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The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism
This clear and comprehensive anthology, culled from the vast corpus of Christian mystical literature by the renowned theologian and historian Bernard McGinn, presents nearly one hundred selections, from the writings of Origen of Alexandria in the third century to the work of twentieth-century mystics such as Thomas Merton.
Uniquely organized by subject rather than by author, The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism explores how human life is transformed through the search for direct contact with God. Part one examines the preparation for encountering God through biblical interpretation and prayer; the second part focuses on the mystics’ actual encounters with God; and part three addresses the implications of the mystical life, showing how mystics have been received over time, and how they practice their faith through private contemplation and public actions.
In addition to his illuminating Introduction, Bernard McGinn provides accessible headnotes for each section, as well as numerous biographical sketches and a selected bibliography.
Praise for The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism
“No one is better equipped than Bernard McGinn to provide a thorough and balanced guide to this vast literature….This is an anthology which deserves to be read not only by those who study Christian history and theology, but by believers who long to deepen their own lives of prayer and service.” -- Anglican Theological Review
“Bernard McGinn, a preeminent historian and interpreter of the Christian mystical tradition, has edited this fine collection of mystical writings, organizing them thematically....McGinn offers helpful introductions to each thematic section, author and entry, as well as a brief critical bibliography on mysticism. Published in the Modern Library Classic series, this is a great value.” – Christian Century
"No-one is better equipped than Professor McGinn to provide a thorough and balanced guide to this vast literature. A first-class selection, by a first-class scholar." -- Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury
“This accessible anthology by the scholarly world’s leading historian of the Western Christian mystical tradition easily outstrips all others in its comprehensiveness, the aptness of its selection of texts, and in the intelligent manner of its organization.” -- Denys Turner, Horace Tracy Pitkin Professor of Historical Theology, Yale Divinity School
"An immensely rich anthology, assembled and introduced by our foremost student of mysticism. Both the scholar and the disciple will find God’s plenty here." -- Barbara Newman, Professor of English, Religion, and Classics, John Evans Professor of Latin, Northwestern University
"An unusually clear and insightful exposition of major texts selected by one of the greatest scholars in the field of Christian mysticism, based on his vast erudition and uniquely sensitive interpretation. Like his other books, this one too is destined to become a classic.” -- Professor Moshe Idel, Hebrew University, Jerusalem
Uniquely organized by subject rather than by author, The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism explores how human life is transformed through the search for direct contact with God. Part one examines the preparation for encountering God through biblical interpretation and prayer; the second part focuses on the mystics’ actual encounters with God; and part three addresses the implications of the mystical life, showing how mystics have been received over time, and how they practice their faith through private contemplation and public actions.
In addition to his illuminating Introduction, Bernard McGinn provides accessible headnotes for each section, as well as numerous biographical sketches and a selected bibliography.
Praise for The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism
“No one is better equipped than Bernard McGinn to provide a thorough and balanced guide to this vast literature….This is an anthology which deserves to be read not only by those who study Christian history and theology, but by believers who long to deepen their own lives of prayer and service.” -- Anglican Theological Review
“Bernard McGinn, a preeminent historian and interpreter of the Christian mystical tradition, has edited this fine collection of mystical writings, organizing them thematically....McGinn offers helpful introductions to each thematic section, author and entry, as well as a brief critical bibliography on mysticism. Published in the Modern Library Classic series, this is a great value.” – Christian Century
"No-one is better equipped than Professor McGinn to provide a thorough and balanced guide to this vast literature. A first-class selection, by a first-class scholar." -- Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury
“This accessible anthology by the scholarly world’s leading historian of the Western Christian mystical tradition easily outstrips all others in its comprehensiveness, the aptness of its selection of texts, and in the intelligent manner of its organization.” -- Denys Turner, Horace Tracy Pitkin Professor of Historical Theology, Yale Divinity School
"An immensely rich anthology, assembled and introduced by our foremost student of mysticism. Both the scholar and the disciple will find God’s plenty here." -- Barbara Newman, Professor of English, Religion, and Classics, John Evans Professor of Latin, Northwestern University
"An unusually clear and insightful exposition of major texts selected by one of the greatest scholars in the field of Christian mysticism, based on his vast erudition and uniquely sensitive interpretation. Like his other books, this one too is destined to become a classic.” -- Professor Moshe Idel, Hebrew University, Jerusalem
592 pages, Paperback
First published December 12, 2006
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About the author
Bernard McGinn
101 books57 followersBernard McGinn, the Naomi Shenstone Donnelley Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago Divinity School, is widely regarded as the preeminent scholar of mysticism in the Western Christian tradition. He has also written extensively on Jewish mysticism, the history of apocalyptic thought, and medieval Christianity.
A cum laude graduate of St. Joseph's Seminary and College in Yonkers, NY, he earned a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 1963 and a PhD in history from Brandeis University in 1970. After teaching theology for a year at The Catholic University of America, he joined the Chicago faculty in 1969 as an instructor in theology and the history of Christianity and was appointed a full professor nine years later. Dr. McGinn was named to the Donnelley chair in 1992. He retired in 2003.
The recent recipient of a Mellon Foundation Emeritus Grant, he also has held a Fulbright-Hays Research Fellowship, an American Association of Theological Schools research award, two research fellowships for work at the Institute for Advanced Study at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, a research fellowship at the Institute for Ecumenical and Culture Research at St. John's University, and a Lily Foundation Senior Research Fellowship.
Dr. McGinn has delivered invited lectures at some one hundred colleges and universities in North America, Europe, and Israel. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the Medieval Academy of America. Past-president of the International Society for the Promotion of Eriugenean Studies, the American Society of Church History, and the American Catholic Historical Association, he is member of the board of The Eckhart Society. He served as editor-in-chief of the Paulist Press series Classics of Western Spirituality and currently serves as a member of the editorial boards of Cistercian Publications, The Encyclopedia of World Spirituality, The Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan, and Spiritus.
A cum laude graduate of St. Joseph's Seminary and College in Yonkers, NY, he earned a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 1963 and a PhD in history from Brandeis University in 1970. After teaching theology for a year at The Catholic University of America, he joined the Chicago faculty in 1969 as an instructor in theology and the history of Christianity and was appointed a full professor nine years later. Dr. McGinn was named to the Donnelley chair in 1992. He retired in 2003.
The recent recipient of a Mellon Foundation Emeritus Grant, he also has held a Fulbright-Hays Research Fellowship, an American Association of Theological Schools research award, two research fellowships for work at the Institute for Advanced Study at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, a research fellowship at the Institute for Ecumenical and Culture Research at St. John's University, and a Lily Foundation Senior Research Fellowship.
Dr. McGinn has delivered invited lectures at some one hundred colleges and universities in North America, Europe, and Israel. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the Medieval Academy of America. Past-president of the International Society for the Promotion of Eriugenean Studies, the American Society of Church History, and the American Catholic Historical Association, he is member of the board of The Eckhart Society. He served as editor-in-chief of the Paulist Press series Classics of Western Spirituality and currently serves as a member of the editorial boards of Cistercian Publications, The Encyclopedia of World Spirituality, The Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan, and Spiritus.
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March 2, 2021only took me 1 year, 1 month, and 5 day - not bad.
February 2, 2008
Christian mysticism fascinates me: how can one set in words and attempt to describe an almost indescribable experience? How is one able to truly express their ultimate union with God in language? Any attempt to me is an admirable one and here you have a good cross section of writings by well known mystics, theologians and skeptics. The effusiveness of spiritual praises and declarations can be a bit overwhelming and exhausting.
January 2, 2013
My wife and I just finished a conversation wherein we both commented that we think Bernard McGinn is a phenomenal guy. Not just thinker, writer, theologian, etc. From everything we can discern from the little we’ve read from him, we just think he’s got to be a wonderful human being and a fine Christian.
The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism (2006) just seems to reinforce this. His writing is clear and flows well while his inclusion of such a diversity of material demonstrates his phenomenal grasp of a wide range of historical figures (I suppose that’s not entirely surprising for a man who works in historical theology). But this is supposed to be more about the book than the man, so I’ve digressed before I’ve even begun.
I’ll start the discussion on the book with a quick confession: I haven’t finished reading the thing. Note, it’s an anthology, so I may never read through its entirety. I normally wouldn’t find an anthology particularly noteworthy except for two relevant aspects of it. First, the breadth of the collection is astonishing. Each selection is only about 3 to 7 pages, so they’re not complete texts by any means, but there are probably 90 selections from more than half that many different sources. McGinn’s choices are wide ranging to say the least and extensive. Second, most anthologies of historical texts tend to be organized chronologically, and McGinn comments in his introduction that he has been working on another text organized in this fashion. This book, however, is organized by three major headers (Foundations of Mystical Practice, Aspects of Mystical Consciousness, and Implications of the Mystical Life) and a number of sub-divisions within each. Other anthologies have attempted to collect selections topically, though I often find the choices to be rather arbitrary. McGinn’s work to separate them out into so many different aspects of the discipline and to do so meticulously makes the book’s organization feel far more sensible and understandable than most, allowing one to discern what is most interesting or valuable with little trouble, or if one is more interested in reading directly through the text, the topical organization seems to keep the line of thought and reasoning clear as you move along. In addition, the very last sub-division is one on Contemplation and Action, which is just an excellent reminder and a fine place to end on a topic that can easily degrade into passivity and self-absorption.
I like the text. If you’re curious about Christian mysticism, this is a pretty decent place to start. Admittedly, the selections themselves are often complex, but McGinn has chosen a number of very good and modern translations, occasionally editing them himself for clarity, which makes the reading as reachable as possible. And while I may disagree with some of the messages of the texts themselves (I always feel a little uneasy around Meister Eckhart), I’ve little qualms about the collection.
The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism (2006) just seems to reinforce this. His writing is clear and flows well while his inclusion of such a diversity of material demonstrates his phenomenal grasp of a wide range of historical figures (I suppose that’s not entirely surprising for a man who works in historical theology). But this is supposed to be more about the book than the man, so I’ve digressed before I’ve even begun.
I’ll start the discussion on the book with a quick confession: I haven’t finished reading the thing. Note, it’s an anthology, so I may never read through its entirety. I normally wouldn’t find an anthology particularly noteworthy except for two relevant aspects of it. First, the breadth of the collection is astonishing. Each selection is only about 3 to 7 pages, so they’re not complete texts by any means, but there are probably 90 selections from more than half that many different sources. McGinn’s choices are wide ranging to say the least and extensive. Second, most anthologies of historical texts tend to be organized chronologically, and McGinn comments in his introduction that he has been working on another text organized in this fashion. This book, however, is organized by three major headers (Foundations of Mystical Practice, Aspects of Mystical Consciousness, and Implications of the Mystical Life) and a number of sub-divisions within each. Other anthologies have attempted to collect selections topically, though I often find the choices to be rather arbitrary. McGinn’s work to separate them out into so many different aspects of the discipline and to do so meticulously makes the book’s organization feel far more sensible and understandable than most, allowing one to discern what is most interesting or valuable with little trouble, or if one is more interested in reading directly through the text, the topical organization seems to keep the line of thought and reasoning clear as you move along. In addition, the very last sub-division is one on Contemplation and Action, which is just an excellent reminder and a fine place to end on a topic that can easily degrade into passivity and self-absorption.
I like the text. If you’re curious about Christian mysticism, this is a pretty decent place to start. Admittedly, the selections themselves are often complex, but McGinn has chosen a number of very good and modern translations, occasionally editing them himself for clarity, which makes the reading as reachable as possible. And while I may disagree with some of the messages of the texts themselves (I always feel a little uneasy around Meister Eckhart), I’ve little qualms about the collection.
December 10, 2010
This compendium is impressive in both its depth and breadth. For example, one of its strengths is that it features not only the expected (e.g., Teresa of Avila, Meister Eckhart, Ignatius of Loyola, etc.), but also excerpts from lesser known seers (e.g., Francois Fenelon, Marguerite Porete, James of Vitry, etc.). In sum, this is a quite comprehensive survey of the major threads in Christian Mysticism in the past two millenia. Some of it is very heavy going, to be sure, but the brevity of the selections helps with these (and, of course, disappoints with others that are so compelling). For anyone seeking a tour through this incredible milieu, this book is a great place to start.
March 5, 2024
A beautiful curation of Christian mystical writings over Western history. Most of them are pre-modern; a few modern ones; and a strong conclusion with Thomas Merton from the mid-twentieth century. These approaches loosely unifies the mystical way of going about Christianity: (1) an emphasis on what you encounter in experience itself (rather than just knowing or thinking about theological matters), (2) an emphasis on the shape your life takes on, (3) intimate, emotional interaction with God, and (4) understanding humanity and this world in terms of manifestations of God, and so all having a divine nature. A friend got a reading group together on the basis of this book. Out of those we read, here are some of my favorites:
Bernard of Clairvauz’s “Sermons on the Song of Songs 23” (early 12th century): He starts from a line in the Bible where God is understood to have rooms for his followers, where he intimately encounters them. From there, he riffs that we are each a concubine for God, and God as has one bedroom for each of us. This was not only hilarious and fascinating, but it is beautiful writing.
Hadewijch of Antwerp’s “Vision VII” (some time during the 13th century): This was saucy. It is quite a way to think about one’s relationship with God. “I desired to consummate my Lover completely… to be strong and perfect so that I in turn would satisfy him perfectly… I wished, inside me, that he would satisfy me with his Godhead in ones spirit… to taste nothing of [this suffering and pain for God] but sweet love and embraces and kisses.” Longing for the beloved is a beautiful and intense state of being, when one’s beloved is another person. I can only imagine what it might be like to have this erotic longing when the beloved is God. Something amazing about this case is that God is by definition unknowable in the flesh. Does this mean that the separation with the beloved is infinite and permanent? Or does this mean that the beloved is always here, but in a way that is neither embodied or disembodied? As a secular heathen, I may never know.
John of the Cross’s “Dark Night of the Soul” (late 16th century): There’s a wonderful metaphor of darkness, used in two ways. First, knowledge of God is darkness because it is unreachable, given that we’re stuck in our human finitude. Second, we may be overwhelmed in suffering and darkness in our understanding of how short we fall from the perfection and goodness of God. Something that unifies both senses of darkness: Both are secretly simultaneously divine light. This light is the flip side of the coin of darkness. Knowledge of God is infinitely good. When we are at rock bottom, this state presupposes awareness of how wrong we are, which in turn presupposes awareness of the right and good. Maybe this doesn’t go much beyond the general structure of any negative evaluative judgment; when we don’t like something, it’s because there’s some standard and awareness we have of what we’d like. But at least it was written about in an especially powerful way here.
Thomas Merton’s “New Seeds of Contemplation” (1949): There was a beautiful image: “we are words that are meant to respond to [God]… He answers himself in us and this answer is divine life, divine creativity, making things anew…. It is as if in creating us God asked a question, and in awakening us to contemplation he answered the question… The question is, itself, the answer. And we ourselves are both” I love this idea that we are each the question God asks and answer God gives. At any moment of experience, we are uncertain of the significance of this moment. That significance will be fixed by what happens in the future and what we are to do. This incompleteness intrinsic to the present, on this metaphor, amounts to our being a question that’s never completely and precisely formulatable. The question keeps on changing. So likewise we can never arrive at an absolute answer. The notion of a question, moreover, sustains us in the atmosphere of searching for truth, of our being poised to alight upon knowledge we desire, which holds the promise to change us. I want my being to be reduced to a ceaselessly incomplete question. That sounds nice.
As a whole, I noted that I worry that training in philosophy has set me back from being able to approach spirituality or religion earnestly. In reading these texts, I often couldn’t help but desire for the authors to be more precise: to spell out their metaphors in literal detail, to make clear their claims and to defend them. They never do. This is okay when the text is overtly poetic. In fact, it’s beautiful literature. But for any of the texts written in a more prose-like descriptive or prescriptive fashion, I was dissatisfied in this way. I can imagine that there is a place of being one could arrive at, where one understands that issues surrounding God are of such a nature that they cannot be spelled out in precise detail. Or, they are not the sort of claims that could be given justification as ordinary claims about this world. I am not at this place of being, however, and might never be.
As a whole, there are some Christian ideas that this anthology inspired in conversation that I hope to let my life be shaped by. One idea is that sometimes it is key to give up control and expectation, to assume humility before the face of danger or uncertainty. This kind of humility is special. It safeguards us from the emotion of fear and all of its bad consequences (e.g., becoming stingy, inclined to demonize, scapegoat, or put others down, obsessed with protecting oneself and thereby closing off to the world.) This humility intrinsically involves trust in God and thereby love and hope. This keeps us open-hearted and open-minded, while we courage forth into something dangerous or uncertain. While I suspect I can’t manage to believe in any deity, I can believe in love, beauty, and truth, as places of being of which humans are capable. I would like to be less assuming and dominating over my day-to-day, to look ambiguity and uncertainty in the face, and trust in love, beauty, and truth as I open myself to this.
Bernard of Clairvauz’s “Sermons on the Song of Songs 23” (early 12th century): He starts from a line in the Bible where God is understood to have rooms for his followers, where he intimately encounters them. From there, he riffs that we are each a concubine for God, and God as has one bedroom for each of us. This was not only hilarious and fascinating, but it is beautiful writing.
Hadewijch of Antwerp’s “Vision VII” (some time during the 13th century): This was saucy. It is quite a way to think about one’s relationship with God. “I desired to consummate my Lover completely… to be strong and perfect so that I in turn would satisfy him perfectly… I wished, inside me, that he would satisfy me with his Godhead in ones spirit… to taste nothing of [this suffering and pain for God] but sweet love and embraces and kisses.” Longing for the beloved is a beautiful and intense state of being, when one’s beloved is another person. I can only imagine what it might be like to have this erotic longing when the beloved is God. Something amazing about this case is that God is by definition unknowable in the flesh. Does this mean that the separation with the beloved is infinite and permanent? Or does this mean that the beloved is always here, but in a way that is neither embodied or disembodied? As a secular heathen, I may never know.
John of the Cross’s “Dark Night of the Soul” (late 16th century): There’s a wonderful metaphor of darkness, used in two ways. First, knowledge of God is darkness because it is unreachable, given that we’re stuck in our human finitude. Second, we may be overwhelmed in suffering and darkness in our understanding of how short we fall from the perfection and goodness of God. Something that unifies both senses of darkness: Both are secretly simultaneously divine light. This light is the flip side of the coin of darkness. Knowledge of God is infinitely good. When we are at rock bottom, this state presupposes awareness of how wrong we are, which in turn presupposes awareness of the right and good. Maybe this doesn’t go much beyond the general structure of any negative evaluative judgment; when we don’t like something, it’s because there’s some standard and awareness we have of what we’d like. But at least it was written about in an especially powerful way here.
Thomas Merton’s “New Seeds of Contemplation” (1949): There was a beautiful image: “we are words that are meant to respond to [God]… He answers himself in us and this answer is divine life, divine creativity, making things anew…. It is as if in creating us God asked a question, and in awakening us to contemplation he answered the question… The question is, itself, the answer. And we ourselves are both” I love this idea that we are each the question God asks and answer God gives. At any moment of experience, we are uncertain of the significance of this moment. That significance will be fixed by what happens in the future and what we are to do. This incompleteness intrinsic to the present, on this metaphor, amounts to our being a question that’s never completely and precisely formulatable. The question keeps on changing. So likewise we can never arrive at an absolute answer. The notion of a question, moreover, sustains us in the atmosphere of searching for truth, of our being poised to alight upon knowledge we desire, which holds the promise to change us. I want my being to be reduced to a ceaselessly incomplete question. That sounds nice.
As a whole, I noted that I worry that training in philosophy has set me back from being able to approach spirituality or religion earnestly. In reading these texts, I often couldn’t help but desire for the authors to be more precise: to spell out their metaphors in literal detail, to make clear their claims and to defend them. They never do. This is okay when the text is overtly poetic. In fact, it’s beautiful literature. But for any of the texts written in a more prose-like descriptive or prescriptive fashion, I was dissatisfied in this way. I can imagine that there is a place of being one could arrive at, where one understands that issues surrounding God are of such a nature that they cannot be spelled out in precise detail. Or, they are not the sort of claims that could be given justification as ordinary claims about this world. I am not at this place of being, however, and might never be.
As a whole, there are some Christian ideas that this anthology inspired in conversation that I hope to let my life be shaped by. One idea is that sometimes it is key to give up control and expectation, to assume humility before the face of danger or uncertainty. This kind of humility is special. It safeguards us from the emotion of fear and all of its bad consequences (e.g., becoming stingy, inclined to demonize, scapegoat, or put others down, obsessed with protecting oneself and thereby closing off to the world.) This humility intrinsically involves trust in God and thereby love and hope. This keeps us open-hearted and open-minded, while we courage forth into something dangerous or uncertain. While I suspect I can’t manage to believe in any deity, I can believe in love, beauty, and truth, as places of being of which humans are capable. I would like to be less assuming and dominating over my day-to-day, to look ambiguity and uncertainty in the face, and trust in love, beauty, and truth as I open myself to this.
February 15, 2017
"No one is more shy than a contemplative... ...His contemplation gives him new outlook on the world of men. He looks about him with a secret and tranquil surmise which he perhaps admits to no one, hoping to find in the faces of other men or to hear in their voices some sign of vocation and potentiality for the same deep happiness and wisdom." I started reading this book almost four years ago when things got a little weird for me. Reading through it, it was nice to see where I might fit in on my own spiritual journey. That being said, it's astouding the amount of thought and bickering people put into God and the Christian faith. Sometimes, I feel it is too much, and that it's simpler than people make it. The book is constructed well, and ends close to where I quote. It's a journey through spiritual maturity and even criticism. I think philosophers (without religious attachment) might even find it interesting. How can we touch, experience, hear or be in the presence of God?? This book gives you some good ideas based on the history of the mystics.... Don't call 'em heretics.
November 21, 2020
This is a very useful reference text. McGinn's introduction is clear and gives you a good overall picture of mysticism. The key takeaway is that these texts aren't just for the religious. Like all great literature, they also inform on the human condition and therefore have value for all manner of academic fields, philosophy included. I particularly liked the chapter on Julian of Norwich. Fun fact: did you know she is the first woman to write a complete (surviving) work in the English language? Really fascinating.
May 31, 2014
A wonderful collection of writings all through the history of Christianity. While containing many expected works, it is the deep cuts and rare gems which make this collection shine. Even if you feel your library is exhaustive, this collection is still worth a look.
June 16, 2022
some interesting perspective on differing belief in time. some very interesting nuggets to be found if you can get to the end.
March 29, 2023
I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up on a whim, I am casually interested in Church history, and I thought this would be dense, probably dry, but maybe interesting in an academic way. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book was put together brilliantly, perfect for an amateur like me. For one thing, it has a broad range of topics and authors, giving a very good overview of many different streams of writing. Secondly, the context given for each one was superb: it helped me immensely understand what I was reading (and when and where they came from), so that topics that could've easily been impenetrable and confusing felt fascinating and understandable. Thirdly, he kept the excerpts short, so that I wasn't intimidated by long passages that felt like they went on forever, but everything was bite-size and instructive. I didn't agree with everything, but I feel like I came away with a wealth of understanding and knowledge that I didn't have before, and I don't know how this collection could've been any better than it was.
April 4, 2025
A really impressive anthology, expertly put together by Bernard McGinn (Prof emeritus, Divinity School of the University of Chicago). His introductions are excellent and each historical excerpt (dating as far back as the second century) is just the right length. It took some reading - I started almost four months ago. But it's rich stuff.
There is plenty of intriguing material here from a historical and intellectual point of view - at the level of intellectual curiosity. But of course, mystical and/or contemplative Christian spirituality being what it is, some of it hits deeper.
The selections I marked with a tick were from Gregory of Nyssa, Bonaventure, The Cloud of Unknowing, Teilhard de Chardin, Maximus the Confessor, John Ruusbroec (Ruysbroeck), Gregory the Great and our old friend Thomas Merton. Didn't need to tick Julian of Norwich, as it goes without saying. These are just a few of the names from the book.
There is plenty of intriguing material here from a historical and intellectual point of view - at the level of intellectual curiosity. But of course, mystical and/or contemplative Christian spirituality being what it is, some of it hits deeper.
The selections I marked with a tick were from Gregory of Nyssa, Bonaventure, The Cloud of Unknowing, Teilhard de Chardin, Maximus the Confessor, John Ruusbroec (Ruysbroeck), Gregory the Great and our old friend Thomas Merton. Didn't need to tick Julian of Norwich, as it goes without saying. These are just a few of the names from the book.
December 31, 2020
From the pre-eminent scholar on mysticism himself, this Essential collection is fantastic. I read it front to back. Although that took a while, I discovered new Christian thinkers, highlighted some stunning quotations, and compiled a shortlist of stunningly relatable and enlightening works by those brothers and sisters who meditated, searched, interpreted, and committed to paper their experiences of the Trinity. I adore this collection. It being the last book I’ve read in 2020, I plan to revisit my favorite chapters next year and spend more time meditating and contemplating, by God’s grace. In the twenty-first century, can we as normal Christians put away distractions and set aside the time required to enter into that “unknowing” state of grace? I’ll sure try!
June 15, 2020
Bernard McGinn, professor emeritus at the University of Chicago Divinity School, is a towering intellect in the field of the history of Christian Mysticism. The author of a multi-volume history of the subject and numerous comparative works, his corpus of writing provides a comprehensive overview of the subject. This volume by contrast provides an excellent introduction, covering key writings that both shaped Christian mysticism and track its development through history.
This is a great introduction by a knowledgeable authority. Highly recommended as a place to get one's bearings in the study of Christian mysticism, as well as for the beauty of the writings he selects.
This is a great introduction by a knowledgeable authority. Highly recommended as a place to get one's bearings in the study of Christian mysticism, as well as for the beauty of the writings he selects.
July 22, 2021
Such a beautiful book right here! McGinn writes with angelic prose, seamlessly moving from one esoteric biography & story after the other. The Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches have blessed this Earth with one saint after the other. This thick book has so much essential wisdom between its covers that it should be illegal. Or something like that. Edification first, then have some fun! That's what HR from BAD BRAINS said, so that's what I'm gonna do.
August 30, 2023
While hard to read at times (probably because the excerpts are from centuries ago), this is a great overview of the various mystics and their beliefs. It incudes excerpts of their writing and gave me a lot to ponder. I skimmed the entire book and then read the chapters that stood out to me and that were assigned for my spiritual director training.
September 9, 2025
"The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism" is a collection of ancient, mid-evil and contemporary mystics that offer an overview of varied interpretations of this tradition. Some of these selections are quite complex and many can be drawn for spiritual reflection and renewal. I would highly recommend this book
December 16, 2018
A nice selection. One wishes for more after treading it but this work both wets the appetite and satisfies one's desire for theological mysticism. You can't go wrong with this volume. Especially nice was the Archbishop of Canterbury's introduction.
October 14, 2023
This was great and made me want to look for more texts by some of the anthologized authors. I especially enjoyed the nuns who wrote about their encounters with Jesus in VERY erotic language. I liked McGinn's thematic arrangement and thought that he wrote effective introductions.
March 10, 2018
An excellent overview/introduction on the subject of Christian mysticism.
December 7, 2021
Excellent!
March 12, 2022
Christian Mysticism
May 31, 2022
This book is a fantastic way to ease into or read snippets from mystics. However, I often found myself wanting to read more.
June 13, 2024
It was a great compilation - 4 or 5 stars for that - but the style of literature just wasn’t my cup of tea.
June 11, 2025
going through something i cannot discuss at the moment
August 1, 2023
Best one-stop-shop on Christian Mysticism. Top writings on the subject well represented, commentary is illuminating and not over-influential.
September 12, 2019
Of all the required reading for my spiritual direction certification, the mystics challenge me the most. Their ardor and affection for the triune God reveals layers of 21st-century cynicism that cloud my ability to adore God. For example this stunning exclamation from St. John of the Cross
“O sweet burn!
O delicious wound!
O tender hand! O gentle touch
That savors of eternal life,
And pays every debt!
In slaying you have changed death into life”
In Thomas Merton, I feel like I’ve found the most helpful guide in holding together the two ends of one rope - contemplation and obedience (or surrender).
“Contemplation is also the response to a call: a call from Him who has no voice, and yet who speaks in everything that is, and who, most of all, speaks in the depths of our own being: for we ourselves are words of his. But we are words that are meant to respond to him, to answer to him, to echo him, and even in some way to contain him and signify him. Contemplation is this echo. It is a deep resonance in the inmost center of our spirit in which our very life loses its separate voice and re-sounds with the majesty and the mercy of the Hidden and Living One. He answers himself in us and this answer is divine life, divine creativity, making all things new. We ourselves become his echo and his answer. It is as if in creating us God asked a question, and in awakening us to contemplation he answered the question, so that the contemplative is at the same time, question and answer.” ( Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation)
In Merton’s call to both hold closely our contemplative encounters with God and our desire to share the joy with everyone we meet, I heard a beautiful echo of what I believe to be God’s calling on my life:
“At the same time [the contemplative] most earnestly wants everybody else to share his peace and his joy. His contemplation gives him a new outlook on the world of men. He looks about him with a secret and tranquil surmise which he perhaps admits to no one; hoping to find in the faces of other men or to hear in their voices some sign of vocation and potentiality for the same deep happiness and wisdom. He finds himself speaking of God to the men in whom he hopes he has recognized the light of his own peace, the awakening of his own secret: or if he cannot speak to them, he writes for them, and his contemplative life is still imperfect without sharing, without companionship, without communion.” (Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation)
Among the other highlights from reading this anthology, I appreciated learning the influence of John Cassian on the prayers we use in the daily offices (“O Lord, make haste to help us”) and his teaching emphasis on “puritas cordis” (purity of heart) and “oratio ignita” (fiery prayer). I’m always encouraged by Julian of Norwich, and in this reading it was hearing more about her teaching on the “motherhood of Jesus”. Julian of Norwich provided me with what I’d love to be my own eulogy: “I wanted to live so as to love God better and for longer, and therefore know and love him better in the bliss of heaven...Good Lord, may my ceasing to live be to your glory.” (p. 239)
Amen. May it be so!
“O sweet burn!
O delicious wound!
O tender hand! O gentle touch
That savors of eternal life,
And pays every debt!
In slaying you have changed death into life”
In Thomas Merton, I feel like I’ve found the most helpful guide in holding together the two ends of one rope - contemplation and obedience (or surrender).
“Contemplation is also the response to a call: a call from Him who has no voice, and yet who speaks in everything that is, and who, most of all, speaks in the depths of our own being: for we ourselves are words of his. But we are words that are meant to respond to him, to answer to him, to echo him, and even in some way to contain him and signify him. Contemplation is this echo. It is a deep resonance in the inmost center of our spirit in which our very life loses its separate voice and re-sounds with the majesty and the mercy of the Hidden and Living One. He answers himself in us and this answer is divine life, divine creativity, making all things new. We ourselves become his echo and his answer. It is as if in creating us God asked a question, and in awakening us to contemplation he answered the question, so that the contemplative is at the same time, question and answer.” ( Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation)
In Merton’s call to both hold closely our contemplative encounters with God and our desire to share the joy with everyone we meet, I heard a beautiful echo of what I believe to be God’s calling on my life:
“At the same time [the contemplative] most earnestly wants everybody else to share his peace and his joy. His contemplation gives him a new outlook on the world of men. He looks about him with a secret and tranquil surmise which he perhaps admits to no one; hoping to find in the faces of other men or to hear in their voices some sign of vocation and potentiality for the same deep happiness and wisdom. He finds himself speaking of God to the men in whom he hopes he has recognized the light of his own peace, the awakening of his own secret: or if he cannot speak to them, he writes for them, and his contemplative life is still imperfect without sharing, without companionship, without communion.” (Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation)
Among the other highlights from reading this anthology, I appreciated learning the influence of John Cassian on the prayers we use in the daily offices (“O Lord, make haste to help us”) and his teaching emphasis on “puritas cordis” (purity of heart) and “oratio ignita” (fiery prayer). I’m always encouraged by Julian of Norwich, and in this reading it was hearing more about her teaching on the “motherhood of Jesus”. Julian of Norwich provided me with what I’d love to be my own eulogy: “I wanted to live so as to love God better and for longer, and therefore know and love him better in the bliss of heaven...Good Lord, may my ceasing to live be to your glory.” (p. 239)
Amen. May it be so!
December 13, 2010
This is, hands down, the best collection of it's kind that I have ever seen. It gives the good, the bad and the ugly, and doesn't allow the modern namby-pamby view of the ancient "mystics" that is offered by most Christian/New Age authors today. McGinn gives an incredibly rounded topical (rather than chronological) organization of mystical writings throughout the centuries of the Church Age. This volume is not for the faint of heart. If you "like the mystics" in the buffet table way of wanting to take the relational aspect without the aestheticism McGinn rightly won't have it. The universalism and aestheticism is part of the package and the mystics have little to offer it you don't take the "whole pill." An honest exploration will prove that the pill doesn't offer much either, as it is always, at the end, works based salvation/sanctification. Which is never effective. (Gal. 2:20)
June 3, 2008
Picks the best sections of works from scores of theologians. Well-organized by themes. The short bibliographies are concise and do a great job of putting the texts into proper perspective so you get a sense of where each mystic got his/her ideas.
Would certainly like to own a copy someday. A book I will go back to again and again, I'm sure.
Would certainly like to own a copy someday. A book I will go back to again and again, I'm sure.
September 24, 2015
If I were to recommend where to start when it comes to writings of Christian Mysticism, I would say start with this book. It is the best anthology of Christian mystical writings I know. And it's presented in a clear accessible way. Highly recommended!! -Amos Smith (author of Healing The Divide: Recovering Christianity's Mystic Roots)
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