The Flowering of Mysticism: Men and Women in the New Mysticism: 1200-1350 (The Presence of God) [Paperback]

Bernard McGinn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0824517431 | ISBN-13: 978-0824517434

The year 1200 marked a dynamic turning point in the history of Christian mysticism. New forms of religious life provided the impetus for a new mysticism whose influence continues today. This book documents the spirited dialogue between men and women that made possible the richness of mysticism in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This third volume in "The Presence of God" series, actually the first of two parts, covers the rich terrain of Franciscan mysticism and the emergence of female mystics (the speculative mysticism associated with Meister Eckhart and later male mystics of 1300A50 will wait for a companion volume, to be subtitled "Love and Knowledge in Late Medieval Mysticism"). Suffice to say, however, the treatment here, as in McGinn's previous volumes, is bountiful, detailed, and exhaustive. Particularly as he surveys female mystical literature, the field becomes verdant and exceptional. Introducing and analyzing female mystics great and small, McGinn (Univ. of Chicago's Divinity Sch.) expands immensely an area previously including only the well-known, such as Hadewijch of Antwerp and Mechthild of Magdeburg. Literate, scholarly, and profound, this is highly recommended for all religion collections.ASandra Collins, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Lib.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Like the first two volumes, breathtaking erudition, clarity, and comprehensiveness mark this one." -- Catholic Library Association, June 1999

"The great strength of [McGinn's book]... lies in its subtle and balanced exposition of individual authors." -- Church History, December 1999 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 526 pages
• Publisher: The Crossroad Publishing Company (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824517431
• ISBN-13: 978-0824517434
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #947,734 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book!, August 12, 2000

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Luke Regis (Los Angeles CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Flowering of Mysticism: Men and Women in the New Mysticism: 1200-1350 (The Presence of God) (Paperback)

This is a great book! The author is the same person who wrote the Foundations of Mysticism and the Growth of Mysticism. The subject of mysticism tends to produce a lot of mediocre writing--many people think that as long as they are spiritual people, they naturally understand what every other mystic is writing about and they can just write whatever comes to their mind, without any attention to detail or history. McGinn's approach is more historical and scholarly--he treats each mystic as a distinctive person with his/her own message and special gifts. But he also manages to give a sense of the spirit that unites them all. There really is no other book of its kind out there. It's a book that can be read for inspiration and for scholarly insight. I enjoyed it so much I read it straight through, but if you don't want to read it from cover to cover, you can also use it as a wonderful reference work--I recommend it to my students all the time as a way for them to get a completely reliable picture of important figures in the field, in an interesting and readable way. In short, no matter who you are, you'll love this book.