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Mystics
Mystics are path-breaking religious practitioners who claim to have experience the infinite, word-defying Mystery that is God. Many have been gifted writers with an uncanny ability to communicate the great realities of life with both a theologian's precision and a poet's lyricism. They use words to jolt us into recognizing ineffable mysteries surging beneath the surface of our lives and within the depths of our hearts and, by their artistry, can awaken us to see and savor fugitive glimpses of a God-drenched world. In Mystics, William Harmless, S.J., introduces readers to the scholarly study of mysticism. He explores both mystics' extraordinary lives and their no-less-extraordinary writings using a unique case-study method centered on detailed examinations of six major Christian Thomas Merton, Bernard of Clairvaux, Hildegard of Bingen, Bonaventure, Meister Eckhart, and Evagrius Ponticus. Rather than presenting mysticism as a subtle web of psychological or theological abstractions, Harmless's case-study approach brings things down to earth, restoring mystics to their historical context. Harmless highlights the pungent diversity of mystical experiences and mystical theologies. Stepping beyond Christianity, he also explores mystical elements within Islam and Buddhism, offering a chapter on the popular Sufi poet Rumi and one on the famous Japanese Zen master Dogen. Harmless concludes with an overview of the century-long scholarly conversation on mysticism and offers a unique, multifaceted optic for understanding mystics, their communities, and their writings. Geared toward a wide audience, Mystics balances state-of-the-art scholarship with accessible, lucid prose.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
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164 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 27, 2019
Exploration of mysticism through profiles of mystics
Harmless argues for a slightly different understanding of mysticism from the classic William James / Evelyn Underhill paradigm,one focused more on experience of the ineffable than union with God. He profiles several notable mystics throughout history to do so. His selection of people was interesting, and I wish he had gone into more detail about why he chose those particular people. But overall a good, meaty, scholarly-but-accessible work on how humans, mostly in the Catholic West, have embraced and presented the ineffable.
Harmless argues for a slightly different understanding of mysticism from the classic William James / Evelyn Underhill paradigm,one focused more on experience of the ineffable than union with God. He profiles several notable mystics throughout history to do so. His selection of people was interesting, and I wish he had gone into more detail about why he chose those particular people. But overall a good, meaty, scholarly-but-accessible work on how humans, mostly in the Catholic West, have embraced and presented the ineffable.
May 1, 2021
Not an exciting read but a beneficial one for anyone interested in mysticism. I enjoyed how Harmless used case studies to explore different mystics and situate them within their historical and religious contexts. This book cleared up some misconceptions about mysticism that I had, and I feel that it is a great place to start with the topic. The writing was a bit stiff, but I think that can be expected with most academic works.
Key takeaways: Too often, mysticism is oversimplified as the pursuit of the “core” of all religions. Mystics are often viewed as iconoclasts who see through doctrine in order to experience the divine. While mystics do have the ability to provoke, one errs in extracting them from their theological, communal, and historical frameworks.
Mystics also have reputations as “spiritual athletes” who labor away to achieve ecstatic visions, altered states of consciousness, or divine insight. The mystics covered in this work were certainly spiritual masters. However, Harmless explains that mysticism is not something out of reach and alien to the common believer. Rather, mysticism, the encounter of the divine, is the goal of religious practice.
Overall, insightful read, but it took me a while to get through. The writing was a little dull and repetitive.
Key takeaways: Too often, mysticism is oversimplified as the pursuit of the “core” of all religions. Mystics are often viewed as iconoclasts who see through doctrine in order to experience the divine. While mystics do have the ability to provoke, one errs in extracting them from their theological, communal, and historical frameworks.
Mystics also have reputations as “spiritual athletes” who labor away to achieve ecstatic visions, altered states of consciousness, or divine insight. The mystics covered in this work were certainly spiritual masters. However, Harmless explains that mysticism is not something out of reach and alien to the common believer. Rather, mysticism, the encounter of the divine, is the goal of religious practice.
Overall, insightful read, but it took me a while to get through. The writing was a little dull and repetitive.
June 11, 2014
General survey of religious mysticism, mostly focused on Western Christian tradition.
In addition to mostly Christian roster, there are two entries for Oriental mystics: Eihei Dogen (Japan, Zen Buddhism) and Jalaluddin Rumi (Persian Sufist).
In addition to mostly Christian roster, there are two entries for Oriental mystics: Eihei Dogen (Japan, Zen Buddhism) and Jalaluddin Rumi (Persian Sufist).
July 22, 2024
Harmless employs a unique approach and methodology to his study of mysticism. Approaching mystics in reverse order from Thomas Merton to Evagrius and with excursions to the east with Rumi and Dogen and with a final chapter on mystical texts and methodology, he offers a thorough and "contemporary" telling of the sacred story of the human/divine relationship. I'm left, though, slightly unconvinced that the merits of his approach exceed a more traditional chronological one. I also feel that his excursions into the east were a bit tiresome, though I understand and appreciate the connections he was trying to make. All in all, I would recommend his treatment of the individual Christian mystics quite highly. They include Merton, Bernard, Hildegard, Eckhart, Bonaventure, and Evagrius.
August 4, 2021
Good but unnecessarily verbose
A lot of good thinking and review, all-be-it a bit one sided. His last chapter was quite a haul and likely could be a book in and of itself. It is worth building out further.
A lot of good thinking and review, all-be-it a bit one sided. His last chapter was quite a haul and likely could be a book in and of itself. It is worth building out further.
November 17, 2019
While well written, this reads more like a didactic Christian book than a true exploration of mysticism.
March 8, 2025
2.5 ⭐️ Read for class. Not much else to say….. like it was fineeee but I didn’t enjoy myself 🙂 the case study format definitely made it easier to digest
February 9, 2017
Harmless mysticism
A meaty if selective treatment of mysticism. Harmless profiles nine mystics all but two from the Christian tradition, examining the commonalities and divergences in genre, experience and theology. A fascinating study, though he doesn't profile favorite mystics like Teresa of Avilia, John of the cross or Julian
A meaty if selective treatment of mysticism. Harmless profiles nine mystics all but two from the Christian tradition, examining the commonalities and divergences in genre, experience and theology. A fascinating study, though he doesn't profile favorite mystics like Teresa of Avilia, John of the cross or Julian
January 8, 2015
Outstanding exploration of eight mystics focusing on their own particular perspectives along with a lengthy examination of mysticism in general.
April 24, 2017
This is destined to be a classic of religious studies...if it isn't one already...
Admittedly, most of the mystics discussed are medieval or otherwise very, very, very dead...
but Harmless manages to make each case study fascinating.
Is it good bedtime reading? Yes...
(in that it will probably put you to sleep...)
Admittedly, most of the mystics discussed are medieval or otherwise very, very, very dead...
but Harmless manages to make each case study fascinating.
Is it good bedtime reading? Yes...
(in that it will probably put you to sleep...)
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews