The Grammars of Mystical Experience in Christian Theological Dialogue
Philosophy study April 28, 2018 Marc Jean-Bernard
This essay argues that phenomenological and grammatical approaches to mystical experience can be brought into productive dialogue, particularly through the work of Husserl, Wittgenstein, Heidegger, and Levinas. It first outlines the ethical and dialogic character of this philosophical problem, then explores how Husserlian phenomenology and Wittgensteinian grammar converge on the shapes of mystical experience. The essay clarifies key terms—experience, the mystical, ecstasy, evidence, truth—and situates this inquiry within Christian theological thought, emphasizing French thinkers from Maritain to Marion. Finally, it considers aesthetic expressions of mysticism in visual art and music, proposing a theology of musical logos that reveals the sacramentality of music and the mystery of silence.