Pneumatology
The Oxford Handbook of Mystical Theology February 25, 2020 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198722380.013.26
Summary
Mysticism is not a rare spiritual feat but the Holy Spirit's ordinary call for every Christian to become a 'second Christ'. The Spirit remains hidden yet is revealed through transformed Christians, who become 'little christs'. Christians are called to embody Christ, living by the Spirit as 'partakers of the divine nature'. Examples from Symeon the New Theologian, Seraphim of Sarov, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, and Augustine illustrate this in baptismal and eucharistic theology.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Mysticism is the Holy Spirit's ordinary call for every Christian to be transformed into a 'second Christ', not a rare experience for spiritual elites. |
Abstract
This chapter seeks to show that mysticism is not about the rarefied experience of certain spiritual athletes but the Holy Spirit’s ordinary or common call to transformation of every Christian into a potentially extraordinary ‘second Christ’. The author contends that in Christian teaching the Spirit hides himself but in this age is made known in the faces of transformed Christians—saints and mystics—as little ‘christs’. The Spirit is said to be the author of the Body of Christ in which Christians are called to put on Christ, living lives headed by the Spirit, as ‘partakers of the divine nature’ (2 Pet. 1: 4). Examples are drawn from the mystical and liturgical tradition in Christian East and West: Symeon the New Theologian, Seraphim of Sarov, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, as well as in baptismal and eucharistic theology and especially in the work of Augustine.