Lives and Visions
The Oxford Handbook of Mystical Theology February 25, 2020 Patricia Zimmerman Beckman
Mystical writers of Lives and Visions use specific, explicit strategies to evoke mystical experience in readers. The texts prioritize the process of knowing and encountering the divine over claims of historical truth. Three case studies on Hildegard of Bingen, Mechthild of Magdeburg, and Annie Dillard demonstrate techniques such as visionary exegesis, narrative protagonist flexibility, and creative generative prose. The chapter examines how form authorizes claims, shapes theological anthropology, and influences understanding of divine essence and encounter. It also invites contemporary practitioners to continue this artful work of mystical theology.