Teachings of the Christian Mystics [Paperback]

Andrew Harvey (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 16, 1997

The Christian mystics are the treasure of Western civilization—yet they remain little known among those of us who are potentially their spiritual heirs. Andrew Harvey's anthology confronts us with the mystics in their own words, to show us how well they serve, even now, as guides for the spiritual life—and to challenge our preconceived ideas about the path of Christianity. He has chosen selections that represent all eras of the Christian tradition, as well as the amazing range of people who have embodied it, people like Francis of Assisi, Meister Eckhart, Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Avila, Thomas Merton, Bede Griffiths, and many others.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The selections in this excellent anthology include writings from the New Testament, the Gospel of James, Francis of Assisi, Meister Eckhart, Julian of Norwich, Thomas Merton, Teilhard de Chardin, and many others. . . . Teachings of the Christian Mystics affirms the sacred feminine and proclaims gratitude, imagination, humility, compassion, and justice as core spiritual practices."—SFrederic A. Brussat, Values & Visions

About the Author

Andrew Harvey is the author of Son of Man: The Mystical Path to Christ and more than thirty other books. He has also published several other collections of Rumi, including The Way of Passion.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (December 16, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570623430
• ISBN-13: 978-1570623431
• Product Dimensions: 4.8 x 0.4 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #193,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll want to share passages with your friends, April 7, 2000

By A Customer

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This review is from: Teachings of the Christian Mystics (Paperback)

I have found in recent years a growing interest in Christian mysticism and a growing pleasure in books that offer the insights of the mystics for the general public's enjoyment (as opposed to denser more scholarly tomes, which, while having a valuable place and worth accessing, don't really add to one's daily activities the way devotionals do.)

This lovely little book has a very nice variety, although not all entries are from "mystics" in the way that we usually think of that term (e.g. Gregory of Nyssa, Mother Teresa, George Herbert, Gerard Manly Hopkins). But that's fine, because these are still valuable spiritual voices. Don't worry, though, for most of the entries are from well-known mystics (Hildegard, Mechtild, Angela of Foligno, Catherine of Siena, Julian of Norwich, St. John of the Cross.)

Some names were unfamiliar to me, but pleasant to read nonetheless, such as Saint Isaac the Syrian, one of whose entries could be a rallying cry for animal rights supporters everywhere, and which enjoins charitable folks to pray even for demons and reptiles. : ) Feminists will delight in Marguerite of Oingts cry, "Jesus are you not my mother?"

Very welcome passages include some of the sayings of the desert fathers (lovely, brief, instructive stories) and some pertinent Scripture passages (excerpts from the incomparable Sermon on the Mount, from the gospels of Mark and John,from the Revelation, and from the writings of Paul).

It closes blessedly with a familiar passage from Teresa of Avila, which, if you haven't heard it done musically by John Michael Talbot, you ought to try and do so!-- "Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours, yours are the eyes through which he is to look out Christ's compassion to the world..."

*Mir*

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Sourcebook for Devotion, July 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Teachings of the Christian Mystics (Paperback)

This book has earned a permanent place on my bedside table as a valuable source of comfort and inspiration. The entries are brief, thought-provoking, and heart-opening. They provide an excellent way to center the mind and heart in preparation for meditation and prayer.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teachings of the Christian Mystics by Andrew Harvey, October 10, 2011

By 

Marie Atkinson - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Teachings of the Christian Mystics (Paperback)

Teachings of the Christian Mystics
Edited by Andrew Harvey

The Teachings of Christian Mystics edited by Andrew Harvey contain excerpts from the scriptures and the writing of Christian mystics, many who have experienced union with God and the divine marriage. The writings of these beloved saints lead us ever closer to the heart of an intelligent, loving and passionate creator who desires to be known by us, even as we are known by Him; He is the birther of the cosmos and we are his 'Beloved.'

In the words of Andrew Harvey taken from the introduction,"Christ came not to found a new religion or to inaugurate a new set of dogmas but to open up a fierce and shattering new path of love-in-action, a path that seems now, with the hindsight of history, the one that could have saved-and still could save- humanity from its course of suicidal self-destruction."

Read and drink deep from the well of pure waters found within these pages. Reviewed by author: Marie Atkinson