Mystics as Teachers
The Oxford Handbook of Mystical Theology February 25, 2020 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198722380.013.8
Summary
Mystics who write and speak for others act as teachers, challenging the view that mysticism is solely individualistic. Their teaching relies on divine inspiration rather than personal experience, and it implies recipients and superior knowledge. In Christian traditions, there is no single mystical curriculum, but many mystics use content and methods grounded in traditional doctrines. This chapter examines mystics as teachers through sources, authority, and methods, all understood as derived from God and mediated through a teacher.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Mystics act as teachers whose authority and methods are derived from God and mediated through a teacher, challenging the view of mysticism as purely individualistic. |
Abstract
Mystics who speak and write for others act as teachers in various ways. Studies of mysticism and religious experience have tended to consider a mystical quest as a highly individual and idiosyncratic venture, but it is apparent that many mystics wrote and spoke to instruct their followers. Teaching implies recipients of that teaching, both as individuals and in aggregate, and it implies superior knowledge, which is based in small part on the mystic’s own experience but relies almost entirely on inspiration from God. Although there is no one mystical curriculum or pedagogical approach in Christian traditions, many mystics adhere to content and methods that are rooted firmly in traditional doctrines and practices. This chapter examines mystics as teachers primarily through the lenses of sources, authority, and methods, each of which is understood to be derived from and modelled on God and mediated through a teacher.