Christian Mysticism: An Introduction to Contemporary Theoretical Approaches

The purpose of this book is to introduce students to Christian mysticism and modern critical responses to it. Christianity has a rich tradition of mystical theology that first emerged in the writings of the early church fathers. Christian mysticism flourished during the Middle Ages and it is this period that the book focuses on. The aim of this book is firstly to provide students with access to the main philosophical approaches to Christian mysticism, such as those propounded by William James, Steven Katz, Denys Turner and Caroline Walker-Bynum, and secondly to introduce students to the main themes that underpin Christian mysticism during this medieval period, reflecting on the meaning of these themes from the perspectives of each of the main critics. The book will cover the various strands of Christian mysticism, including early church mysticism, female mysticism, Rhineland mysticism and 'affectivist' mysticism and will introduce students to many prominent Christian mystics.The contemporary critical relevance of this book is clear. The renewed interest in medieval mystical writings has created a huge array of scholarship with which students of mysticism need to familiarise themselves. There is currently no basic text book which outlines the various modern philosophical/theological approaches in a manner that is easily accessible to a reader with little or no previous knowledge of this area. There is also no philosophical/theological introduction to Christian mystical writers beyond the patristic period. This book aims to fill this gap.

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