The thesis attempts a portrait of The Cloud in the context of its position in the history of Christian mysticism. That the anonymous work owed much to spiritual writers of the preceding twelve hundred years is not debatable; what it owed maybe slightly less obvious. The Cloud is essentially a work of Dionysian mysticism, and various writers within that tradition who may have influenced or affected the teaching of The Cloud are examined. At the same time, however, the anonymous writer owes much to the western tradition of Augustinian theology, and the role of this, complementary to the Dionysian mysticism, is also considered. In Chapter II we look at the theological doctrine underlying the mystical doctrine of the Cloud corpus. Chapter III has two major parts, both concerned with the influence of The Cloud on the subsequent development of spiritual writing in England. The first considers the relationship with Walter Hilton. The second examines aspects of Puritan thought which may indicate that the influence of The Cloud, after the Reformation, was not restricted to Catholic thought.

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.

No description available.

The focus of the study is on the teachings of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, the mystic saint whose tomb is in Coatesville, PA, which is the only Sufi shrine in North America. Much has been written on the community of Bawa’s followers whose main office is in the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship in Philadelphia, PA, USA. However, as far as my research revealed, as to this date, no study has focused particularly on his teachings. The objective of this study is to initiate that. This study spotlighted on how this Sufi saint integrated the various religions in his teachings. His teachings are evidently premised on the Islamic concept of Tawhid. This aligns with the mystic perspective and thus is this study premised. Bawa’s vision is of a single truth emanating throughout creation through all space and time. This is a characteristic that mystics of all traditions appear to share. What makes Bawa unique among the known mystics is how he weaves in the various religions to convey his teachings. Thus, his teachings are a veritable pot pourri of ancient wisdom flowing from the Hindu Puranas to the Sufi teachings in Islam. In one way it can be viewed as a one-man inter-religious monologue. It is not so much the perennial message as looking at each tradition in a way that had eluded the believer before. Sufis of yore are known to use this method, but had remained within their own traditions. Bawa’s teachings are significant in his being a figure that is metaphorically described in a title of a Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship publication as the “Tree That Fell to the West”. Thus, spanning both the East and the West, his teachings became global in its reach and appears to be more relevant and accessible due to the nature of contemporary progression of our psyche. To situate Bawa the study has provided a very brief overview of the mystic perspective and a comparative sketch of mysticism in the West and Islam. Bawa being a Muslim mystic, a chapter on Islam and the Muslim world view and an insight into Sufism was deemed essential to comprehend the depth of Bawa’s teachings. It was also necessary to analyze the significance of the pioneering spirit of North America that is so consonant with the element of freedom that defines the mystic message that is essentially that of liberation. This is viewed as a vital component in the message of Bawa that served to capture the psyche of his followers. What is notable in Bawa’s teachings is how he integrates the popular ideas of different traditions to draw out a hidden significance that overturns the traditional way of how the listener had hitherto viewed them. He views the religions as sections, states, etc., that have to be experienced into the distillation of the truth in a manner of speaking. Each of these plays its part in the progression of every individual to the point of the ultimate realization to the Real. Bawa’s teaching methodology appears to be aligned to the tradition of the “holy men” who have come to light with the recent research of the past two decades. Bawa remains unique in his expansion, per se, in continuation of the model left as the legacy by those holy men that researcher Richard Eaton brought to our attention. An analysis of that legacy is provided as it will be conducive to understanding as to how the Sufi perspective centered on Tawhid brings in the terrain of multiple traditions. Bawa taught through discourses. Such teachings belong to the age old oral tradition. Thus, the teachings flow according to the teacher’s discernment of each individual’s needs in the audience. He would tell his followers that he provides the nourishment as per the need of each individual as he “sees” where each of his “children” are when they come to him. This translates into his perceptiveness of each person’s level of comprehension and his contouring his message to gear into that level for optimal learning. Bawa’s teachings can be described as a veritable ocean in its breadth and depth. The task was to attempt to draw manageable parameters for this research. As such, the usage of Hinduism is the sliver that has been chosen to analyze what and how Bawa conveyed his message. The focal point is that it is through the mystic perspective Bawa integrated diverse traditions to converge on the single point of the Islamic concept of Tawhid. What is shown here is that it is such a perspective that allowed Bawa to bring together the apparently diametrically opposite traditions of Hinduism and Islam through an interreligious journey that brings in a perspectival shift by expanding the psyche of the listener. / Religion

No description available.

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

Proefschrift - Amsterdam. / Bibliography: p. [230]-233.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin, 1924. / Bibliography: p. 246-264.

Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1979. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 97-102).

In Paul's thirteen letters the 'in Christ' phrase, with its variants (in the Lord etc.), appears about 167 times. Since Deissmann's foundational study of the phrase over 100 years ago scholars have suggested many theories seeking to explain Paul's meaning in its use . Their findings range over several disciplines, but are inconclusive. Our study takes a fresh theological look at the phrases, and seeks to test the hypothesis that "Paul uses the 'in Christ' phrase principally in a mystical sense". Christian mysticism is defined as "union with God through Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit". Firstly, eight models of mysticism are constructed from various disciplines and examined to give an overview of mysticism, i.e. historic (Judaism and Apocalyptic, Neoplatonic), anthropology (Synderesis), ecclesiastic (Eastern Orthodox, Holy Spirit / Charismatic), personal (Schweitzer, Calvin), and Postmodern. Jewish mysticism is found to exist from about 300BC in two forms - contemplative and chariot. Christian mysticism derives from Jewish mysticism and has the same goal- union with God. Secondly, a study of Paul's background reveals parallels in his theology showing possible influences from contemporary sources. Thirdly, Paul's 'in Christ' phrase and its variants with different prepositions indicate that the phrase probably derives from the early church's baptism liturgy and focuses in particular upon the new creation which replaces the old. Fourthly, of the many theories advanced to account for the 'in Christ' phrase five are examined, all of which can make a contribution towards understanding the phrase better. Fifthly, an original theory which is mystical is proposed in which Paul's 'in Christ' phrases are divided into those that relate to God's Work in Christ 66 (40%), and to Believers' Work in Christ 101 (60%) . The first category phrases are indicative, objective and positional; the second are imperative, subjective and practical. The twofold division is typical of Paul's letter - writing style, with encouragement and practice following doctrine. Both categories are further subdivided. Paul's theology is Christocentric as revealed to him after hisconversion and call by Christ. The 'in Christ' phrase may be said to be the answer to all the problems of the early church for it is axiomatic that God can accept nothing that is not in Christ. This is evident from Paul's outline of God's pre - history plan for His creation which is fulfilled when all things in heaven and on earth are united 'in Christ' . Since Christology takes precedence over other theological doctrines which are derived from it, so the 'in Christ' phrase may be seen as central to Paul's theology in pre - history, through time and into eternity again. As the analysis of mysticism reveals, it has many similarities with the 'in Christ' phrase, and both doctrines could be defined in the same way. The mystical interpretation seems to provide the fullest understanding of scripture, and thus when Paul's phrase is examined mystically its true intentions seem to be revealed for the believer's lifestyle, for maintaining church unity and fellowship with fellow believers, and for providing the closest relationship with God through the beatific vision, mystical union, spiritual marriage or deification. In church history the 'in Christ' phrase and the mystical element were slowly replaced by scholasticism and institutionalism, but from the beginning of the twentieth century the world -wide charismatic revival is restoring them hence the present . phenomenal church growth and ecumenical outreach. The hypothesis that Paul uses the 'in Christ' phrase principally in a mystical sense may be said to be confirmed. / Thesis (Ph.D)-University of Durban-Westville, 2001.