The Wiley–Blackwell Companion to Christian Mysticism

In the past two decades, interest in mysticism has grown hugely, both in the academic world and in the popular imagination. The Wiley–Blackwell Companion to Christian Mysticism presents a comprehensive and engaging account of the origins and evolution of Christian mysticism right up to the current day, discussing the mystics, their texts, and the movements they inspired.  The volume brings together a team of distinguished scholars who provide a rich synthesis of historical figures and texts, important themes in mysticism (for example, gender, scripture, and heresy), and theoretical perspectives (for example, neuroscience, literary criticism, and interreligious dialogue) in relation to Christian mysticism, problematizing and testing the categories of “mysticism” and “mystic.” The result is a compelling and engaging volume drawing on the best of recent cutting–edge scholarship, and providing insights into an ancient but important Christian tradition.  

Notes on Contributors xi Preface xix 1 A Guide to Christian Mysticism 1 Julia A. Lamm Part I Themes in Christian Mysticism 25 2 The Song of Songs 27 Ann W. Astell and Catherine Rose Cavadini 3 Gender 41 Barbara Newman 4 Platonism 56 Willemien Otten 5 Aesthetics 74 Don E. Saliers 6 Heresy 89 J. Patrick Hornbeck II Part II Early Christian Mysticism 103 7 Mysticism in the New Testament 105 Alan C. Mitchell 8 The Judaean–Jewish Contexts of Early Christian Mysticism 119 Ori Z Soltes 9 “Mysticism” in the Pre–Nicene Era? 133 Bogdan G. Bucur 10 Origen and His Followers 147 Augustine Casiday 11 Negative Theology from Gregory of Nyssa to Dionysius the Areopagite 161 Charles M. Stang 12 Syriac Mysticism 177 Brian E. Colless 13 Mysticism and Contemplation in Augustine’s Confessions 190 John Peter Kenney 14 Augustine’s Ecclesial Mysticism 202 J. Patout Burns 15 Benedictine Monasticism and Mysticism 216 Columba Stewart, O.S.B. Part III Medieval Mystics and Mystical Traditions 235 16 Bernard of Clairvaux and the Cistercian Mystical Tradition 237 Brian Patrick McGuire 17 The Victorines 251 Boyd Taylor Coolman 18 The Mystery of Divine/Human Communion in the Byzantine Tradition 267 George E. Demacopoulos 19 Francis, Clare, and Bonaventure 282 Kevin L. Hughes 20 The Nuns of Helfta 297 Anna Harrison 21 Mysticism in the Spiritual Franciscan Tradition 311 Michael F. Cusato, O.F.M. 22 The Low Countries, the Beguines, and John Ruusbroec 329 Helen Rolfson, O.S. F. 23 Meister Eckhart, Johannes Tauler, and Henry Suso 340 Charlotte C. Radler 24 The Late Fourteenth–Century English Mystics 357 Christiania Whitehead 25 Late Medieval Italian Women Mystics 373 Armando Maggi 26 Nicholas of Cusa and the Ends of Medieval Mysticism 388 Peter J. Casarella Part IV Mysticism and Modernity 405 27 The Protestant Reformers on Mysticism 407 Dennis E. Tamburello, O.F.M. 28 Spanish Mysticism and Religious Renewal: Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, and John of the Cross 422 Edward Howells 29 Seventeenth–Century French Mysticism 437 Wendy M. Wright 30 The Making of “Mysticism” in the Anglo–American World: From Henry Coventry to William James 452 Leigh Eric Schmidt 31 “We Kiss Our Dearest Redeemer through Inward Prayer”: Mystical Traditions in Pietism 473 Ruth Albrecht 32 Nineteenth– to Twentieth–Century Russian Mysticism 489 Paul L. Gavrilyuk 33 Modern Catholic Theology and Mystical Tradition 501 Stephen M. Fields, S.J . 34 Mystics of the Twentieth Century 515 Mary Frohlich, R.S.C.J. Part V Critical Perspectives on Mysticism 531 35 A Critical Theological Perspective 533 Philip Sheldrake 36 What the Saints Know: Quasi–Epistemological Reflections 550 James Wetzel 37 Mysticism and the Vernacular 562 Denis Renevey 38 The Social Scientific Study of Christian Mysticism 577 Ralph W. Hood, Jr. and Zhuo Chen 39 Neuroscience 592 Douglas E. Anderson 40 Christian Mysticism in Interreligious Perspective 610 Leo D. Lefebure Index 626

Julia A. Lamm is Associate Professor of Theology at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She is a recipient of an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship for research at the Academy of Sciences in Berlin. She is also the author of The Living God: Schleiermacher′s Theological Appropriation of Spinoza (1996) and co–editor of a forthcoming volume on Schleiermacher, The Christmas Dialogue and Other Selections , for the Classics of Western Spirituality series. She has also published articles on Julian of Norwich.

“Julia Lamm has assembled a valuable collection of forty articles by leading scholars in this treasury of studies of (mainly) Christian mysticism. A lengthy and expert introduction by Lamm leads to the first section: five articles on “Themes in Christian Mysticism.”  ( The Catholic Historical Review , 1 January 2014) “Together they open a rich world of creative, inspired writing to contemporary students and fellow scholars.  Summing Up.  Recommended.  Lower–division undergraduates and above; general readers.”  ( Choice , 1 September 2013) “The Wiley–Blackwell Companion remains a treasure–trove of scholarship that will delight anyone interested in the academic conversation around Christian mysticism.”  ( Carl McColman , 24 May 2013) “There is much to praise about this book, from its well–judged contents to the beautiful presentation and typeface. This is a must–have for any library, and for any student or disciple of the mystical tradition."  ( Church Times , 24 May 2013) “The result is a compelling and engaging volume drawing on the best of recent cutting–edge scholarship, and providing insights into an ancient but important Christian tradition.”  ( Eastern Christian Books, 17 December 2012)