The Mysticism of the Church of the East (original) (raw)
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PhD Thesis - The Spiritual Senses in East Syriac Mysticism (English Summary)
An English summary of my PhD thesis written in German (Freie Universität Berlin, 2017). Original title: Die "geistigen Sinne" in der ostsyrischen christlichen Mystik. Untersuchungen zum Wahrnehmungsbegriff und zur Gotteserkenntnis in der griechischen und syro-orientalischen asketischen Literatur der Spätantike. I am currently revising the thesis for publication.
Perspectives on Early Islamic Mysticism
Perspectives on Early Islamic Mysticism, 2020
This monograph explores the original literary produce of Muslim mystics during the eighth-tenth centuries, with special attention to ninth-century mystics, such as al-Tustarī, al-Muḥāsibī, al-Kharrāz, al-Junayd and, in particular, al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī. Unlike other studies dealing with the so-called 'Formative Period', this book focuses on the extant writings of early mystics rather than on the later Ṣūfī compilations. These early mystics articulated what would become a hallmark of Islamic mysticism: a system built around the psychological tension between the self (nafs) and the heart (qalb) and how to overcome it. Through their writings, already at this early phase, the versatility, fluidity and maturity of Islamic mysti-cism become apparent. This exploration thus reveals that mysticism in Islam emerged earlier than customarily acknowledged, long before Islamic mysticism became generically known as Ṣūfism. The central figure of this book is al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī, whose teaching and inner world focus on themes such as polarity, the training of the self, the opening of the heart, the Friends of God (al-awliyāʾ), dreams and visions, divine language, mystical exegesis and more. This monograph thus offers a fuller picture than hitherto presented of the versatility of themes, processes, images, practices, terminology and thought models during this early period. The volume will be a key resource for scholars and students interested in the study of religion, Ṣūfī studies, Late Antiquity and Medieval Islam.
This collection of essays is intended to honor Alexander Golitzin, a scholar known for his keen attention to the Jewish matrix of Eastern Orthodox spirituality. Following Golitzin's insights, this Festschrift explores influences of Jewish apocalypticism and mysticism on certain early and late Christian authors, including Irenaeus, Origen, Evagrius of Pontus, Pseudo-Dionysius, and Symeon the New Theologian. Special attention is given to Jewish theophanic traditions regarding the beatific vision of the divine Glory (Kavod), which profoundly shaped Eastern Christian theology and liturgy. This volume demonstrates that recent developments in the study of apocalyptic literature, the Qumran Scrolls, Gnosticism, and later Jewish mysticism throw new and welcome light on the sources and continuities of Orthodox theology, liturgy, and spirituality. The volume includes contributions of Khaled Anatolios, Susan Ashbrook Harvey, Michel René Barnes, John Behr, Sebastian Brock, Bogdan G. Bucur, Silviu N. Bunta, April D. DeConick, Charles A. Gieschen, Andrew Louth, John A. McGuckin, Andrei A. Orlov, István Perczel, Marcus Plested, James R. Russell, Stephen J. Shoemaker, Charles M. Stang, and Robin Darling Young. https://books.google.com/books/about/Jewish\_Roots\_of\_Eastern\_Christian\_Mystic.html?id=0pBtzQEACAAJ