Lives and Visions
The Oxford Handbook of Mystical Theology February 25, 2020 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198722380.013.11
Summary
Mystical writers use specific literary techniques to evoke divine encounters in readers. Examining Hildegard of Bingen, Mechthild of Magdeburg, and Annie Dillard reveals methods like visionary exegesis, flexible narrative protagonists, and generative prose. The chapter explores how textual form authorizes claims, shapes theological anthropology, and conveys understandings of divine essence. It also invites contemporary practitioners to continue this artful mystical theology.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Mystical writers employ explicit literary strategies—visionary exegesis, narrative protagonist flexibility, and creative generative prose—to evoke mystical experience and authorize theological claims. |
Abstract
Mystical writers of Lives and Visions employ distinct, explicit strategies to evoke mystical experience in their audiences. Beyond claims of historical meaning and truths, the texts focus on the process of knowing and encounter with the divine. After tracing biblical and early historical resources, three case studies on Hildegard of Bingen, Mechthild of Magdeburg, and Annie Dillard elucidate mystical writing techniques of visionary exegesis, narrative protagonist flexibility, and creative generative prose. This chapter interrogates how form works in authorizing claims, theological anthropology, and understanding of divine essence and encounter in the world. Embedded here is also an invitation to contemporary practitioners to carry on this artful work of mystical theology.