Christian Mystics: Their Lives and Legacies Throughout the Ages
About the Author\ Ursula King is Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Bristol in England, where she directed the Centre for Comparative Studies in Religion and Gender for several years. She is also Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Theology at the University of Oslo. Besides her interest in mysticism and spirituality, she is particularly concerned with the image, status, and experience of women in the world religions, and with questions of interfaith dialogue....
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There are many different kinds of mystics in all religions, and in recent years we have become increasingly aware of their existence and heritage. Many people today are drawn to mystics for inspiration and transformation. They offer a message of wholeness and healing, of harmony, peace, and joy; also of immense struggles fought and won. The mystical experience has found richly diverse expression during the two thousand years of Christian history and underpins all of Christian ritual and doctrine-not as a secret divine knowledge but as a deeper spirituality for all believers. By and large, however, the inspiring examples of the Christian mystics are little known. Christian Mystics introduces sixty men and women whose great devotion and mystical relation to God transformed the times in which they lived and continues to affect our search for spirituality today. Beginning with major figures among the early Christians, this beautifully written book moves on to the great flowering of mysticism during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. Including a presentation of the Eastern Orthodox mystic tradition and concluding with the mystics of our time, Christian Mystics presents an inspiring history of the quest for spiritual meaning and transcendence. As a leading authority on religious history and mysticism, Ursula King uses both scholarly knowledge and her gifts as a writer to elucidate this profound story of selfless love, encompassing the great breadth and depth of the Christian mystical tradition and the problems and questions mystics face. Christian Mystics offers entrance into a deeper inner dimension that can animate and sustain the life of readers of any faith or none. Library Journal ...an introductory text and an excellent text...recommended.
\ Booklist...This historically and spiritually rich narrative provides insight into a phenomenon that is currently enjoying a renaissance.\ \ \ \ \ Ewert CousinsIn an era when interest in Mysticism is flourishing, this book provides a much-needed panorama of Christian Mysticism through the ages. With Ursula King's learned guidance, the reader meets the great mystical teachers of the past and is given a glimpse of the new mysticism of the future.\ —Professor of Theology, Fordham University\ \ \ Greg TobinA comprehensive, lucid, and inspiring history of the most intriguing and influential aspect of Christian spirituality. Especially interesting: the author addresses the influence of non-Western religious traditions on contemporary mystics. This book is incredibly rich and rewarding.\ —former editor-in-chief of Book-of-the-Month Club, Inc., and author of The Wisdom of St. Patrick\ \ \ \ \ Keith J. EganWith verve, clarity and brevity Ursula King brings alive the Christian Mystics. These mystics have lived life to the full with an utter love of God and a fierce commitment to their neighbor.\ —Professor of Theology, Saint Mary's College and Adjunct Professor of Theology, Notre Dame University\ \ \ \ \ Library Journal...an introductory text and an excellent text...recommended.\ \ \ \ \ Michael SellsUrsula King's Christian Mystics offers a distinctive perspective on spirituality. The author presents the Christian mystical tradition through short biographies of its great figures, biographies which are highly readable without oversimplifying the ideas of these great figures. This is an outstanding entryway into the rich and deep world of Christian mysticism, recommended for readers of all backgrounds.\ —Professor of Comparative Religions, Haverford College\ \
