Teachings of the Christian Mystics

by Andrew Harvey

The Christian mystics are the treasure of Western civilization—yet they remain little known among those of us who are potentially their spiritual heirs. Andrew Harvey's anthology confronts us with the mystics in their own words, to show us how well they serve, even now, as guides for the spiritual life—and to challenge our preconceived ideas about the path of Christianity. He has chosen selections that represent all eras of the Christian tradition, as well as the amazing range of people who have embodied it, people like Francis of Assisi, Meister Eckhart, Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Avila, Thomas Merton, Bede Griffiths, and many others.

Genres: Spirituality, Philosophy, Christianity, Mysticism, Religion, Theology, Nonfiction

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 16, 1997

About the author

Andrew Harvey is an author, religious scholar and teacher of mystic traditions, known primarily for his popular nonfiction books on spiritual or mystical themes, beginning with his 1983 A Journey in Ladakh.

From Wikipeadia

Reviews

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favourite book is Martin Buber's Estatic Confessions, a book I read again from time to time selecting some part that always gives me food for thought.
This is book is quite similar in the structure and as for Buber it must be read one piece at a time so you can savour and reflect on what you read.
I think it's a good selection of sources but I'd have liked some more information about the mystics that are being quoted.
A good book I will read again from time to time.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Shambhala and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[J Crossley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author looks at some of the more common themes from the mystics of the Christian faith.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent selection of mystical texts!

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice book. A little heavy on the Scriptures. Not that there's anything wrong with Biblical passages, just that I can pick up my Bible and read those, and would have preferred a wider selection of extra-Biblical sources. Also, I would have liked more in-depth background information about Christian mysticism, the history, the theology, and the individual mystics. Still, I quite enjoyed this little book!

[A.B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting collection of writings by Christian Mystics. The first few pages are all from the Bible, but after that it is very interesting. I got some nice passages from it and some new ideas, but overall I think a more in depth look at Christian Mystics was what I was looking for.

[cubbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted this to be so much more than it was.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gathers a collection of short writings (mostly paragraph to a few page excerpts as well as a few poems) on mystic Christianity from the time of the Gospels through the twentieth century. While the bulk of the pieces are (if not from scriptures) the work of clergymen and / or theologians, there are some by individuals known elsewise (e.g. poets William Blake and Gerard Manley Hopkins.) The book is arranged somewhat, but not perfectly, chronologically -- enough that all the Biblical excerpts are lumped together at the beginning to form about the first quarter of the selections. While there are a number of one-off contributors, there are several pieces from each of: Gregory of Nyssa, the Desert Fathers, Saint Symeon the New Theologian, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Saint Teresa of Avila, and Eckhart von Hochheim.

One nice feature of this book is that it does include selections from a wide range of sources (Roman Catholic, Orthodox Catholic, and Protestant) over a range of time periods, and from scriptures both canonical and "apocryphal." So, there are many varied ideas of the mystical experience and the path thereto. The flipside of this fact is that there doesn't seem to be a lot of cohesiveness to the collection. It isn't always clear why Harvey (the editor) thought a given excerpt was representative of mystic teachings versus of mainstream Christianity. There is a substantial introduction, but otherwise the selections are left to speak for themselves.

Still, it was a quick read, dense with insights, and I found -- particularly some of the scriptural selections -- to be among the most profound statements of Christian philosophy that I've seen.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found myself wishing for more context. While the selections are meaningful on their own, the book would have benefited from deeper background information about Christian mysticism as a tradition—its historical development, theological framework, and the lives of the individual mystics whose words are presented. Without that grounding, some of the richness of their thought feels only partially revealed.

Overall, I appreciated the opportunity to encounter these voices and came away with a handful of passages that were personally impactful. Still, I felt the collection leaned more toward being a sampler of mystical writings rather than a fuller exploration. Readers who are new to Christian mysticism may find it a valuable introduction, but those seeking a more comprehensive understanding may be left wanting more.

[Humberto Bardales · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhere between a 3 and 4 stars. Very nice introduction to many historical Christian teachings from mystics from Jesus to Mother Teresa. They have a lot of beautiful messages and teachings that I've never heard of before. Overall, great collection of messages but not the best sit down read. There's just a lot of content being thrown out at once without much breathing room.

[Eileen]

At first, i thought the book was to explain the difference in the Christian Mystics.

Reading is easy and you will get to see the connection between the verses, passages and the cries.

(Read the entire book in 1 hour's train ride.)

[Katie Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple introduction to some of the most famous sayings of well-known and not-so-well-known Christian mystics. I would have loved for there to be more comprehensive references so it would be easier to find these quotes in original writings.

[Piscesbambina · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and often lovely introduction to the Christian mystics. Inspiring at points, confounding at others, this collection embraced me, challenged me, and encouraged me to dialogue with it. It made for an intriguing companion.

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know what I was expecting from this, but not just a book mainly comprised of scriptures and quotes. I may revisit in the future after reading other books on Christian mystics.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite what I was looking for, although a few passages were truly beautiful. I think I was expecting more Rumi-like poetry, and some of the selections felt too intellectual and dry to me.

[Austin Hunter Somers · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for the passages that were truly universal, that truly touched the essence of Sprit/God/Source. I will save these to go back to.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, a review of Bible verses and the words of Saints and Masters (Eckert)exploring their meaning. Some new and some review here, but the teachings from St. Teresa of Avila were worth further exploration. To Aunt Penny, I had not previously read from Gregory of Nyssa but doesn't that ring a bell? I liked Unity of Diversity and the authors introduction.