Christian Mystics: Their Lives and Legacies Throughout the Ages [Paperback]

Ursula King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2001

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Mystics, those men and women who seek a deep and direct experience with the presence of God, are found across the religious spectrum. Their appeal transcends the boundaries of their own particular religious traditions. Think Francis of Assisi or Thomas Merton. Here, King (theology and religious studies, Univ. of Bristol, U.K.) introduces 60 Christian mystics, both male and female, in two- to five-page profiles. The author begins with the early mystics, such as Clement of Alexandria, and then moves to figures closer to our era, like Gerard Manley Hopkins, Evelyn Underhill, and Simone Weil (some readers may be surprised at these more contemporary examples). The brief, well-written introductions are informative while also leaving the reader with the desire to delve deeper. Serving as both an introductory text and an excellent reference, this is recommended for various types of libraries. John Moryl, Yeshiva Univ. Lib., NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Defining a mystic as "a person who is deeply aware of the powerful presence of the divine Spirit: someone who seeks above all, the knowledge and love of God and who experiences to an extraordinary degree the profoundly personal encounter with the energy of divine life," King profiles 60 men and women across the centuries and the continents who unquestionably qualify for this unique distinction. Tracing Christian mysticism from its Greek and Jewish roots, the author introduces a diverse array of familiar and unfamiliar mystics, courageous individualists who commune with the divine along a variety of distinctive paths. Through their stories, the somewhat arcane--but always substantial--tradition of mystical theology is made manifest. This historically and spiritually rich narrative provides insight into a phenomenon that is currently enjoying a renaissance. REVWR
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: HiddenSpring; First Edition edition (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587680122
• ISBN-13: 978-1587680120
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #403,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dinner with the mystics, April 6, 2004

By 

"wip4ever" (Rockville, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Christian Mystics: Their Lives and Legacies Throughout the Ages (Paperback)

I liken this book to having dinner with the mystics. Ursula King gives a concise, but short history - sort of an appetizer - before she writes about the mystics. King weaves a story of each, carefully following who they learned from and what their life and times were like. It is a terrific and easy read. I actually read it in one day. Recently, I taught this book at my chapel. Everyone loved it as well.I highly recommend it for anyone interested in another's spiritual journey.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great Introduction, July 19, 2003

By 

Gabriel E. Borlean (Odense, Denmark - birthtown of fairytale-writer H.C. Andersen) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Christian Mystics: Their Lives and Legacies Throughout the Ages (Paperback)

This was the first book that I read on the topic of Mysticism.

Ursula King did a great job:
a) making the chapters and sections an easy read (explaining terms, providing further research information, providing a comprehensive look at each mystic, and talking about various movements and schools of thought within Christianity and Christian mysticism).
b) compiling the lives of 60 men and women of God from ancient Antiquity 'till modern times.
c) not making this book be partisan to any particular Christian faith (she analyses the lives and influence of Catholic as well as Protestant and Eastern Orthodox mystics).

At its core, Christian mysticism is defined as Contemplation: contemplations on Christ's life & sacrifice, and of God's love towards humanity. As such this book has had a refreshing spiritual benefit in my life.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Incredible Introduction to Christian Mysticism and Its Origins, January 22, 2006

By 

Dominic (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Christian Mystics: Their Lives and Legacies Throughout the Ages (Paperback)

A few months ago I became interested in the lives of the saints, and anyone else who shares a curiosity of them finds out fairly quickly that many of the more famous ones were mystics. I was pretty much an amateur in my knowledge of the topic and asked people who knew more about it than I did what *exactly* mysticism is, and very few people could give me a good definition---then I came across this book, and it did exactly that. But the great thing about Ursula King's "Christian Mystics" is that anyone could get use out of and learn from this book.

King starts by giving a foundation of how mysticism developed---starting at the very beginnings of Christianity as we know it, the political background of what caused the very first mystics to withdraw from society, and the proverbial "fathers" of mysticism. She follows in chronological order with the mystics of the early Christian church, then on into the medieval period, following a style of giving a concise and extremely informative biography of each specific mystic, and then smoothely making a connection to the next mystic, often a student or contemporary of the former. A lot of the most famous mystics are covered, as well as many of those of Protestantism and Eastern Orthodoxy. Although the title is "Christian Mysticism," you'll be getting much more out of the book than just that---a great basic history of Christianity and the world as it develops with each person, relevant devotional quotes and references to other works of the mystics that can further your studies into them and their writings, and a great and entertaining read all at the same time.

I've highlited the heck out of this book and come back to it for information on the people found inside it many times---it's an indispensable resource for the amateur and expert a like, you won't be disappointed having it in your library. The fun part is...finding out which of the many deserving categories you can put it under. Good luck.