Spiritual Itineraries
The Oxford Handbook of Mystical Theology February 25, 2020 DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198722380.013.15
Summary
The Christian view of humanity as 'pilgrim' or 'wayfarer' emerged over the first fifteen centuries from Jewish and Christian ideas about the world's relationship with God combined with Graeco-Roman culture and philosophy. Mystical itinerancy takes one of two aspects (pre- or post-conversion), one of two trajectories (vertical-mystical or horizontal-historical), and one of two modes (personal or communal). These combine into three models: individual ascent to contemplation, individual journey to conversion or sanctification, and communal pilgrimage to the kingdom of God.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | The Christian conception of the human as pilgrim developed from Jewish and Graeco-Roman sources and manifests in three models: individual mystical ascent, individual historical peregrination, and communal pilgrimage. |
Abstract
This chapter argues that the overarching Christian conception of the human is that of ‘pilgrim’ or ‘wayfarer’. But this notion has a particular history. Over the first fifteen centuries of Christianity, spiritual or mystical itinerancy emerged at the nexus of certain Judaeo-Christian assumptions about the world and its original, current, and final relationship with God, on one hand, and of certain strands of Graeco-Roman culture and philosophy, on the other. The confluence of these two streams produced the basic notion of spiritual journey in the pre-modern eras of Christianity. This chapter argues that mystical itinerancy tends to have one of two aspects, pre- or post-conversion; one of two trajectories, vertical-mystical or horizontal-historical; and one of two dominant modes, personal or communal. These combine to form three basic models: (1) individual, vertical-mystical ascent to contemplation; (2) individual, horizontal-historical peregrination to conversion/sanctification; (3) communal pilgrimage to the kingdom/city of God.