Mysticism, Window on a World View

"What is the meaning of mysticism in Western religious experience and thought? This balanced introduction provides an overall view of many ideas, interpretations, and suggestions that are part of the often neglected "mysticism of the West." Margaret Furse sees mysticism more as a philosophy or world view than as an experience. From this vantage point she analyzes the personal vs. the mystical and the ethical vs. the mystical. Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish thinkers are represented in her study. A background is sketched in the Eastern mysticism (Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Zen Buddhism), against which the outlines of Christian mysticism become clear. Sources of Christian mysticism are sought in biblical literature, the mystery religions, and Greek philosophy. Modern interpretations, in particular those of Evelyn Underhill, William Ralph Inge, and Friedrich von Hügel, are stressed. Dr. Furse's conclusions led her to assert that "Mysticism had better not be the whole of one's religion, but the one who knows of his embarkation and sense the presence of his destination will have within his religion an element of the mystical."-Publisher.