The Utility of Roman Ingarden’s Research in the Field of Ontology and Metaphysics of Text in the Context of Mystical Testimonies

A mystical text is a purely intentional being that lacks an autonomous existential foundation and depends entirely on the creative acts of its author's consciousness. Using Roman Ingarden's phenomenological framework and eidetic reduction, the article identifies the necessary conditions for a text to be classified as mystical. The text's structural layers, especially schematized appearances, hold it in a state of extra-temporal potentiality until it is actualized through concretization during reader reception, where places of indeterminacy are filled with concrete senses. This approach offers a rigorous basis for classifying mystical writings without judging the theological validity of the spiritual experiences.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The article explores the ontological status of mystical testimonies by applying the phenomenological framework of Roman Ingarden. To navigate the methodological confusion surrounding the definition of a “mystical text,” the author utilizes eidetic reduction to determine the necessary conditions for such a text’s existence. Within this framework, a mystical text is classified as a purely intentional being. It lacks an autonomous existential foundation and relies entirely on the creative acts of consciousness of its author. The study examines the structural layers of the text, specifically focusing on schematized appearances that hold the text in a state of extra-temporal potentiality. Ultimately, the mystical text is actualized through the process of concretization during reader reception, where places of indeterminacy are filled with concrete senses. This phenomenological lens provides a rigorous basis for the typology of mystical writings without adjudicating the theological validity of the spiritual experiences themselves.