Introduction to the Medieval Mystics of Europe

Introduction to the Medieval Mystics of Europe PDF Author: Paul E. Szarmach
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 1438421710
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 388

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Book Description
The European Middle Ages bequeathed to the world a legacy of spiritual and intellectual brilliance that has shaped many of the ideals, preconceptions, and institutions we now take for granted. An Introduction to the Medieval Mystics of Europe examines this phenomenon in vivid and scholarly accounts of the lives and achievements of those men and women whose genius most inspired their own and subsequent ages. These great mystics explored and consciously realized the relationship between human life and unconditioned transcendence. Representing both the contemplative and scholastic traditions, the mystics in these studies often found their solutions to ultimate questions in radically different ways. Some of them, such as Eckhart, Aquinas, and Cusa, may already be familiar, and here the reader will benefit from a new approach and summary of extensive research. Others, such as Smaragdus and several of the women mystics, are little known even to specialists. Finally, and unusually for a study of European mysticism, the influence of Spanish Kabbalists is discussed in relation to the Zohar and two figures from the mystical school of Safed, Cordovero and Luria. Though the essays focus on individuals, the cultural and social implications of their lives and work are never ignored, for the mystic way did not exist separately from the rest of medieval life; it functioned as an integral part of the whole, influencing the development of Christian and Jewish religions in both their internal and external forms.

Introduction to the Medieval Mystics of Europe

Introduction to the Medieval Mystics of Europe PDF Author: Paul E. Szarmach
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 1438421710
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 388

Get Book Here

Book Description
The European Middle Ages bequeathed to the world a legacy of spiritual and intellectual brilliance that has shaped many of the ideals, preconceptions, and institutions we now take for granted. An Introduction to the Medieval Mystics of Europe examines this phenomenon in vivid and scholarly accounts of the lives and achievements of those men and women whose genius most inspired their own and subsequent ages. These great mystics explored and consciously realized the relationship between human life and unconditioned transcendence. Representing both the contemplative and scholastic traditions, the mystics in these studies often found their solutions to ultimate questions in radically different ways. Some of them, such as Eckhart, Aquinas, and Cusa, may already be familiar, and here the reader will benefit from a new approach and summary of extensive research. Others, such as Smaragdus and several of the women mystics, are little known even to specialists. Finally, and unusually for a study of European mysticism, the influence of Spanish Kabbalists is discussed in relation to the Zohar and two figures from the mystical school of Safed, Cordovero and Luria. Though the essays focus on individuals, the cultural and social implications of their lives and work are never ignored, for the mystic way did not exist separately from the rest of medieval life; it functioned as an integral part of the whole, influencing the development of Christian and Jewish religions in both their internal and external forms.

Introduction to the Medieval Mystics of Europe

Introduction to the Medieval Mystics of Europe PDF Author: Paul E. Szarmach
Publisher:
ISBN: 9788739598357
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 376

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Book Description


Women Mystics in Medieval Europe

Women Mystics in Medieval Europe PDF Author: Emilie Zum Brunn
Publisher: Paragon House Publishers
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
This text revives the works of five powerful mystics of the Middle Ages and provides a valuable inspirational resource for all spiritual seekers.

The Middle English Mystics

The Middle English Mystics PDF Author: Wolfgang Riehle
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429560532
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 237

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Book Description
Originally published as an English translation in 1981, The Middle English Mystics is a crucial contribution to the study of the literature of English mysticism. This book surveys and analyses the language of metaphor in the writings of such mystics as Richard Rolle, Walter Hilton, Julian of Norwich, and in such anonymous works as The Cloud of Unknowing and the Ancrene Wisse. The main emphasis of this comparative and stylistic study is not theological but rather the means by which theological concepts are communicated through language. The book sets the English mystics in perspective by establishing their place in the European mystical movement of the Middle Ages. It shows how intricate the relationship between English, and continental mysticism really is. The book suggests that there is clear links between English and German female mysticism, yet the mysticism is in the main due not so much to specific influences as to the common background of Christian theology and mysticism.

The Female Mystic

The Female Mystic PDF Author: Andrea Janelle Dickens
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0857712616
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
The Middle Ages saw a flourishing of mysticism that was astonishing for its richness and distinctiveness. The medieval period was unlike any other period of Christianity in producing people who frequently claimed visions of Christ and Mary, uttered prophecies, gave voice to ecstatic experiences, recited poems and songs said to emanate directly from God and changed their ways of life as a result of these special revelations. Many recipients of these alleged divine gifts were women. Yet the female contribution to western Europe's intellectual and religious development is still not well understood. Popular or lay religion has been overshadowed by academic theology, which was predominantly the theology of men. This timely book rectifies the neglect by examining a number of women whose lives exemplify traditions which were central to medieval theology but whose contributions have tended to be dismissed as 'merely spiritual' by today's scholars. In their different ways, visionaries like Richeldis de Faverches (founder of the Holy House at Walsingham, or 'England's Nazareth'), the learned Hildegard of Bingen, Hadewijch of Brabant (exemplary voice of the Beguine tradition of love mysticism), charismatic traveller and pilgrim Margery Kempe and anchoress Julian of Norwich all challenged traditional male scholastic theology. Designed for the use of undergraduate student and general reader alike, this attractive survey provides an introduction to thirteen remarkable women and sets their ideas in context.

English Medieval Mystics

English Medieval Mystics PDF Author: Marion Glasscoe
Publisher: Longman Publishing Group
ISBN:
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 384

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Book Description


Mysticism and Reform, 1400-1750

Mysticism and Reform, 1400-1750 PDF Author: Sara S. Poor
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780268175115
Category : Church history
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Essays explore the complex ways in which early modern contemplative writing draws on its late medieval and patristic inheritance.

Gender and Medieval Mysticism from India to Europe

Gender and Medieval Mysticism from India to Europe PDF Author: Abir Bazaz
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781032396842
Category : Medievalism
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
"This book opens up a dialogue between pre-modern women identified as mystics in diverse locations from South Asia to Europe. It considers how women from the disparate religious traditions of Hinduism, Islam and Christianity expressed devotion in parallel ways. The argument is that women's mysticism demands to be compared not because of any essential 'female' experience of the divine but because the parallel positions of marginalization that pre-modern women experienced led them to deploy intimate encounters with the divine to speak publicly and claim authority. The topics covered range from the Sufi devotional tradition of Sidis (Indians of African ancestry) to the Bhakti poet Mīrābaīand the nuns of Barking Abbey. Collectively the chapters show how mysticism allowed pre-modern women to speak and act by unsettling traditional gender roles and expectations for religious behaviour. At the same time as uncovering connections, the juxtaposition of women from different traditions serves to highlight distinctive features. The book draws on a range of disciplinary expertise and will be of particular interest to scholars of medieval religion and theology as well as history and literary studies"--

Julian of Norwich's Legacy

Julian of Norwich's Legacy PDF Author: S. Salih
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0230101623
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 222

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Book Description
Julian of Norwich the best-known of the medieval mystics today. The text of her Revelation has circulated continually since the fifteenth century, but the twentieth century saw a massive expansion of her popularity. Theological or literary-historical studies of Julian may remark in passing on her popularity, but none have attempted a detailed study of her reception. This collection fills that gap: it outlines the full reception history from the extant manuscripts to the present day, looking at Julian in devotional cultures, in modernist poetry and present-day popular literature, and in her iconography in Norwich, both as a pilgrimage site and a tourist attraction.

The Cambridge Companion to Medieval English Mysticism

The Cambridge Companion to Medieval English Mysticism PDF Author: Samuel Fanous
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139827669
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 343

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Book Description
The widespread view that 'mystical' activity in the Middle Ages was a rarefied enterprise of a privileged spiritual elite has led to isolation of the medieval 'mystics' into a separate, narrowly defined category. Taking the opposite view, this book shows how individual mystical experience, such as those recorded by Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe, is rooted in, nourished and framed by the richly distinctive spiritual contexts of the period. Arranged by sections corresponding to historical developments, it explores the primary vernacular texts, their authors, and the contexts that formed the expression and exploration of mystical experiences in medieval England. This is an excellent, insightful introduction to medieval English mystical texts, their authors, readers and communities. Featuring a guide to further reading and a chronology, the Companion offers an accessible overview for students of literature, history and theology.