DOCSLIB.ORG

Mysticism: a Study in Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness by Evelyn Underhill

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Mysticism: a Study in Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness by Evelyn Underhill A Study in Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness 1 Mysticism: A Study in Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness by Evelyn Underhill 1911 PREFACE TO THE TWELFTH EDITION Since this book first appeared, nineteen years ago, the study of mysticism--not only in England, but also in France, Germany and Italy--has been almost completely transformed. From being regarded, whether critically or favourably, as a byway of religion, it is now more and more generally accepted by theologians, philosophers and psychologists, as representing in its intensive form the essential religious experience of man. The labours of a generation of religious psychologists--following, and to some extent superseding the pioneer work of William James--have already done much to disentangle its substance from the psycho-physical accidents which often accompany mystical apprehension. Whilst we are less eager than our predecessors to dismiss all accounts of abnormal experience as the fruit of superstition or disease, no responsible student now identifies the mystic and the ecstatic; or looks upon visionary and other "extraordinary phenomena" as either by Evelyn Underhill 2 guaranteeing or discrediting the witness of the mystical saints. Even the remorseless explorations and destructive criticisms of the psycho-analytic school are now seen to have effected a useful work; throwing into relief the genuine spiritual activities of the psyche, while explaining in a naturalistic sense some of their less fortunate psycho-physical accompaniments. The philosophic and theological landscape also, with its increasing emphasis on Transcendence, its new friendliness to the concept of the Supernatural, is becoming ever more favourable to the metaphysical claims of the mystics. On one hand the prompt welcome given to the work of Rudolf Otto and Karl Barth, on the other the renewed interest in Thomist philosophy, seem to indicate a growing recognition of the distinctness and independence of the Spiritual Order. and a revival of the creaturely sense, strongly contrasting with the temper of late nineteenth-century thought. Were I, then, now planning this book for the first time, its arguments would be differently stated. More emphasis would be given (a) to the concrete, richly living yet unchanging character of the Reality over against the mystic, as the first term, cause and incentive of his experience; (b) to that paradox of utter contrast yet profound relation between the Creator and the creature, God and the soul, which makes possible his development; (c) to the predominant part played in that development by the free and prevenient action of the Supernatural--in theological language, by "grace"--as against all merely evolutionary or emergent theories of spiritual transcendence. I feel more and more that no psychological or evolutionary treatment of man's spiritual history can be adequate which ignores the element of "given-ness" in all genuine mystical knowledge. Though the mystic Life means organic growth, its first term must be sought in ontology; in the Vision of the Principle, as St. Gregory the Great taught long ago. For the real sanction of that life does not inhere in the fugitive experiences or even the transformed personality of the subject; but in the metaphysical Object which that subject apprehends. Again, it now seems to me that a critical realism, which found room for the duality of our full human experience--the Eternal and the Successive, supernatural and natural reality--would provide a better philosophic background to the experience of the mystics than the vitalism which appeared, twenty years ago, to offer so promising a way of escape from scientific determinism. Determinism--more and more abandoned by its old friends the physicists--is no longer the chief enemy to such a spiritual interpretation of life as is required by the experience of the mystics. It is rather a naturalistic monism, a shallow doctrine of immanence unbalanced by any adequate sense of transcendence, which now threatens to re-model theology in a sense which leaves no room for the noblest and purest reaches of the spiritual life. Yet in spite of the adjustments required by such a shifting at the philosophic outlook, and by nearly twenty years of further study and meditation, the final positions which seem to me to be required by the existence of mysticism remain substantially unchanged. Twenty years ago, I was already convinced that the facts of man's spiritual experience pointed to a limited dualism; a diagram which found place for his contrasting apprehension of Absolute and Contingent, Being and Becoming, Simultaneous and Successive. Further, that these facts involved the existence in him too of a certain doubleness, a higher and lower, natural and transcendental self--something equivalent to that "Funklein" spark, or apex of the soul on which the mystics have always insisted as the instrument of their special experience. Both these opinions were then unpopular. The second, in particular, has been severely criticized by Professor Pratt and other authorities on the psychology of religion. Yet the constructive work which has since been done on the metaphysical implications of mystical experience has tended more and more to establish their necessity, at least as a basis of analysis; and they can now claim the most distinguished support. The recovery of the concept of the Supernatural--a word which no respectable theologian of the last generation cared to use--is closely linked with the great name of Friedrich von Hügel. His persistent opposition to all merely monistic, pantheist and immanental philosophies of religion, and his insistence on the need of a "two-step diagram" of the Reality accessible to man, though little heeded in his life-time, are now bearing fruit. This re-instatement of the Transcendent, the "Wholly Other," as the religious fact, is perhaps the most fundamental of the philosophic changes which have directly affected the study of mysticism. It thus obtains a metaphysical background which harmonizes with its greatest declarations, and supports its claim to by Evelyn Underhill 3 empirical knowledge of the Truth on which all religion rests. Closely connected with the transcendence of its Object, are the twin doctrines emphasized in all Von Hügel's work. First, that while mysticism is an essential element in full human religion, it can never be the whole content of such religion. It requires to be embodied in some degree in history, dogma and institutions if it is to reach the sense-conditioned human mind. Secondly, that the antithesis between the religions of "authority" and of "spirit," the "Church" and the "mystic," is false. Each requires the other. The "exclusive" mystic, who condemns all outward forms and rejects the support of the religious complex, is an abnormality. He inevitably tends towards pantheism, and seldom exhibits in its richness the Unitive Life. It is the "inclusive" mystic, whose freedom and originality are fed but not hampered by the spiritual tradition within which he appears, who accepts the incarnational status of the human spirit, and can "find the inward in the outward as well as the inward in the inward," who shows us in their fullness and beauty the life-giving possibilities of the soul transfigured in God. Second in importance among the changes which have come over the study of mysticism, I should reckon the work done during the last decade upon the psychology of prayer and contemplation. I cannot comment here upon the highly technical discussions between experts as to the place where the line is to be drawn between "natural" and "supernatural," "active" and "infused" operations of the soul in communion with God; or the exact distinction between "ordinary" and "extraordinary" contemplation. But the fact that these discussions have taken place is itself significant; and requires from religious psychology the acknowledgement of a genuine two-foldness in human nature--the difference in kind between Animus the surface-self and Anima the transcendental self, in touch with supernatural realities. Here, the most important work has been done in France; and especially by the Abbé Bremond, whose "Prière et Poésie" and "Introduction a la Philosophie de la Prière"--based on a vast acquaintance with mystical literature--mark, I believe, the beginning of a new understanding of the character of contemplation. The Thomist philosophy of Maritain, and the psychological researches of Maréchal, tend to support this developing view of the mystical experience, even in its elementary forms, as an activity of the transcendental self; genuinely supernatural, yet not necessarily involving any abnormal manifestations, and linked by the ascending "degrees of prayer" with the subject's "ordinary" religious life. This disentangling of the substance of mysticism from the psycho-physical accidents of trance, ecstasy, vision and other abnormal phenomena which often accompany it, and its vindication as something which gives the self a genuine knowledge of transcendental Reality--with its accompanying demonstration of the soberness and sanity of the greatest contemplative saints--is the last of the beneficent changes which have transformed our study of the mystics. In this country it is identified with the work of two Benedictine scholars; Abbot Chapman of Downside and Dom Cuthbert Butler, whose "Western Mysticism" is a masterly exhibition of the religious and psychological normality of the Christian contemplative life, as developed by its noblest representatives. Since this book was written, our knowledge of the mystics has been much extended by the appearance of critical texts of many writings which had only been known to us in garbled versions; or in translations made with an eye to edification rather than accuracy. Thus the publication of the authentic revelations of Angela of Foligno--one of the most interesting discoveries of recent years--has disclosed the unsuspected splendour of her mystical experience. The critical texts of St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross which are now available amend previous versions in many important respects.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Introduction to Evelyn Underhill, “Church Congress Syllabus No. 3: the Christian Doctrine of Sin and Salvation, Part III: Worship”
    ATR/100.3 Introduction to Evelyn Underhill, “Church Congress Syllabus No. 3: The Christian Doctrine of Sin and Salvation, Part III: Worship” Kathleen Henderson Staudt* This short piece by Evelyn Underhill (1875–1941) appeared in a publication from the US Church Congress movement in the 1930s. It presents a remarkably concise summary of her major thought from this period.1 By this time, she was a well-known voice among Angli- cans. Indeed, Archbishop Michael Ramsey wrote that “in the twenties and thirties there were few, if indeed, any, in the Church of England who did more to help people to grasp the priority of prayer in the Christian life and the place of the contemplative element within it.”2 Underhill’s major work, Mysticism, continuously in print since its first publication in 1911, reflects at once Underhill’s broad scholarship on the mystics of the church, her engagement with such contemporaries as William James and Henri Bergson, and, perhaps most important, her curiosity and insight into the ways that the mystics’ experiences might inform the spiritual lives of ordinary people.3 The title of a later book, Practical Mysticism: A Little Book for Normal People (1914) summarizes what became most distinctive in Underhill’s voice: her ability to fuse the mystical tradition with the homely and the * Kathleen Henderson Staudt works as a teacher, poet, and spiritual director at Virginia Theological Seminary and Wesley Theological Seminary. Her poetry, essays, and reviews have appeared in Weavings, Christianity and Literature, Sewanee Theo- logical Review, Ruminate, and Spiritus. She is an officer of the Evelyn Underhill As- sociation, and facilitates the annual day of quiet held in honor of Underhill in Wash- ington, DC each June.
    [Show full text]
  • Theology Is Everywhere 2.3: the Path of Mysticism Cosmology
    Theology is Everywhere 2.3: The Path of Mysticism Cosmology & Worldview The Paradox of the Mystical Life Mysticism defined Figurative Language Poetry & Mysticism Other Paradoxes: the Particular and the Universal Christian Mysticism - Imitation of Christ Mystical Interpretation: allegory. St. Teresa of Avila (1515–1582): Nada te turbe…sola Dios basta! Via Negativa (Apophatic Theology) & Via Positiva (Cataphatic Theology) Mystical Union: Ecstacy (Standing outside oneself) The Mystic Path: The Science of Removing Mental Limitations 1. The Awakening: 2. Purgation 3. Illumination 4. The Dark Night of the Soul: Embracing times of shadow 5. Union With the Divine: Ultimate Reality Be lover and Beloved Hesychasm: Divine Silence Embraced by Uncreated Light Walking the Labyrinth So what’s a mystic? Mysticism & Intimacy with God: Jesus and his Friend “I am my beloved’s and he is mine.” ~ Song of Solomon 2:16 Evelyn Underhill quote: “Mysticism offers us the history, as old as civilization, of a race of adventurers who have carried to its term the process of a deliberate and active return to the divine fount of things. They have surrendered themselves to the life-movement of the universe, hence have lived an intenser life than other beings can even know…. Therefore they witness to all that our latent spiritual consciousness, which shows itself in the ‘hunger for the absolute,’ can be made to mean to us if we develop it, and have in this respect an unique importance for the race.”~ Mysticism Ethics and Mysticism: Howard Thurman "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that.
    [Show full text]
  • A Response to Grypma & Commentary on Mysticism
    69059 JCNSummer06 05/03/2006 12:26 PM Page 27 A Response to Grypma & Commentary on Mysticism BY BARBARA MONTGOMERY DOSSEY “MYSTICISM ...IS NOT AN OPINION: IT IS NOT A PHILOSOPHY. It has nothing in common with the pursuit of occult knowledge.On the one hand,it is not merely the power of contemplating Eter- nity: on the other, it is not to be identified with any kind of religious queerness. It is the name of that organic process which involves the perfect consummation of the Love of God: the achieve- ment here and now of the immortal heritage of man.Or,if you like it better—for this means exactly the same thing—it is the art of establishing his conscious relation with the Absolute.”1 E VELYN U NDERHILL,MYSTICISM, 1911 extend my thanks to Dr. founder3 of modern secular nursing. nitions and criteria according to which Grypma2 and the Journal of However, there are many issues on Nightingale qualifies as a full-fledged, Christian Nursing for atten- which Dr. Grypma and I disagree in nineteenth-century “practical mystic.” tion to Florence Nightin- our analysis of Nightingale.We seem to What does Dr. Grypma consider a gale (1820-1910), the be far apart on the essential meanings mystic to be? I am left wondering.This philosophical and practical of terms such as “mystic,”“mysticism” does not prevent her, however, from and “spirituality”—yet it is difficult to suggesting that the classification of ■ Barbara Montgomery know for certain because Dr. Grypma Nightingale as a mystic is a “New Age” Dossey, PhD, FAAN, RN, is nowhere defines explicitly what she and “postmodern” move.
    [Show full text]
  • Evelyn Underhill's Concept of Mysticism and Its Relation To
    This material has been provided by Asbury Theological Seminary in good faith of following ethical procedures in its production and end use. The Copyright law of the united States (title 17, United States code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyright material. Under certain condition specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to finish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. By using this material, you are consenting to abide by this copyright policy. Any duplication, reproduction, or modification of this material without express written consent from Asbury Theological Seminary and/or the original publisher is prohibited. Contact B.L. Fisher Library Asbury Theological Seminary 204 N. Lexington Ave. Wilmore, KY 40390 B.L. Fisher Library’s Digital Content place.asburyseminary.edu Asbury Theological Seminary 205 North Lexington Avenue 800.2ASBURY Wilmore, Kentucky 40390 asburyseminary.edu Evelyn Underbill's Concept of Mysticism and Its Relation to Common Misrepresentations by Kendra Irons A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS ASBURY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 1993 Approved by CJh^y^^MjJ^-^^^ .
    [Show full text]
  • Hidden Lives: Asceticism and Interiority in the Late Reformation, 1650-1745
    Hidden Lives: Asceticism and Interiority in the Late Reformation, 1650-1745 By Timothy Cotton Wright A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Jonathan Sheehan, chair Professor Ethan Shagan Professor Niklaus Largier Summer 2018 Abstract Hidden Lives: Asceticism and Interiority in the Late Reformation, 1650-1745 By Timothy Cotton Wright Doctor of Philosophy in History University of California, Berkeley Professor Jonathan Sheehan, Chair This dissertation explores a unique religious awakening among early modern Protestants whose primary feature was a revival of ascetic, monastic practices a century after the early Reformers condemned such practices. By the early seventeenth-century, a widespread dissatisfaction can be discerned among many awakened Protestants at the suppression of the monastic life and a new interest in reintroducing ascetic practices like celibacy, poverty, and solitary withdrawal to Protestant devotion. The introduction and chapter one explain how the absence of monasticism as an institutionally sanctioned means to express intensified holiness posed a problem to many Protestants. Large numbers of dissenters fled the mainstream Protestant religions—along with what they viewed as an increasingly materialistic, urbanized world—to seek new ways to experience God through lives of seclusion and ascetic self-deprival. In the following chapters, I show how this ascetic impulse drove the formation of new religious communities, transatlantic migration, and gave birth to new attitudes and practices toward sexuality and gender among Protestants. The study consists of four case studies, each examining a different non-conformist community that experimented with ascetic ritual and monasticism.
    [Show full text]
  • From Mysticism to the Gospel
    FROM MYSTICISM TO THE GOSPEL The Story of the Reformation within the Eastern Orthodox Church and Why Contemplative prayer is a sign of apostasy among evangelicals PAUL DAN California 2009 From Mysticism to the Gospel And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2 Copyright © 2009 by Paul Dan All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means - electronic, mechanical, photographic (photocopying), recording, or otherwise —without prior permission in writing from the author, unless it is for the furtherance of the Gospel of salvation and given away free of charge. Brief quotations for reviews are however allowed, provided that they respect the context and author’s intention. 2 From Mysticism to the Gospel CONTENTS Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................. 5 Disclaimer ............................................................................................................................................................... 5 Important Note ..................................................................................................................................................... 5 PART ONE ..................................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Complete Stories
    The Complete Stories by Franz Kafka a.b.e-book v3.0 / Notes at the end Back Cover : "An important book, valuable in itself and absolutely fascinating. The stories are dreamlike, allegorical, symbolic, parabolic, grotesque, ritualistic, nasty, lucent, extremely personal, ghoulishly detached, exquisitely comic. numinous and prophetic." -- New York Times "The Complete Stories is an encyclopedia of our insecurities and our brave attempts to oppose them." -- Anatole Broyard Franz Kafka wrote continuously and furiously throughout his short and intensely lived life, but only allowed a fraction of his work to be published during his lifetime. Shortly before his death at the age of forty, he instructed Max Brod, his friend and literary executor, to burn all his remaining works of fiction. Fortunately, Brod disobeyed. Page 1 The Complete Stories brings together all of Kafka's stories, from the classic tales such as "The Metamorphosis," "In the Penal Colony" and "The Hunger Artist" to less-known, shorter pieces and fragments Brod released after Kafka's death; with the exception of his three novels, the whole of Kafka's narrative work is included in this volume. The remarkable depth and breadth of his brilliant and probing imagination become even more evident when these stories are seen as a whole. This edition also features a fascinating introduction by John Updike, a chronology of Kafka's life, and a selected bibliography of critical writings about Kafka. Copyright © 1971 by Schocken Books Inc. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Schocken Books Inc., New York. Distributed by Pantheon Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
    [Show full text]
  • URL 100% (Korea)
    アーティスト 商品名 オーダー品番 フォーマッ ジャンル名 定価（税抜） URL 100% (Korea) RE:tro: 6th Mini Album (HIP Ver.)（KOR） 1072528598 CD K-POP 1,603 https://tower.jp/item/4875651 100% (Korea) RE:tro: 6th Mini Album (NEW Ver.)（KOR） 1072528759 CD K-POP 1,603 https://tower.jp/item/4875653 100% (Korea) 28℃ ＜通常盤C＞ OKCK05028 Single K-POP 907 https://tower.jp/item/4825257 100% (Korea) 28℃ ＜通常盤B＞ OKCK05027 Single K-POP 907 https://tower.jp/item/4825256 100% (Korea) Summer Night ＜通常盤C＞ OKCK5022 Single K-POP 602 https://tower.jp/item/4732096 100% (Korea) Summer Night ＜通常盤B＞ OKCK5021 Single K-POP 602 https://tower.jp/item/4732095 100% (Korea) Song for you メンバー別ジャケット盤 (チャンヨン)（LTD） OKCK5017 Single K-POP 301 https://tower.jp/item/4655033 100% (Korea) Summer Night ＜通常盤A＞ OKCK5020 Single K-POP 602 https://tower.jp/item/4732093 100% (Korea) 28℃ ＜ユニット別ジャケット盤A＞ OKCK05029 Single K-POP 454 https://tower.jp/item/4825259 100% (Korea) 28℃ ＜ユニット別ジャケット盤B＞ OKCK05030 Single K-POP 454 https://tower.jp/item/4825260 100% (Korea) Song for you メンバー別ジャケット盤 (ジョンファン)（LTD） OKCK5016 Single K-POP 301 https://tower.jp/item/4655032 100% (Korea) Song for you メンバー別ジャケット盤 (ヒョクジン)（LTD） OKCK5018 Single K-POP 301 https://tower.jp/item/4655034 100% (Korea) How to cry (Type-A) ＜通常盤＞ TS1P5002 Single K-POP 843 https://tower.jp/item/4415939 100% (Korea) How to cry (ヒョクジン盤) ＜初回限定盤＞（LTD） TS1P5009 Single K-POP 421 https://tower.jp/item/4415976 100% (Korea) Song for you メンバー別ジャケット盤 (ロクヒョン)（LTD） OKCK5015 Single K-POP 301 https://tower.jp/item/4655029 100% (Korea) How to cry (Type-B) ＜通常盤＞ TS1P5003 Single K-POP 843 https://tower.jp/item/4415954
    [Show full text]
  • Light, Life, and Love
    Light, Life, and Love Author(s): Inge, William Ralph (1860-1954) Eckhart, Johannes (c. 1260-1327) (Author of section) Tauler, John (c. 1300-1361) (Author of section) Suso, Henry (c. 1296-1366) (Author of section) Publisher: Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library Description: This book has everything a reader needs to explore the world of German mysticism. William Inge begins with an introduc- tion of histories, biographies, and summaries of the move- ment, and his scholarly articles will prove useful for the stu- dent of mysticism. Then he includes in the book many ex- amples of the writings of the 14th century Dominicans, the Friends of God. These friends were an informal group of Catholics who strove to deepen both their communal relation- ships as well as their inner spirituality. Eckhardt, Tauler, and Suso were the major proponents of this theology, and each is represented in Inge©s collection.This book is a unique and convenient volume that will assist readers interested in the fascinating movement of German mysticism. Abby Zwart CCEL Staff Writer Subjects: Practical theology Practical religion. The Christian life Mysticism i Contents Title Page 1 Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 1. The Precursors of the German Mystics 4 2. Meister Eckhardt 7 3. Eckhardt's Religious Philosophy 10 4. The German Mystics as Guides to Holiness 19 5. Writers of the School of Eckhard–Tauler 21 6. Suso 22 7. Ruysbroek 24 8. Theologia Germanica 25 9. Modern Mysticism 26 10. Specimens of Modern Mysticism 28 Light, Life and Love 31 Eckhardt
    [Show full text]
  • The Book of Saints Is Designed for Meditation and Reflection and Includes Prayers and Biblical Readings That Stir the Heart As They Instruct the Mind.” —Robert L
    THE BOOK OF SAINTS OF THE BOOK “The Book of Saints is designed for meditation and reflection and includes prayers and biblical readings that stir the heart as they instruct the mind.” —Robert L. Wilken, PhD Professor of the History of Christianity Emeritus University of Virginia Christ-followers from earliest times to the present enrich us with their insight and inspiring examples. The Book of Saints: The Middle Era is a treasury of priceless and thoughtful reflections from church leaders, teachers, and spiritual mentors who lived between the early fourth and early fifteenth century. Living in a world of change, conflict, and controversy, these saintly persons have much to say to us today. THE MIDDLE ERA THE BOOK OF SAINTS the middle era AL TRUESDALE is emeritus professor of philosophy of religion and Christian ethics at Nazarene Theological Seminary. Truesdale has authored numerous books, including A Dangerous Hope; If God Is God, Then Why? and With Cords of Love. He and his wife, Esther, live in the historic South Carolina Lowcountry. RELIGION / Christian Church / History AL TRUESDALE, Editor Contents INTRODUCTION 9 Eusebius of Caesarea 11 Athanasius 14 Hilary of Poitiers 26 Macarius-Symeon (Pseudo-Macarius) 29 The Cappadocian Fathers 43 Basil the Great 47 Gregory of Nyssa 60 Gregory of Nazianzus 66 Ambrose of Milan 70 John Chrysostom 78 Augustine, Bishop of Hippo 87 John Cassian 97 Vincent of Lérins 112 Leo the Great 121 Gregory the Great 134 Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury 147 Bernard of Clairvaux 155 Hildegard of Bingen 165 Francis of Assisi 169 Meister Eckhart 175 John of Ruysbroeck 182 Julian of Norwich 187 Catherine of Siena (Caterina di Benincasa) 197 Thomas à Kempis 202 Theologia Germanica 212 SOURCES 217 BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX The remarkable record of service to Christ and his church left by Ber- nard of Clairvaux (AD 1090–1153) marks him as a giant of Christian discipleship and teaching.
    [Show full text]
  • An Introduction to Christian Mysticism Initiation Into the Monastic Tradition 3 Monastic Wisdom Series
    monastic wisdom series: number thirteen Thomas Merton An Introduction to Christian Mysticism Initiation into the Monastic Tradition 3 monastic wisdom series Patrick Hart, ocso, General Editor Advisory Board Michael Casey, ocso Terrence Kardong, osb Lawrence S. Cunningham Kathleen Norris Bonnie Thurston Miriam Pollard, ocso MW1 Cassian and the Fathers: Initiation into the Monastic Tradition Thomas Merton, OCSO MW2 Secret of the Heart: Spiritual Being Jean-Marie Howe, OCSO MW3 Inside the Psalms: Reflections for Novices Maureen F. McCabe, OCSO MW4 Thomas Merton: Prophet of Renewal John Eudes Bamberger, OCSO MW5 Centered on Christ: A Guide to Monastic Profession Augustine Roberts, OCSO MW6 Passing from Self to God: A Cistercian Retreat Robert Thomas, OCSO MW7 Dom Gabriel Sortais: An Amazing Abbot in Turbulent Times Guy Oury, OSB MW8 A Monastic Vision for the 21st Century: Where Do We Go from Here? Patrick Hart, OCSO, editor MW9 Pre-Benedictine Monasticism: Initiation into the Monastic Tradition 2 Thomas Merton, OCSO MW10 Charles Dumont Monk-Poet: A Spiritual Biography Elizabeth Connor, OCSO MW11 The Way of Humility André Louf, OCSO MW12 Four Ways of Holiness for the Universal Church: Drawn from the Monastic Tradition Francis Kline, OCSO MW13 An Introduction to Christian Mysticism: Initiation into the Monastic Tradition 3 Thomas Merton, OCSO monastic wisdom series: number thirteen An Introduction to Christian Mysticism Initiation into the Monastic Tradition 3 by Thomas Merton Edited with an Introduction by Patrick F. O’Connell Preface by Lawrence S. Cunningham CISTERCIAN PUblications Kalamazoo, Michigan © The Merton Legacy Trust, 2008 All rights reserved Cistercian Publications Editorial Offices The Institute of Cistercian Studies Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-5415 [email protected] The work of Cistercian Publications is made possible in part by support from Western Michigan University to The Institute of Cistercian Studies.
    [Show full text]
  • INDULGENCES and SOLIDARITY in LATE MEDIEVAL ENGLAND By
    INDULGENCES AND SOLIDARITY IN LATE MEDIEVAL ENGLAND by ANN F. BRODEUR A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of History University of Toronto Copyright by Ann F. Brodeur, 2015 Indulgences and Solidarity in Late Medieval England Ann F. Brodeur Doctor of Philosophy Department of History University of Toronto 2015 Abstract Medieval indulgences have long had a troubled public image, grounded in centuries of confessional discord. Were they simply a crass form of medieval religious commercialism and a spiritual fraud, as the reforming archbishop Cranmer charged in his 1543 appeal to raise funds for Henry VIII’s contributions against the Turks? Or were they perceived and used in a different manner? In his influential work, Indulgences in Late Medieval England: Passports to Paradise, R.N. Swanson offered fresh arguments for the centrality and popularity of indulgences in the devotional landscape of medieval England, and thoroughly documented the doctrinal development and administrative apparatus that grew up around indulgences. How they functioned within the English social and devotional landscape, particularly at the local level, is the focus of this thesis. Through an investigation of published episcopal registers, my thesis explores the social impact of indulgences at the diocesan level by examining the context, aims, and social make up of the beneficiaries, as well as the spiritual and social expectations of the granting bishops. It first explores personal indulgences given to benefit individuals, specifically the deserving poor and ransomed captives, before examining indulgences ii given to local institutions, particularly hospitals and parishes. Throughout this study, I show that both lay people and bishops used indulgences to build, reinforce or maintain solidarity and social bonds between diverse groups.
    [Show full text]