Christian Mystics: The Spiritual Heart of the Christian Tradition

Ursula King's CHRISTIAN MYSTICS is a beautiful survey of the major figures of the sometimes overlooked contemplative heritage of the Christian tradition. Fair and balanced--it highlights male and female, Catholics, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox representatives. Scholarly sound. Also elegant. Furbished elaborately with beautiful, colorful artwork from across Church history--could double as a coffee table book. Not a how-to guide, but an excellent introduction to Christian mysticism: its history and its implications for today. I don't accept all of the ideas and practices of the individuals surveyed--but they didn't agree with each other all of the time either. I highly recommend this book. Just reading it could be a contemplative experience.

In this book, Ursula King has truly brought forth the "spiritual heart of Christianity." After studying and practicing other religions due to an aversion to my Christian upbringing, this book has brought me back to the "spiritual truth" that Jesus lived and died for. My husband and I read excerpts from this book in the evenings on a regular basis. Even though we have read the book over 4 times, every word is fresh and new because it is alive with "spirit and truth." This should be required reading/studying for every Christian - Catholic or Protestant!

....to Christian mysticism. Richly illustrated and written well by an author aware of the need for a reinfusion of the mystical into everyday religion.

All the main Christian mystics, both male and female, are here and some not too well known. The three main branches of Christianity are covered: Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox. Early mystical writers such as Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Augustine open the book, and modern day mystics such as Evelyn Underhill, Thomas Merton, and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin close the book. In between are such names as Pseudo-Dionysius, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross. I was a little disappointed to see some of my favorite mystics such as Jean Pierre de Caussade and Thomas Kelly given just a mention, but at least they weren't forgotten. Francois Fenelon, however, wasn't even mentioned. After one reads this book, I highly recommend the 5-volume series by Bernard McGinn entitled "The Presence of God," currently in the making (3 vols complete to date). This will probably be the definitive study of Western Christian Mysticism for a long time to come. - Brad Clark