“Love will not be idle”: Non-Doing and Action in the English Mystical Tradition
Entangled Religions July 3, 2023 Louise Nelstrop 1 citation
Contemplative action, or 'social mysticism', is a form of non-doing that flows from contemplation, distinct from ordinary action. Examining the medieval English mystical tradition, the essay argues that actions arising from contemplation are detached. A coda considers three twentieth-century anglophone writers influenced by medieval Christian mysticism, showing that focusing on mysticism and action questions whether ineffability is the most useful marker for Christian mysticism.