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Mystical Tradition: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Mystical experiences and practices-including dramatic visions, direct communication with the divine, intense spiritual quests, and hermetic lifestyles-are commonly associated with Eastern cultures. They are thought to be far removed from the monotheistic traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
But consider the following:
Many of the most important figures in the Jewish Bible had experiences that can be interpreted as mystical, including Moses's conversation with God as the burning bush and Ezekiel's vision of the heavenly throne-chariot.
Jesus Christ, as a figure believed to be the incarnation of God, can be seen as representing the ultimate goal of mystical thought, the unification of human with divine.
The Islamic prophet Muhammad is believed to have experienced the call of God directly through the angel Gabriel, and throughout his life he reported incidents of mystical encounters, including the divine revelation of the Qur'an, the sacred text of Islam.
In these examples, we encounter a surprising truth: that each of the great three Abrahamic religious traditions-those religions that trace their origins back to the patriarch Abraham-holds the seeds for deep mystical contemplation. But what do most of us know about these mystics and the tradition they sustained?
In Mystical Tradition: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, you explore this spiritual, literary, and intellectual heritage in these great faiths as it unfolds over three millennia. In 36 enlightening, thought-provoking lectures, award-winning Professor Luke Timothy Johnson of Emory University offers nearly unprecedented access to these seldom studied traditions.
But consider the following:
Many of the most important figures in the Jewish Bible had experiences that can be interpreted as mystical, including Moses's conversation with God as the burning bush and Ezekiel's vision of the heavenly throne-chariot.
Jesus Christ, as a figure believed to be the incarnation of God, can be seen as representing the ultimate goal of mystical thought, the unification of human with divine.
The Islamic prophet Muhammad is believed to have experienced the call of God directly through the angel Gabriel, and throughout his life he reported incidents of mystical encounters, including the divine revelation of the Qur'an, the sacred text of Islam.
In these examples, we encounter a surprising truth: that each of the great three Abrahamic religious traditions-those religions that trace their origins back to the patriarch Abraham-holds the seeds for deep mystical contemplation. But what do most of us know about these mystics and the tradition they sustained?
In Mystical Tradition: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, you explore this spiritual, literary, and intellectual heritage in these great faiths as it unfolds over three millennia. In 36 enlightening, thought-provoking lectures, award-winning Professor Luke Timothy Johnson of Emory University offers nearly unprecedented access to these seldom studied traditions.
377 pages, Audio CD
First published January 1, 2008
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About the author
Luke Timothy Johnson
85 books69 followersLuke Timothy Johnson is an American New Testament scholar and historian of early Christianity. He is the Robert W. Woodruff Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at Candler School of Theology and a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University.
Johnson's research interests encompass the Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts of early Christianity (particularly moral discourse), Luke-Acts, the Pastoral Epistles, and the Epistle of James.
Johnson's research interests encompass the Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts of early Christianity (particularly moral discourse), Luke-Acts, the Pastoral Epistles, and the Epistle of James.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 1, 2025
Fascinating introduction to the Western mystical tradition. Even at 18 hours, the professor was forced to make choices about what to include and what to skip. I think all of us have at least one favorite mystic we felt was left out or glossed over. Still, I enjoyed every minute of this informative lecture series. It did what the best teaching does, left me with even more curiosity about the subject matter and pointed me towards further areas of discovery.
May 2, 2022
This is one of the Great Courses available on Audible. It is a survey of mystics within the three major monotheistic religions. It would be a great introduction to the subject. Each unit is thorough, well researched, and well presented. Unlike many of the other professors/narrators, Luke Johnson is worth listening to and is an asset rather than a liability for this title.
That said, this was an overall disappointment for me. I am already quite familiar with the desert fathers and medieval Christian mystics and because this course covered such a broad range of characters, I learned little new at my point of greatest interest. Also, the fact that so many individuals were covered, created two serious flaws. The first is that the thoroughness of including so many people pretty much guaranteed that there would be no real depth at any one point. I would much rather have listened to a course that touched on a third as many people (or fewer) but went into three times more detail on what they believed, wrote, or practiced. In my opinion, this would be a to truly get a grasp on the mystical tradition. The second flaw in the number of individuals covered was that Johnson included many people that I would not even begin to consider mystics. Some examples would be Calvin and Luther from the Christian tradition and Al-Ghazali from Islam. Although all three might have tangentially written some things that might have been loosely drawn from previous mystics, they certainly were not such themselves and certainly did not contribute anything to the mystic tradition that was not better said or understood elsewhere. Johnson also included Sabbati Zevi, and though you cannot have such a course without him, I believe, and most would probably agree, he should be viewed more as a charlatan posing as a mystic than as a mystic in his own right.
Another complaint is a common one I find when listening to or reading from liberal Christians when writing about Islam. One can either be kind or accurate but not both. Most liberal scholars try their hardest to be kind, but this can only be accomplished by careful cherry-picking of the truth. Any factual analysis of the earliest days of Islam (the lives of Muhammad and his earliest followers) and the early writings (the Quran and hadiths) will almost certainly get the scholar labeled an Islamaphobe. There are many decent and noble people within Islam. Muhammad is certainly not one of them. There are many brilliant and beautiful writings that sprang out of the Islamic tradition. The Quran is certainly not one of them. Anyone who doubts either of these two statements is either hiding the truth or ignorant of it.
That said, this was an overall disappointment for me. I am already quite familiar with the desert fathers and medieval Christian mystics and because this course covered such a broad range of characters, I learned little new at my point of greatest interest. Also, the fact that so many individuals were covered, created two serious flaws. The first is that the thoroughness of including so many people pretty much guaranteed that there would be no real depth at any one point. I would much rather have listened to a course that touched on a third as many people (or fewer) but went into three times more detail on what they believed, wrote, or practiced. In my opinion, this would be a to truly get a grasp on the mystical tradition. The second flaw in the number of individuals covered was that Johnson included many people that I would not even begin to consider mystics. Some examples would be Calvin and Luther from the Christian tradition and Al-Ghazali from Islam. Although all three might have tangentially written some things that might have been loosely drawn from previous mystics, they certainly were not such themselves and certainly did not contribute anything to the mystic tradition that was not better said or understood elsewhere. Johnson also included Sabbati Zevi, and though you cannot have such a course without him, I believe, and most would probably agree, he should be viewed more as a charlatan posing as a mystic than as a mystic in his own right.
Another complaint is a common one I find when listening to or reading from liberal Christians when writing about Islam. One can either be kind or accurate but not both. Most liberal scholars try their hardest to be kind, but this can only be accomplished by careful cherry-picking of the truth. Any factual analysis of the earliest days of Islam (the lives of Muhammad and his earliest followers) and the early writings (the Quran and hadiths) will almost certainly get the scholar labeled an Islamaphobe. There are many decent and noble people within Islam. Muhammad is certainly not one of them. There are many brilliant and beautiful writings that sprang out of the Islamic tradition. The Quran is certainly not one of them. Anyone who doubts either of these two statements is either hiding the truth or ignorant of it.
September 22, 2023
I like Johnson as a lecturer, and I've listened to some of his other courses. This series was just a little dry for my liking despite the interest in the subject matter. I feel like Phillip Daileader and others have done a better job covering Christian mysticism in the Middle Ages. Similarly other sources have done better in teasing out Jewish mysticism.
The Islamic part at the end was brief but definitely the best part.
The Islamic part at the end was brief but definitely the best part.
November 18, 2021
An excellent survey, even if many important figures have to be left out or given less time than they deserve. The last lecture alone is worth the time investment.
April 29, 2022
It wasn't bad, im just really not so interested in these topics and I don't feel like the presenter made it any more interesting for me
June 22, 2022
I deeply enjoyed this series of college lectures on the comprehensive subject of mysticism within Judaism, Christianity, and Muslim religions. It was very enjoyable & insightful.
October 4, 2019
4 stars for giving me lots of new reading material to engage with
October 26, 2020
Oct 2020. One of my favorite lecturers with the Great Courses.
Finished, very good. Attentive to distinctives in each tradition; fair-minded but not afraid to judge; measured and charitable and scholarly. I expected no less.
Finished, very good. Attentive to distinctives in each tradition; fair-minded but not afraid to judge; measured and charitable and scholarly. I expected no less.
November 13, 2015
I started this at disc 3 and it was stated a for sure that there was a Jesus. These days, any serious scholar knows that Jesus was an invention of Rome via Titus. The subject really interested me but as I watched more I found there was nothing good here. Just a narrative that has been bullshitted for about 2000 years now. There is so much better stuff on the internet now. Joseph Atwill I would say is the best, bunt many others Santos bonacci, Jordan Maxwell,...
February 6, 2015
Not his best work, too much reading without sufficient context.
Best in Judaism, OK in Christianity, detailed but not engaging in Islam
Best in Judaism, OK in Christianity, detailed but not engaging in Islam
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews