Each of the great three Abrahamic religious traditions holds the seeds for deep mystical contemplation. But what do most of us know about these mystics and the tradition they sustained? Explore this spiritual, literary, and intellectual heritage in these great faiths of the West as it unfolds over three millennia with these 36 enlightening, thought-provoking lectures that offer nearly unprecedented access to these seldom-studied traditions. By laying the mystical traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam side by side, Professor Johnson offers a unique opportunity to compare and contrast the many forms of religious experience in the West. Starting with the most ancient texts of the Hebrew Bible, Professor Johnson traces the emergence, growth, and persistence of mystical thought in many countries and in many ages. Bringing together the disciplines of philosophy, history, literature, and religious studies, these lectures offer a nuanced and insightful examination of Western spirituality-one that contributes not only to a fuller understanding of our religious traditions, but to our shared culture and history as well. As you examine the mystical experience, you'll see how, again and again, Western mystics have sought the answers to a few fundamental questions: What is the nature of reality? What is the relationship between humankind and the divine? Can human beings ever attain full knowledge of creation? What emerges from exploring these potent spiritual and intellectual questions is a picture of Western mysticism as diverse, multifaceted, and ever-developing.
Mystical Tradition: Judaism, Christianity, Islam
Engage with the mystical side of the Abrahamic religions with this course that investigates the often overlooked and misunderstood phenomenon of spiritual experiences in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
01: A Way into the Mystic Ways of the West
What do we mean by religion, mysticism, and prayer? What is the relation of mystical experience and mystical writing? In this opening lecture, you consider these questions and preview the path you will take as you consider the traditions of mysticism in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
02: Family Resemblances and Differences
You take a closer look at the traditions and observances of the three major Western religions and explore their complex interrelations and differences.
03: The Biblical Roots of Western Mysticism
The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) is the most powerful source both for the premises of Western mysticism and for its symbolism. Here, we consider the biblical images and themes that recur in mystical accounts, including the pilgrimage, the cloud, and the heavenly throne.
04: Mysticism in Early Judaism
During the Hellenistic period (c. 300 B.C.E.–200 C.E.), Jews in Palestine and in the Diaspora found new ways to maintain fidelity to the covenant. This lecture explores three manifestations of mysticism from this period: apocalyptic literature, the writings of the Essenes, and the teachings of Hellenistic Jews.
05: Merkabah Mysticism
While classical Judaism may seem legalistic and intellectually oriented, this same period saw the growth of a powerful form of mysticism centered in the emotional experience of a spiritual "ascent" to the heavenly throne-chariot ("Merkabah").
06: The Hasidim of Medieval Germany
For Jews in Crusade-era Germany (1150–1250), dedication to the keeping of Torah was particularly perilous. During these dangerous times, a form of mysticism called Hasidism arose that appealed even to everyday people and found adherents beyond the small circle of accomplished scholars.
07: The Beginnings of Kabbalah
Although it was the most dominant form of Jewish mysticism for some seven centuries, Kabbalah's origins are shrouded in mystery. This lecture traces some of the early efforts in this tradition.
08: Mature Kabbalah—"Zohar"
For countless Jewish practitioners of Kabbalah, the "Zohar" (Book of Splendor) ranks in status next to Torah and Talmud. Although presented as an ancient tradition, Kabbalah is actually the astonishing literary creation of the 13th-century Spanish Jewish mystic, Moses de Leon.
09: Isaac Luria and Safed Spirituality
With the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492, Jewish mysticism took on themes of exile, loss, and messianism. This lecture examines a new strain of Kabbalistic teaching that arose during this period.
10: Sabbatai Zevi and Messianic Mysticism
The elements of mysticism and messianism in the Lurianic teaching found explosive expression in Sabbatai Zevi, a self-proclaimed messiah and apostate whose teachings led to the founding of a new sectarian movement, Sabbatianism.
11: The Ba'al Shem Tov and the New Hasidism
In the 18th century, a new form of popular Jewish mysticism arose in Eastern Europe, beginning with the charismatic career of Israel Ba'al Shem Tov. This lecture considers the life of the movement's founder as well as the character of its literature and piety.
12: Mysticism in Contemporary Judaism
Examining the distinct movements within modern Judaism (Reform, Orthodox, Conservative) and the rise as Zionism (the quest for a Jewish homeland in Israel), Professor Johnson asks a key question: What elements of mysticism persist in such an altered tradition?
13: Mystical Elements in the New Testament
Like the Old Testament, the writings of earliest Christianity can be read in terms of mystical experiences and symbols. You examine these mystical strains, as seen in discussions of Jesus's divine nature, and the apostle Paul's report of ascent to the third heaven.
14: Gnostic Christianity
The mid-2nd century witnessed a pitched battle between those seeking a standardized canon of Christian belief and a mystical strain of the faith—Gnosticism—that sought salvation through the pursuit of a special kind of divine knowledge.
15: The Spirituality of the Desert
With Constantine's adoption of Christianity as the religion of the Roman Empire, some believers sought to create their own form of "white martyrdom" through a life of physical asceticism and prayer. Through works such as Athanasius's "Life of Antony," you examine the lives and teachings of these self-imposed ascetics.
16: Shaping Christian Mysticism in the East
This lecture considers three authors of the 4th century who are foundational to the development of the distinctive spirituality of Orthodoxy: Evagrius Ponticus, Gregory of Nyssa, and the Syrian monk called Pseudo-Macarius.
17: Eastern Monks and the Hesychastic Tradition
You continue consideration of mysticism in the Eastern Orthodox Church with an examination of how Greek influences fed into the development of the Hesychastic tradition, a form of mysticism that focuses on contemplative prayer.
18: The Mysticism of Western Monasticism
As Eastern monks sought spirituality in the desert, the faithful of Western Catholicism turned to monasticism for a way to live God's will through contemplation. The works of Bernard of Clairvaux, William of St. Thierry, and Richard of St. Victor offer a window into this tradition.
19: Medieval Female Mystics
The contemplative life flourished among women as well as men in the medieval period. This lecture explores the teaching and writings of these female mystics produced in monastic houses, in lay houses of the Beguines, and through the role of anchorite.
20: Mendicants as Mystics
Unlike monks in the monasteries, members of the mendicant orders pursued the spiritual life while preaching and working among the people. In this lecture, you consider outstanding examples of mendicant mystics, including Francis and Clare of Assisi and Bonaventure.
21: English Mystics of the 14th Century
Fourteenth-century England witnessed a remarkable surge in mystical activity and insight. This lecture looks at some of the finest examples, from the anonymous masterpiece, "The Cloud of Unknowing," to the distinctive works of Richard Rolle, Walter Hilton, and Julian of Norwich.
22: 15th- and 16th-Century Spanish Mystics
In Spain, the Counter-Reformation produced a climate of intense spiritual renewal in the face of Protestant dissent. Following the inspired path of Ignatius of Loyola, whose Spiritual Exercises provided a template for contemplation, Teresa of Ávila, John of the Cross, and Francisco de Osuna provide examples of a new strain of Catholic mysticism.
23: Mysticism among Protestant Reformers
While Martin Luther and John Calvin are best known for their attacks on what they regarded as the abuses found in medieval monasteries, they also taught a form of Christian piety in which the ascetical tradition continued to find a central place.
24: Mystical Expressions in Protestantism
The mystical impulse also showed itself within various branches of Protestantism, as exemplified in the work of the most influential Protestant mystic, Jacob Boehme. You also explore the Pietism of P. J. Spener and the Anglican mysticism of Jeremy Taylor and William Law.
25: 20th-Century Mystics
Mysticism continues to flourish within the Christianity of the 20th and 21st centuries—in monasteries, in groups devoted to the prayerful reading of scripture, and in the communal ecstasies of Pentecostal worship. This lecture discusses three noteworthy modern-day mystics: Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Simone Weil, and Thomas Merton.
26: Muhammad the Prophet as Mystic
Professor Johnson opens a unit on Islam with a consideration of the life of the religion's founder, the Prophet Muhammad, and focuses on the incidents that helped shape Islamic mysticism. You also consider the special character of the Qur'an, the "Mother of all Books," as a revelatory text and as the source for mystical experience within Islam.
27: The House of Islam
In this lecture, you learn more about the Islamic faith and its key tenets and structures, including its basic convictions concerning God and the world, prophets and books, submission and infidelity. Tracing the teaching of the Qu'ran, you examine the "five pillars" of Islam: confession, prayer, alms, fasting, and pilgrimage.
28: The Mystical Sect-Shi'a
Nearly since its founding, Islam has been divided into factions based on disputes over authority. After surveying these divisions, you focus on the Shi'a party, which locates the heart of Islam in connection to the prophet and the prophet's family rather than in the larger Islam community.
29: The Appearance of Sufism
For a religion that is so fundamentally antiascetical, the emergence of Sufism—the distinctive form of Islamic mysticism—is something of a surprise, as is its remarkable success. This lecture assesses various possible causes for this development, and then sketches the Sufi way of life as a path of knowledge, love, and prayer.
30: Early Sufi Masters
A sampling of Sufi passages from the 8th to the 10th centuries demonstrates how the Qur'an was interpreted mystically, and how the quest for Allah could be captured by the form of traditional Arabic poetry. The lecture discusses traditions associated with a number of Sufi mystics, including the controversial figure of al-Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj.
31: The Limits of Mysticism—Al-Ghazzali
The first centuries of Islam saw both a spectacular spread of the religion and an explosion in innovative speculation in philosophy and theology. In this lecture, explore this vibrant period, the resulting impact of Islam thought on the West, and the contributions made by one of Islam's most important thinkers, Abu Hamid al-Ghazzali.
32: Two Masters, Two Streams
Sufi mysticism navigates between an emphasis on knowledge and an emphasis on love. In this lecture, you explore the work of two contemporary 13th-century masters who represent these two strains and exercised substantial influence on subsequent generations of Sufi teachers: Ibn al-'Arabi and Jalal al-Din Rumi.
33: Sufism in 12th–14th Century North Africa
Sufism spread through all the territories won by Islamic conquest and was one of the chief instruments of Islam's expansion. This lecture takes up the lives and writings of three Sufi teachers in North Africa: the Egyptians Sufi Umar ibn al-Farid and Ibn 'Ata' Illah, and Ibn 'Abbad of Ronda, a Sufi born in Spain who flourished in Morocco.
34: Sufi Saints of Persia and India
Sufism is truly an international movement and its literature is as rich in Persian as in Arabic. Here, you examine some examples of this tradition, including the "Intimate Conversations" of Khwaja Abdullah Ansari, the "Divine Flashes" by Fakhruddin 'Iraqi, and Fawa'id al-Fu'ad's "Morals for the Heart."
35: The Continuing Sufi Tradition
Today, mysticism continues to thrive within Islam, and Sufism has become an appealing spiritual option even for non-Muslims. This lecture explores the extensive network of Sufi fellowships throughout the world and how they continue the traditions of finding mystical meaning in the Qur'an.
36: Mysticism in the West Today
The course concludes with a series of reflections on mysticism in the modern world. What are we to make of the truth-claims of mystics? What are the possibilities for mysticism in a super-secularized West? What can we say about the popular forms of mysticism offered on every side?
About
Dr. Luke Timothy Johnson is the Robert W. Woodruff Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at Emory University's Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, Georgia. Professor Johnson earned a Ph.D. in New Testament Studies from Yale University, as well as an M.A. in Religious Studies from Indiana University, an M.Div. in Theology from Saint Meinrad School of Theology, and a B.A. in Philosophy from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. A former Benedictine monk, Professor Johnson has taught at Yale Divinity School and Indiana University, where he received the President's Award for Distinguished Teaching, was elected a member of the Faculty Colloquium in Teaching, and won the Brown Derby Teaching Award and the Student Choice Award for teaching. At Emory University, he has twice received the On Eagle's Wings Excellence in Teaching Award. In 2007 he received the Candler School of Theology Outstanding Service Award. His most recent award is the 2011 Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion for the ideas set forth in his 2009 book, Among the Gentiles: Greco-Roman Religion and Christianity. Professor Johnson is the author of more than 20 books, including The Real Jesus: The Misguided Quest for the Historical Jesus and the Truth of the Traditional Gospels and The Writings of the New Testament: An Interpretation, which is widely used as a textbook. He has also published several hundred scholarly articles and reviews.
