The Genealogy of Mystical Traditions
The Oxford Handbook of Mystical Theology February 25, 2020 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198722380.013.4
Summary
Christian mystical theology developed through distinct historical traditions from the early church to the late 1600s, when the Quietist Controversy and the Enlightenment fostered a generally negative view of mysticism. The chapter traces major genealogies: patristic (eastern and western), medieval (monastic, Franciscan, German, Flemish, French, Italian, English), and early modern (Protestant and Reformed Catholic, especially in Spain and France).
Study at a glance
| Design | historical analysis |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Christian mystical theology evolved through coherent historical traditions until the Quietist Controversy and Enlightenment led to widespread rejection of mysticism. |
Abstract
This chapter is designed as a broad road map of the development of Christian mystical theology down to the Quietist Controversy at the end of the seventeenth century and the triumph of the Enlightenment, which took a generally negative attitude toward the mystical element in Christianity. It follows the main genealogies, or historically coherent traditions of mystical theology, from the patristic genealogies of east and west, through the medieval genealogies (monastic, Franciscan, German, Flemish, French and Italian, English), concluding with the early modern genealogies (Protestant and Reformed Catholic, especially of Spain and France).