Mystical Theology: The Science of Love

by William Johnston

From the earliest centuries there has existed a Christian theology of mysticism, defining the state which Bernard Lonergan called a "being in love with God." St. John of the Cross wrote such a theology for the sixteenth century, calling it "the science of love." Now, William Johnston, one of the great spiritual writers of our time, attempts to do the same for the twenty-first century. In Part One of Mystical Theology Johnston surveys Christian mysticism through the centuries. Johnson shows that such a theology today must dialogue with modern science and with Eastern religions. Part Two provides this dialogue, where Johnston engages Einstein's theories as well as Zen Buddhism. In Part Three, it becomes clear how the "science of love" is no longer an esoteric discipline for monks and nuns. In Johnston's writing it becomes accessible to all modern people grappling with problems of sexuality, social justice, world peace, and the protection of the environment. Mystical Theology is indispensable to all those seeking guidance as well as intellectual and historical foundations of the Christian mystical experience today.

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

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

William Johnston, a Jesuit missionary living in Japan, has extensive knowledge both of Western spirituality and mysticism and also, through his experiences in Japan, of Eastern spirituality and mysticism, especially Zen Buddhism.

An authority on fourteenth century spirituality, he has translated several works from the contemplative traditions of both East and West, as well as work by the great Japanese novelist Shusaku Endo.

Reviews

[Trey Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful survey — a textbook, really — of the Christian mystical tradition from the early Church through Aquinas and the Spanish mystics to the late 20th century. Informative if slightly dry and didactic — sort of Vatican 2-ish in its framework/outlook.

[Saturnina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed the book but I was mystified by the writer's need to differentiate between different religions. I understand his need to have an identity as a Christian but in the end I think it fights against the basic ideas put forth in the book. Because on a truly mystical level, the differences do seem to disappear.

Another thing that was perplexing for me was the age-old battle between good and evil, and Satan. As a metaphor, yes I can understand it, but it seemed to stray more into concreteness there.

From the Christian point of view then, mysticism seems far more dark and dangerous than from any other view I've come across. But I guess this is still something carried over from the whole crucifixion thing.

Nevertheless, I think the description of the dark night of doubt was rather apt, and I appreciate the willingness for discussion with other disciplines, so the book was over-all quite good. Plus it was interesting to learn more about Christian mysticism, which I haven't been too familiar with so far, and I was quite surprised by the stuff quoted from the Second Vatican Council. Almost made me turn Catholic.

[Anthony Nayagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book!
Mysticism in Christianity is not as revealed as in the Eastern Scriptures. For instance, the entire works of Vedanta is revealed in the Gospel in one incidence in which Jesus meets the Samaritan woman. Therefore it becomes necessary to take the hints in the Bible and lean on Eastern scriptures for in-depth understanding. As such, the author delves into the Eastern mystical traditions with tremendous inner freedom and makes an empirical case for mysticism in Christianity.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for those who want to deepen their relationship with God. Johnston gives us a historic overview of mystical theology and shows how it relates to the Easter mystical tradition of Zen.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered William Johnston with this book and have put him down as one of my favorite authors. Johnston, an Irish Jesuit, lived more than forty years in Japan and as such he takes mysticism into the world of modern science and Eastern religions especially Zen. This is truly a science of Love

[Anne Roat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I use this as a textbook

[Lee Staman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great author and interesting concept but such a poor execution. This book definitely needed a better editor, it was very jumbled and hard to follow.