TGC – Mystical Tradition: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Mystical experiences and practices-including dramatic visions, direct communication with the divine, intense spiritual quests, and hermetic lifestyles-are commonly associated with Eastern cultures. They are thought to be far removed from the monotheistic traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

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TGC – Mystical Tradition: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Mystical experiences and practices-including dramatic visions, direct communication with the divine, intense spiritual quests, and hermetic lifestyles-are commonly associated with Eastern cultures. They are thought to be far removed from the monotheistic traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
But consider the following:

Many of the most important figures in the Jewish Bible had experiences that can be interpreted as mystical, including Moses’s conversation with God as the burning bush and Ezekiel’s vision of the heavenly throne-chariot.
Jesus Christ, as a figure believed to be the incarnation of God, can be seen as representing the ultimate goal of mystical thought, the unification of human with divine.
The Islamic prophet Muhammad is believed to have experienced the call of God directly through the angel Gabriel, and throughout his life he reported incidents of mystical encounters, including the divine revelation of the Qur’an, the sacred text of Islam.

 In these examples, we encounter a surprising truth: that each of the great three Abrahamic religious traditions-those religions that trace their origins back to the patriarch Abraham-holds the seeds for deep mystical contemplation. But what do most of us know about these mystics and the tradition they sustained?
 
 In Mystical Tradition: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, you explore this spiritual, literary, and intellectual heritage in these great faiths as it unfolds over three millennia. In 36 enlightening, thought-provoking lectures, award-winning Professor Luke Timothy Johnson of Emory University offers nearly unprecedented access to these seldom studied traditions.
 
 What Is Mysticism?
 
 But what do we mean when we speak of Western mysticism? As Professor Johnson shows, there is no single or simple definition of mysticism. In some traditions, it is rooted in intellectual discipline. In others, it’s based in devotion to prayer and fasting. In still others, it’s defined by ecstatic experience-a glimpse of the divine given as a gift from above.
 
 Just consider these diverse instances of mysticism:
 

The writings of Jewish Kabbalah mystic Rabbi Abulafia, whose work includes practical directions for the achievement of religious ecstasy
The practice of hesychasm, through which medieval Christians recited the “Jesus prayer” to invite divine revelation
The theological texts of Jalal ad-Din Rumi, a Muslim scholar who explored the mystical implications of love through breathtaking poetry

 
 Mystical Tradition introduces you to the many faces of mysticism, from renowned scholars to simple people striving for personal enlightenment, throughout the centuries. You also contemplate questions about the nature of mysticism itself: How are we to understand mysticism-as literally true, as poetically true, or as a delusion? What is the future of mysticism? As it becomes detached and popularized apart from its religious faiths, can mystical observances retain their original character?
 
 The course also offers a thought-provoking perspective on the nature of human spirituality. As Professor Johnson demonstrates, mystical strains of thought have permeated and influenced these three great religions for centuries, despite opposition from-and, in some cases, persecution by-the mainstream religious community. As you come to see, this persistence in the face of persecution reflects something about human nature: the need to pursue ultimate knowledge and union with a transcendent power.
 
A Unique Opportunity
 
 For most students, this is a unique opportunity. Many of the sources Professor Johnson draws on are unavailable to general readers. Some of them have only recently been translated into English. Professor Johnson’s course offers a first-time glimpse into this tradition.
 
 A noted religious scholar and former Benedictine monk, Professor Johnson offers an intriguing, enlightening look into these seldom studied traditions and illuminates the rich and complex relationship between mystical contemplation and the Western traditions of faith.
 
 But perhaps most importantly, he invites you to join him as you ponder a new way to understand faith, religion, and the essence of humanity. Explore with Professor Johnson the intriguing and enriching insights that await you in Mystical Tradition: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

36 lectures
 
 |  Average 30 minutes each

1A Way into the Mystic Ways of the West

2Family Resemblances and Differences

3The Biblical Roots of Western Mysticism

4Mysticism in Early Judaism

5Merkabah Mysticism

6The Hasidim of Medieval Germany

7The Beginnings of Kabbalah

8Mature Kabbalah—Zohar

9Isaac Luria and Safed Spirituality

10Sabbatai Zevi and Messianic Mysticism

11The Ba’al Shem Tov and the New Hasidism

12Mysticism in Contemporary Judaism

13Mystical Elements in the New Testament

14Gnostic Christianity

15The Spirituality of the Desert

16Shaping Christian Mysticism in the East

17Eastern Monks and the Hesychastic Tradition

18The Mysticism of Western Monasticism

19Medieval Female Mystics

20Mendicants as Mystics

21English Mystics of the 14th Century

2215th- and 16th-Century Spanish Mystics

23Mysticism 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.

24Mystical Expressions in Protestantism

2520th-Century Mystics

26Muhammad the Prophet as Mystic

27The House of Islam

28The Mystical Sect—Shi’a

29The Appearance of Sufism

30Early Sufi Masters

31The Limits of Mysticism—Al-Ghazzali

32Two Masters, Two Streams

33Sufism in 12th–14th Century North Africa

34Sufi Saints of Persia and India

35The Continuing Sufi Tradition

36Mysticism in the West Today

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