What Is The Term For Christian Mystics?

Christian mysticism is a unique approach to spirituality that focuses on the pursuit of God in Christ. It is characterized by an intuitive relationship with God and a desire for closeness through subjective experiences. This approach can lead to spiritual enlightenment, divine wisdom, and mystical union with God. The earliest form of Christian mysticism was the Christ-mysticism of Paul and John.

Mysticism is a complex spiritual topic that defies easy definition. It is often defined as hidden, unspeakable, and an awareness and experience of the reality of God. It includes three broadly defined stages: Katharsis (purification), Theoria (illumination), and Union (theosis).

Christian mysticism is rooted in the word mystery and is an expression of Christianity focused on being in and feeling the presence of God. It is often thought of as the practice of experiential knowledge of God, seeking to experience the person, presence, and activities of Jesus. Christianity Today calls it “the science of the mystery”.

There are two general tendencies in Christian mysticism: Apophatic Theology and Cataphatic Theology. Apophatic Theology seeks to understand what God is not, while Cataphatic Theology seeks to understand what God is not. Like most Christians, Christian mystics believe there is more to life than what can be empirically measured or scientifically observed.

What is mystical Christianity called?

Christian mysticism is a tradition of mystical practices and theology within Christianity that focuses on the preparation of individuals for, the consciousness of, and the effect of a direct and transformative presence of God or divine love. Until the sixth century, the practice was known as contemplatio, c. q. theoria, which means “looking at” or “gazing at” God or the divine. Christianity uses both Greek (theoria) and Latin (contempio) terminology to describe various forms of prayer and the process of coming to know God.

Contemplative practices range from simple prayerful meditation of holy scripture to contemplation on the presence of God, resulting in theosis (spiritual union with God) and ecstatic visions of the soul’s mystical union with God. Contemplative practices have a prominent place in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, and have gained renewed interest in western Christianity.

Who are modern day Christian mystics?

Some mystical scholars, including Bernard McGinn, Louise Nelstrop, Barbara Holmes, Mark McIntosh, Grace Jantzen, Andrew Louth, Joy Bostic, Michael Battle, Amy Hollywood, Denys Turner, and Michael Casey, have significantly contributed to our understanding of Christian mysticism and contemplative spirituality. McGinn has been a go-to for the academic study of Christian mysticism, writing essays on topics such as “Mystical Consciousness: A Modest Proposal”, “Ocean and Desert as Mystical Symbols”, and “The Language of Love in Jewish and Christian Mysticism”.

He is the curator of the best one-volume anthology of mystical writings, The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism, and his nine-volume magnum opus, The Presence of God: A History of Western Christian Mysticism, is brilliant.

McGinn’s newest book, Modern Mystics: An Introduction, is a celebration of his consideration of ten significant Christian mystics of the past 150 years. While McGinn is an academic writer, his work is engaging and accessible, making it a valuable resource for anyone interested in the mystical way. His writings are luminous and insightful, making it an essential resource for anyone interested in the study of Christian mysticism.

Do mystics believe in God?

A mystic in the Catholic Church is defined as a Christian who adheres to the belief that personal understanding of God is the key to attaining and practicing divine love.

Is stoicism anti-Christian?

Stoicism and Christianity share many ethical teachings that can be harmoniously integrated, making it possible to draw inspiration from both and create a personal belief system that encompasses the values of each. Navigating the intersections of philosophy and faith can lead to intriguing intersections. However, it is challenging to truly walk the Stoic path of reflection and self-discipline while holding firm to the Christian faith. This question was answered by Ryan Holiday’s “The Daily Stoic” while practicing Christianity.

Was Jesus a Christian mystic?

Mystical theology is a deeply ingrained part of Christian theology, rooted in the belief that God is an inexhaustible mystery of love. This concept has been echoed by many psalmists and prophets who spoke of God’s deep relationship with us. Jesus of Nazareth, for example, was a mystic, deeply connected to his “Abba”. Early Church Fathers like Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, and Augustine were also mystics, whose theological writings emerged from long periods of contemplation.

Mysticism originated from the mystery religions or mystery cults in the Greco-Roman world, which attracted devotees to their esoteric rites and ceremonies. The term mysticism, derived from the Indo-European root mu, refers to the privileged knowledge of divine things and the practice of shutting the eyes to all external things. In the Christian world, the word mystikos was used to refer to the Scriptures, sacraments, and spiritual life.

Mystical theology was integral to theology until the rise of Scholasticism in the Middle Ages. Cistercian mystics, such as Bernard of Clairvaux, believed that thinking was a form of loving. Franciscan theologian Bonaventure, influenced by Augustine and Bernard’s affective theology, believed that theology required participation in spiritual realities, being open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and advancing in the spiritual life.

For mystics, thinking was a habit of affection, leaning the mind toward the heart. Bonaventure emphasized the importance of theologians searching the depths of Scripture and nature, as all life flows from the mouth of the triune God. The act of creation discloses the depth of divine mystery, and the role of the theologian is to search the secrets and depths of nature.

What are spiritual Christians called?

Spiritual Christianity is a group of belief systems held by folk Protestants, including non-Eastern Orthodox indigenous faith tribes and new religious movements that emerged in the Russian Empire. Their origins are varied, with influences from Protestant movements imported from Europe, disgust at Orthodox priests’ behavior, and the Bezpopovtsy Raskolniks. These influences, mixed with folk traditions, resulted in communities called sektanty (sectarians), which were documented by Russian Orthodox clergy with labels that described their heresy.

Heterodox groups reject ritual and outward observances and believe in the direct revelation of God to the inner man. Adherents are called Spiritual Christians, malakan in the Former Soviet Union, Molokans in the United States, and Doukhobors in Canada. Molokane proper constituted the largest and most organized of many Spiritual Christian groups in the Russian Empire. Spiritual Christians have been compared to the European Radical Reformation and include sects like Dukhobors, Molokans, New Israel, Sukhie Baptisty, Sons of Freedom, and the Dukh-i-zhizniki.

What makes a Christian mystic?

Christian mysticism emphasizes union with God in will, spirit, and love, often leading to a loss of identity and finding identity in God’s character and personhood. It practices solitude and silence, allowing individuals to physically separate from the world and reflect on their lives and sins. Contemplation of God leads to personal intimacy, allowing mystics to interact with God in a more direct and immediate dimension.

Christian mysticism can involve physical asceticism, such as fasting or inflicting bodily pain, to repress desires and maintain a connection with God. This approach goes beyond traditional forms of prayer and Bible reading.

Does Christianity have mythical creatures?

Christian mythology is a collection of myths and narratives associated with Christianity, including legendary creatures like the Behemoth, Leviathan, Angels, Demons, Nephilim, Re’em, Ziz, and dragons. It encompasses a wide range of sacred narratives, including recurring myths, combat, descent into the Underworld, accounts of a dying-and-rising god, flood myths, tribe or city founding stories, and myths about past heroes and saints. The term has been applied to mythological elements found in the Bible, such as the story of the Leviathan.

It has also been applied to myths and legends from the Middle Ages, such as Saint George and the Dragon, King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, and the Parsival. The term has also been applied to modern Christian stories, such as those of C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Madeleine L’Engle, and George MacDonald.

Christianity has divided into many denominations over the centuries, with some holding the same set of sacred traditional narratives. For example, the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox churches accept certain texts and stories from the Bible, which many Protestant denominations do not accept as canonical.

Is Jesus a mystic?

The majority of Jesus’s disciples, as well as Paul and the majority of prophets, were mystics, and their insights and experiences have been invaluable in the understanding of Christian faith.

What are the three types of mystics?

R. C. Zaehner distinguishes three fundamental types of mysticism, namely theistic, monistic, and panenhenic (“all-in-one”) or natural mysticism. ( 6 ) The theistic category includes most forms of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic mysticism and occasional Hindu examples such as Ramanuja and the Bhagavad Gita. ( 6 ) The monistic type, which according to Zaehner is based upon an experience of the unity of one’s soul, ( 6 ) ( note 23 ) includes Buddhism and Hindu schools such as Samkhya and Advaita vedanta. ( 6 ) Nature mysticism seems to refer to examples that do not fit into one of these two categories. ( 6 )

Walter Terence Stace, in his book Mysticism and Philosophy, distinguished two types of mystical experience, namely extrovertive and introvertive mysticism. ( 130 ) ( 6 ) ( 131 ) Extrovertive mysticism is an experience of the unity of the external world, whereas introvertive mysticism is “an experience of unity devoid of perceptual objects; it is literally an experience of ‘no-thing-ness’.” ( 131 ) The unity in extrovertive mysticism is with the totality of objects of perception. While perception stays continuous, “unity shines through the same world”; the unity in introvertive mysticism is with a pure consciousness, devoid of objects of perception, ( 132 ) “pure unitary consciousness, wherein awareness of the world and of multiplicity is completely obliterated.” ( 133 ) According to Stace such experiences are nonsensous and nonintellectual, under a total “suppression of the whole empirical content”. ( 134 )

Stace argues that doctrinal differences between religious traditions are inappropriate criteria when making cross-cultural comparisons of mystical experiences. ( 6 ) Stace argues that mysticism is part of the process of perception, not interpretation, that is to say that the unity of mystical experiences is perceived, and only afterwards interpreted according to the perceiver’s background. This may result in different accounts of the same phenomenon. While an atheist describes the unity as “freed from empirical filling”, a religious person might describe it as “God” or “the Divine”. ( 135 )

How do Christian mystics pray?

Mystics pray by taking the hand of God, embracing the freedom of being led in the Grand Dance. After a time where traditional prayer forms didn’t fit anymore, mystics turned to meditation as their primary spiritual practice, finding it refreshing and refreshing. However, they wondered if God was absent in this form, and if it was the only path to divine participation. They wondered if it was about developing awareness and perception in their spiritual training, or if God still had an accessible, personal presence. Integral Prayer Part 9 explores the Flowing Dance of Integral Prayer, highlighting the importance of embracing the presence of God in one’s spiritual journey.