TH247 The Presence of God: Christian Mysticism, East and West   (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: TH201. An introduction to the Christian mystical tradition, from its roots in the first century to the present. Historically, the course begins with Jewish mystical interpretations of passages from the prophets, Ezekiel and Isaiah in particular, and shows how these interpretations relate to a mystical understanding of the gospels and Pauline epistles. Discussions then turn to the mystical theology of the eastern Church, from Gregory of Nyssa in the fourth century to Gregory Palamas in the fourteenth. Discussions then turn back to the origins of western mysticism in Augustine, follow its transmission through the Middle Ages, and finally, before concluding with the great representatives of Carmel, John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, and Therese of Lisieux, take careful note of the fact that Ignatius Loyola was himself a mystic. IC