Thesis (M.Phil.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 143-150). Also available in electronic version.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Divinity School, March 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University, missing page 106 / This thesis is an investigation into the nature of mysticism as it is represented in the sixteenth century Spanish Christian mystic, St. John of the Cross, and the nineteenth century Hindu mystic, Ramakrishna. In the problematic development of the thesis St. John was considered first. The order of consideration was an investigation into the nature of the way of approach to the full mystic experience, followed by a discussion of the theory of reality derived from the examination of the way. The consideration of Ramakrishna followed that of St. John. Finally mysticism as such was analyzed and illustrated according to the two above named mystics. The method in the final two chapters was the same. The way according to St. John is the way of agony. God is separate from the soul of man. Yet God is discovered, and the way to God is manifest. This way is conceived in terms of the active and passive nights of the sense and spirit. The seeker purges his soul and spirit of sensual attraction. He gains pleasure in nothing save God. In the passive night of the spirit, he waits in detachment for the "inflowing of the spirit of God into the soul." This is known in union which is the goal of the way. It is characterized as a union of wills in love [TRUNCATED]

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University / Chapter I, Introduction, states the purpose of this thesis: to examine the foundation of religious knowledge as developed in the writings of William Ralph Inge, in order to evaluate his claim that mystical religion, as a philosophy of absolutism, offers: 1) an expeximental proof of itself; and, 2) the only possible solution to the predicament of man at the present day. Chapter II, Traditional Seats of Authority, presents Inge's view of the three traditional seats of authority or grounds of affirmations of God: the infallible Church, the infallible book, and human reason. [TRUNCATED]

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / This dissertation attempts to isolate and interpret nature-mystical elements in the works of Ernat Wiechert, a twentieth-century German writer. The theoretical justification for the term, Nature-mysticism, is derived largely from R.C. Zaehner and William James. It denotes an attempt to transcend the bonds of self and to merge with greater unity, conceived of as 'Nature.' This greater unity is allegedly apprehended through insights not obtainable by means of the discursive intellect nor are these insights, so-called nature-mystical experiences, considered completely reducible to words. [TRUNCATED]

This thesis examines the relationship between human sexuality and “the mystical” in the work of Jeffrey J. Kripal. I claim that Kripal presents a nondualistic understanding of the relationship between human sexuality and “the mystical” that contests the conventional distinction between body and “soul.” In particular, Kripal’s two central concepts – “the erotic” and “the enlightenment of the body” – suggest that embodiment shapes our understanding of “the mystical.” By demonstrating the psychoanalytic, hermeneutical, and comparative significance of the relationship between human sexuality and “the mystical,” Kripal’s model calls attention to the crucial role that body, gender, and sexual orientation play in both the historical and contemporary study of mysticism. The point of my research is to show that Kripal’s approach signals a new way of studying “the mystical” in terms of “mystical humanism,” which draws on both Eastern and Western philosophies to construct a critical, non-reductive appreciation for the transformative and ultimately emancipatory potential of certain mystical states of consciousness.

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In this investigation key elements of the mysticism of Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906) are compared and contrasted with the mysticism of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and as a result, the true nature of the relationship between their respective mysticism is elucidated. Key doctrines which exhibit a remarkable consonance are: the trinitarian foundation of their mysticism, the indwelling of the Trinity in the human soul, asceticism, desert spirituality, sacrificial love, liturgical spirituality, scriptural spirituality, deification and the doxological nature of their mysticism. Elements of divergence exist within the following: election and predestination, apophatic versus cataphatic mysticism, the Roman Catholic dogma of the immaculate conception of the virgin Mary, and the mode of God's presence in the human soul. Elizabeth's relevance for today is also considered, namely, her ecclesial mission which she now continues in heaven: to intercede for people seeking union with God and to draw people to interior recollection. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M.Th.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--New York University, School of Social Work, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 523-545). Also available on the Internet.

This thesis investigates the mystical elements in Mikha'il Nu`aymah's literary works and their affinity to Islamic mysticism, elaborating in particular on the notions of oneness of being and the transmigration of soul. These two themes are the more prevalent ones in Nu`aymah's mystical thought when compared to such other themes as love and asceticism, which can also be found in his works. / However, the notion of oneness of being seems to be the basis of his mystical concepts as well as the goal to which other themes are directed. The notion of the transmigration of soul is therefore developed by Nu`aymah in the context of the idea of oneness of being. The mystical thoughts of Mikha¯'il Nu`aymah concerning the two notions above, are to be found in a number of his works, such as Zad al-Ma'ad, al-Marah&dotbelow;il, The Book of Mirdad, Liqa', his autobiography Sab`un and his collections of poems Hams al-Jufun .