The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism (Bernard McGinn)
The Definitive Anthology of Christian Mysticism
[My 5-star Amazon review (NDA) of “The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism” by Bernard McGinn.]
This 550-page tome is the definitive anthology of Christian mysticism. Author Bernard McGinn, the foremost historian of the Western Christian mystical tradition, has assembled the essential writings of Christianity’s preeminent mystics in a single volume, and students of Christian mysticism will delight in the resulting product.
The text is divided into three parts—Foundations of Mystical Practice, Aspects of Mystical Consciousness, and Implications of the Mystical life—and each part contains several sections, enabling readers to quickly and easily focus on the topics that interest them. For example, Part One contains, in order, the following sections: Biblical Interptetation, Asceticism and Purgation, Prayer, Liturgy and Sacraments, Inner and Outer Practices, and Mystical Itineraries.
In total, the text contains fifteen sections and nearly a hundred selections, featuring the writings of close to fifty mystics.The mystics stretch from 300 AD to the twentieth century, and not a single big name is missing. Readers will be able to sample the best writings of Origen, Augustine, Evagrius Ponticus, John of the Cross, John Cassian, Teresa of Avila, Bernard of Clarivaux, Meister Eckhart, John Ruusbroek, Nicholas of Cusa, Richard Rolle, Thomas Merton, as well as other mystical luminaries.
The only flaw of this text is that it lacks an index. Apart from that, it is all, and more, then anyone could hope for in a Christian mysticism anthology.
[My 5-star Amazon review (NDA) of “The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism” by Bernard McGinn.]
This 550-page tome is the definitive anthology of Christian mysticism. Author Bernard McGinn, the foremost historian of the Western Christian mystical tradition, has assembled the essential writings of Christianity’s preeminent mystics in a single volume, and students of Christian mysticism will delight in the resulting product.
The text is divided into three parts—Foundations of Mystical Practice, Aspects of Mystical Consciousness, and Implications of the Mystical life—and each part contains several sections, enabling readers to quickly and easily focus on the topics that interest them. For example, Part One contains, in order, the following sections: Biblical Interptetation, Asceticism and Purgation, Prayer, Liturgy and Sacraments, Inner and Outer Practices, and Mystical Itineraries.
In total, the text contains fifteen sections and nearly a hundred selections, featuring the writings of close to fifty mystics.The mystics stretch from 300 AD to the twentieth century, and not a single big name is missing. Readers will be able to sample the best writings of Origen, Augustine, Evagrius Ponticus, John of the Cross, John Cassian, Teresa of Avila, Bernard of Clarivaux, Meister Eckhart, John Ruusbroek, Nicholas of Cusa, Richard Rolle, Thomas Merton, as well as other mystical luminaries.
The only flaw of this text is that it lacks an index. Apart from that, it is all, and more, then anyone could hope for in a Christian mysticism anthology.
