", [[Cherith|1 Kgs. 17:3-4]] is the central Biblical text around which the work is written. Whereas Christian doctrine generally maintains that God dwells in all Christians and that they can experience God directly through belief in Jesus<ref>[http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=KjvJohn.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=7&division=div1 John 7:16–39]</ref>, Christian mysticism aspires to apprehend spiritual truths inaccessible through intellectual means, typically by emulation of Christ. [[William Ralph Inge|William Inge]] divides this ''scala perfectionis'' into three stages: the "purgative" or [[ascetic]] stage, the "illuminative" or contemplative stage, and the "unitive" stage, in which God may be beheld "face to face." <ref>[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/14596/14596-8.txt ''Christian Mysticism'' (1899 Bampton Lectures)]</ref> ==Biblical foundations== The tradition of Christian Mysticism is as old as [[Christianity]] itself. At least three texts from the [[New Testament]] set up themes that recur throughout the recorded thought of the Christian mystics. The first, [[Epistle to the Galatians|Galatians]] 2:20, says that: <blockquote> I am [[crucifiction|crucified]] with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. ([[King James Version of the Bible|KJV]]) </blockquote> The second important scriptural text for Christian mysticism is [[First Epistle of John|1 John]] 3:2: <blockquote> Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.</blockquote> The third such text, especially important for [[Eastern Christian]] mysticism, is found in [[Second Epistle of Peter|II Peter]] 1:4: <blockquote> ...[E]xceedingly great and precious promises [are given unto us]; that by these ye might be ''partakers of the divine nature'', having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (emphasis added)</blockquote> Two major themes of Christian mysticism are (1) a complete identification with, or ''[[imitation of Christ]]'', to achieve a unity of the human spirit with the spirit of God; and (2) the perfect vision of God, in which the mystic seeks to experience God "as he is," and no more "through a glass, darkly." ([[First Epistle to the Corinthians|1 Corinthians]] 13:12) Other mystical experiences are described in other passages. In [[Second Epistle to the Corinthians|2 Corinthians]] 12:2–4, Paul sets forth an example of a possible [[out-of-body experience]] by someone who was taken up to the "third [[heaven]]", and taught unutterable mysteries: <blockquote> I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) how that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.</blockquote> Perhaps a similar experience occurred at the [[Transfiguration]] of Jesus, an incident confirmed in each of the [[Synoptic Gospel]]s. Here Jesus led three of his apostles, [[Saint Peter|Peter]], [[John the Apostle|John]], and [[Saint James the Great|James]], to pray at the top of a mountain, where he became transfigured. Jesus's face shone like the sun, and he was clad in brilliant white clothes. [[Elijah]] and [[Moses]] appeared with Jesus, and talked with him, and then a bright cloud appeared overhead, and a voice from the cloud proclaimed, "This is my beloved Son: hear him." ==Practice== While such phenomena are associated with mysticism in general, including the Christian variety, for Christians the major emphasis concerns a spiritual transformation of the [[ego]]ic self, the following of a path designed to produce more fully realized human persons, "created in the Image and Likeness of God" and as such, living in harmonious communion with God, the Church, the rest of [[humanity]], and all creation, including oneself. For Christians, this human potential is realized most perfectly in Jesus and is manifested in others through their association with Him, whether conscious, as in the case of Christian mystics, or unconscious, with regard to persons who follow other traditions, such as [[Gandhi]]. The [[Eastern Orthodox Christianity|Eastern Christian]] tradition speaks of this transformation in terms of [[theosis]] or divinization, perhaps best summed up by an ancient aphorism usually attributed to [[Athanasius of Alexandria]]: "God became human so that man might become God." Going back at least to [[Evagrius]] Ponticus and [[Pseudo-Dionysius]], Christian mystics have pursued a threefold path in their pursuit of holiness. While the three aspects have different names in the different Christian traditions, they can be characterized as ''purgative, illuminative, and unitive'', corresponding to body, soul (or mind), and spirit. The first, the way of purification, is where aspiring Christian mystics start. This aspect focuses on discipline, particularly in terms of the human body; thus, it emphasizes prayer at certain times, either alone or with others, and in certain postures, often standing or kneeling. It also emphasizes the other disciplines of fasting and alms-giving, the latter including those activities called "the works of mercy," both spiritual and corporal, such as feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless. Purification, which grounds Christian spirituality in general, is primarily focused on efforts to, in the words of [[Paul of Tarsus|St. Paul]], "put to death the deeds of the flesh by the Holy Spirit" ([[Epistle to the Romans|Romans]] 8:13). The "deeds of the flesh" here include not only external behavior, but also those habits, attitudes, compulsions, addictions, etc. (sometimes called ''[[ego]]ic passions'') which oppose themselves to true being and living as a Christian not only exteriorly, but interiorly as well. [[Evelyn Underhill]] describes purification as an awareness of one's own imperfections and finiteness, followed by self-discipline and mortification. Because of its physical, disciplinary aspect, this phase, as well as the entire Christian spiritual path, is often referred to as "[[asceticism|ascetic]]," a term which is derived from a Greek word which connotes athletic training. Because of this, in ancient Christian literature, prominent mystics are often called "spiritual athletes," an image which is also used several times in the New Testament to describe the Christian life. What is sought here is salvation in the original sense of the word, referring not only to one's eternal fate, but also to healing in all areas of life, including the restoration of spiritual, psychological, and physical health. <blockquote>It remains a paradox of the mystics that the passivity at which they appear to aim is really a state of the most intense activity: more, that where it is wholly absent no great creative action can take place. In it, the superficial self compels itself to be still, in order that it may liberate another more deep-seated power which is, in the ecstasy of the contemplative genius, raised to the highest pitch of efficiency. ''Mysticism: A Study in Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness'' by Evelyn Underhill (Public Domain)</blockquote> The second phase, the path of illumination, has to do with the activity of the Holy Spirit enlightening the mind, giving insights into truths not only explicit in scripture and the rest of the Christian tradition, but also those implicit in nature, not in the scientific sense, but rather in terms of an illumination of the "depth" aspects of reality and natural happenings, such that the working of God is perceived in all that one experiences. Underhill describes it as marked by a consciousness of a transcendent order and a vision of a new heaven and a new earth. The third phase, usually called contemplation in the Western tradition, refers to the experience of oneself as in some way united with God. The experience of union varies, but it is first and foremost always associated with a reuniting with Divine ''love'', the underlying theme being that God, the perfect goodness,<ref>[[Theologia Germanica]], public domain</ref> is known or experienced at least as much by the heart as by the intellect since, in the words [[1 John]] 4:16: "God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him." Some approaches to classical mysticism would consider the first two phases as preparatory to the third, explicitly mystical experience, but others state that these three phases overlap and intertwine. Author and mystic [[Evelyn Underhill]] recognizes two additional phases to the mystical path. First comes the awakening, the stage in which one begins to have some consciousness of absolute or divine reality. Purgation and illumination are followed by a fourth stage which Underhill, borrowing the language of [[St. John of the Cross]], calls the [[dark night of the soul]]. This stage, experienced by the few, is one of final and complete purification and is marked by confusion, helplessness, stagnation of the [[will (philosophy)|will]], and a sense of the withdrawal of God's presence. It is the period of final "unselfing" and the surrender to the hidden purposes of the divine will. Her fifth and final stage is union with the object of love, the one Reality, God. Here the self has been permanently established on a transcendental level and liberated for a new purpose.<ref>Greene, Dana, "Adhering to God: The Message of Evelyn Underhill for Our Times", ''Spirituality Today'', Spring 1987, Vol. 39, pp. 22–38</ref> Another aspect of traditional Christian spirituality, or mysticism, has to do with its communal basis. Even for hermits, the Christian life is always lived in communion with the [[Church]], the community of believers. Thus, participation in corporate worship, especially the [[Eucharist]], is an essential part of Christian mysticism. Connected with this is the practice of having a [[spiritual director]], [[confessor]], or "[[soul]] friend" with which to discuss one's spiritual progress. This person, who may be [[clerical]] or [[lay]], acts as a spiritual mentor. ==Christian mystics== {{main|List of Christian mystics}} Some examples of [[Christianity|Christian]] mystics: {|width=100% |-valign=top |width=50%| *St. [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]] (? –c. 66) *St. [[John the Baptist]] *St. [[John the Apostle]] (? –c.100) *St. [[Saint Peter|Peter]] *[[Valentinus]] (c.100–c.153) *St. [[Clement of Alexandria]] (? –216) *St. [[Athanasius]] (c293–373) *[[Evagrius]] Ponticus (345–399) *St. [[Augustine of Hippo]] (354–430) *[[Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite]] (5th century) *St. [[John Climacus]] (525–606) *St. [[Gregory I]] (590–604) *St. [[Isaac the Syrian]] (c.700) *St. [[Anastasius Sinaita]] (? - post 700) *St. [[Symeon the New Theologian]] (949–1022) *[[Anselm of Canterbury|Saint Anselm]] (1033–1109) *[[Hugh of Saint Victor]] (1096–1141) *[[Richard of St. Victor]] (? –1173) *[[Hildegard of Bingen]] (1098–1179) *St. [[Francis of Assisi]] (1181–1226) *St. [[Clare of Assisi]] (1194–1253) *St. [[Anthony of Padua]] (1195–1231) *[[Mechthild of Magdeburg]] (1210–1279) *St. [[Bonaventure]] of Bagnoregio (1221–1274) *[[Angela of Foligno]] (1248–1309) *[[Gertrude the Great]] (1256–1301) *[[Marguerite Porete]] (?–1310) *[[Meister Eckhart]] (c. 1260–1327/8) *[[John of Ruysbroeck]] (1293–1381) *St. [[Gregory Palamas]] (1296–1359) *[[Johannes Tauler]] (1300–1361) *[[Henry Suso]] (1300–1366) *St. [[Saint Birgitta|Bridget of Sweden]] (1302–1373) *St. [[Julian of Norwich]] (1342–c.1416) *St. [[Catherine of Sienna]] (1347–1380) *[[William Langland]] (?–1385/6) *[[Margery Kempe]] (c.1373–1438) *[[Thomas à Kempis]] (1380–1471) *St. [[Ignatius of Loyola]] (1491–1556) *St. [[Teresa of Avila]] (1515–1582) *St. [[John of the Cross]] (1542–1591) *St. [[Francis de Sales]] (1567–1622) *[[Jakob Böhme]] (1575–1624) *[[Maria de Agreda]] (1602–1665) *[[Sir Thomas Browne]] (1605–1682) *[[Brother Lawrence]] (1614–1691) |width=50%| *[[Blaise Pascal]] (1623–1662) *[[Angelus Silesius]] (1624–1677) *[[George Fox]] (1624–1691) *[[Jane Leade]] (1624–1704) *[[Miguel de Molinos]] (c. 1628–1697) *[[Sarah Wight]] (1632–?) *[[Madame Guyon]] (1648–1717) *[[Johannes Kelpius]] (1667–1708) *[[Emanuel Swedenborg]] (1688–1772) *[[John Woolman]] (1720–1772) *[[William Blake]] (1757–1827) *[[George Rapp]] (1757-1847) *St. [[Seraphim of Sarov]] (1759–1833) *[[Anna Catherine Emmerich]] (1774–1824) *[[Jakob Lorber]] (1800–1864) *[[Phineas Parkhurst Quimby]] (1802-1866) *St. [[John of Kronstadt]] (1829–1908) * St. [[Bernadette Soubirous]] (1844 - 1879) *[[Max Heindel]] (1865–1919) *[[Sergei Bulgakov]] (1871–1944) *St. [[Therese of Lisieux]] (1873–1897) *[[Evelyn Underhill]] (1875–1941) *[[Pope Pius XII]] (1876–1958) *[[Antonin Gadal]] (1877–1962) *[[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin]] (1881–1955) *St. [[Padre Pio|Pio of Pietrelcina]] (1887–1968) *[[T. S. Eliot]] (1888–1965) *[[Sadhu Sundar Singh]] (1889–1929) *St. Theresa-Benedicta of the Cross ([[Edith Stein]]) (1891–1942) *St. [[John (Maximovitch) of Shanghai and San Francisco|John Maximovitch]] (1896–1966) *[[Jan van Rijckenborgh]] (1896–1968) *[[Maria Valtorta]] (1897–1961) *[[Aiden Wilson Tozer]] (1897–1963) *[[Adrienne von Speyr]] (1902–1967) *[[Catharose de Petri]] (1902–1990) *St. [[Faustina Kowalska]] (1905–1938) *[[Dag Hammarskjöld]] (1905–1961) *[[Mother Eugenia Elisabetta Ravasio|Eugenia Ravasio]] (1907-1990) *[[Simone Weil]] (1909–1943) *[[Thomas Merton]] (1915–1968) *[[Vernon Howard]] (1918–1992) *[[Thomas Keating]] (1923– ) *[[Henri Nouwen]] (1932-1996) *[[Vassula Ryden]] (1942– ) *[[Guy Finley]] (1949– ) *[[Erwin McManus]] (1958-) *[[Richard Foster (religion)|Richard Foster]] |} ==Notes and references== {{Reflist}} ==See also== *[[Behmenism]] *[[Catharism]], [[Cathar Perfect]] *[[Christian Kabbalah]] *[[Christian meditation]] *[[Christian Mysticism in Ancient Africa]] *[[Christian mythology]] *Church of Christian Mysticism *[[Esoteric Christianity]] *[[Flying Saints]] *[[German mysticism]] *[[Gnosticism]] *[[Harmony Society]] *[[Hesychasm]] *[[Jesus Prayer]] *[[Love of God]] *[[Mystical marriage]] *[[Mystical theology]] *[[Mysticism]] *[[Pietism]] *[[Prayer in Christianity]] *[[Quietism (Christian philosophy)]] *[[Radical Pietism]] *[[Rosicrucianism]], [[Rosicrucian Manifestos]], [[Lectorium Rosicrucianum]] *[[Sister Catherine Treatise]] *[[Sophia (wisdom)]] *[[Spanish mystics]] *[[Starets]] *[[The Order of Christ Sophia]] ==Bibliography== *Anderson, Robert A. : ''Church of God? or the Temples of Satan (A Reference Book of Mysticism & Gnosis)'', TGS Publishers, 2006, ISBN 0-9786249-6-3 *Bernard McGinn: ''The Foundations of Mysticism: Origins to the Fifth Century'', 1991, reprint 1994, ISBN 0-8245-1404-1 *Bernard McGinn: ''The Growth of Mysticism: Gregory the Great through the 12th Century'', 1994, paperback ed. 1996, ISBN 0-8245-1628-1 *[[Evelyn Underhill]]: ''Mysticism: A Study in Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness'', 1911, reprint 1999, ISBN 1-85168-196-5 [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/underhill/mysticism.html online edition] *Tito Colliander: ''Way of the Ascetics'', 1981, ISBN 0-06-061526-5 * Thomas E. Powers: ''Invitation to a Great Experiment: Exploring the Possibility that God can be Known'', 1979, ISBN 0-385-14187-4 *Richard Foster: ''Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth'', 1978, ISBN 0-06-062831-6 ===Classics=== *St. [[John of the Cross]]: ''Ascent of Mount Carmel'', ''Dark Night of the Soul'' *St. [[Teresa of Avila]]: ''Interior Castle'', ''The Way of Perfection'', ''Autobiography'' *St. [[Bonaventure]]: ''The Soul's Journey into God'', ''The Tree of Life'' *[[Meister Eckhart]]: ''German and Latin sermons'' *[[Jan van Ruysbroeck]]: ''The Adornment of Spiritual Marriage'' *Anon.: ''[[Cloud of Unknowing]]'' *Anon.: ''[[Theologia Germanica]]'' *[[Ignatius of Loyola|St.Ignatius of Loyola]]: ''Spiritual Exercises'' *[[William Law]]: ''Works'' *[[George Fox]]: ''The Journal'' *[[Heinrich Suso]]: ''The Book of Eternal Wisdom'' *[[Thomas à Kempis]]: ''On the Imitation of Christ'' *[[Jakob Lorber]]: ''The Great Gospel of John'' *[[Pseudo-Dionysius]]: ''Divine Names'', ''Celestial Hierarchy'', ''Mystical Theology'' *''[[Philokalia]]'' *Anon.: ''[[The Way of a Pilgrim]]'' ==External links== *[http://www.AlexandrianGnostic.com The Alexandrian Gnostic Church ] *[http://www.ChristianMystics.com Christian Mystics Both Traditional & Contemporary ] *{{1913CE|Mysticism}} *Underhill's [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/underhill/mysticism.v.html "Historical Sketch"] of Christian Mysticism from ''Mysticism'' (1911) *[http://sufiblog.com/christian_mysticism.html An overview of Christian Mysticism by Harold Raley,Ph.D ] *[http://www.thinkunity.com Christian Mysticism Contemporary] [[Category:Christian mysticism|*]] [[Category:Christian prayer]] [[Category:Hesychasm]] [[de:Christliche Mystik]] [[es:Teología mística cristiana]] [[id:Mistisisme Kristen]] [[ja:キリスト教神秘主義]] [[pt:Cristianismo místico]] [[fi:Kristillinen mystiikka]] [[sv:Kristen mystik]]