Light from Light: An Anthology of Christian Mysticism

by Louis Dupré (Editor), James A. Wiseman

In this revised edition of a longtime best selling anthology of Christian mysticism, editors Louis Dupré and James Wiseman bring together selections from the writings of twenty-three of the most important Christian mystics, from Origen of Alexandria in the third century to Thomas Merton in the twentieth. This edition retains most of the authors included in the first addition, but has replaced some authors from that edition with ones that will be of greater interest to readers today, e.g., Francis and Clare of Assisi, Francis de Sales and Jane de Chantal, and Evelyn Underhill. A general introduction discusses the place of mysticism within the Christian life as a whole, while individual chapter introductions place the mystical writers in their historical context and relate their works to others in the anthology. In addition, the editors have completely updated the bibliographies at the end of each chapter. Students and teachers of spirituality, as well as persons interested in their own spiritual growth, will welcome this popular revised resource, because it makes readily available in one volume major works by important Christian mystical writers. Like its predecessor, it is sure to be welcomed in the academic world and spiritual and devotional circles. †

Genres: Religion, Theology, Spirituality, Christianity, Mysticism

480 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1988

About the author

Louis Dupre is a Catholic phenomenologist and religious philosopher. He was the T. Lawrason Riggs Professor in Yale University's religious studies department from 1973 to 1998, after which he became Professor Emeritus.[1] His work generally attempts to tie the modern age more closely to medieval and classical thought, finding precursors to Enlightenment and Reformation events that were naively viewed as revolutions. His well known works include "Passage to Modernity" and "The Enlightenment and the Intellectual Foundations of Modern Culture."

Reviews

[Abigail]

I read this book for my Foundations of Christian Spirituality class and it was great! I found it quite wordy and heavy which makes sense due to the subject matter, but I don't know if I would have gotten as much out of it without our weekly class discussions that made things so much more clear! It discusses one saint/mystic in each chapter and gives a bit of background and context, then provides excerpts of their writing to read too. All in all, very helpful. I can see myself referring back to this text in the future.

[Royce · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book only exists because there is a market for people who teach classes on Christian mysticism. Reading 10 pages from 21 different authors can give you some insight, but only from a historical point of view, in my opinion. Any class would be better off taking one or two works and focusing on them in depth, rather than this skim across the top. I don't blame the editors, of course; they're just filling a need. And the authors themselves are brilliant, of course.

[Barbara Pinnola · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent text on Christian mysticism. It contains excerpts of primary source writings and brief biographies of the great spiritual writers in the Christian tradition. Required reading for my students.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice anthology of texts from Christian mysticism.