Customer Reviews

Teachings of the Christian Mystics

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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*

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.

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

First of all, let me say that I have read a number of books from Shambhala publishing and have enjoyed them. I also gained a lot from this book. It is a great collection of writings from the Christian Mystics. My only problem with this book is they treat Jesus Christ as one of the many Christian Mystics and, as a Christian, I take issue with this view. If you are not a Christian, then this is the perfect book.
For Christian,s I would recommend either "The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism" by Bernard McGinn or "Christian Mystics: Their Lives and Legacies throughout the Ages" by Ursula King.

The title is grossly misleading. One might as well purchase a Bible with a good teaching section.