The Arnhem Mystical Sermons

In this book on The Arnhem mystical sermons, Ineke Cornet offers the first in-depth study of the mystical and theological content of this sixteenth-century sermon collection from St. Agnes in Arnhem.

In this book on The Arnhem mystical sermons, Ineke Cornet offers the first in-depth study of the mystical and theological content of this sixteenth-century sermon collection from St. Agnes in Arnhem.

Concepts of the Divine that emerge in mystical testimonies have often been studied. Seldom has the human person, the common denominator in all mystical testimonies, been given due attention. Nevertheless, questions regarding universal elements in mystical experiences and the role of particular theological traditions in current debates on mysticism cannot be addressed without examining the underlying concepts of the human person and the relation to the divine in mystical texts. The complexity and diversity of mystical texts call for an approach that is in the first place critical-hermeneutical and takes all elements, be they particular or universal, into account. It also calls for an interdisciplinary and cross-religious perspective in which the expertise from various disciplines and different mystical traditions is combined. This volume brings different anthropological concepts to the fore through an interdisciplinary study of texts from two religious traditions, the sixteenth-century Arnhem Mystical Sermons (from the Christian tradition) and the twentieth-century Sri Aurobindo Gose (from the Hindu tradition).

The question of the ‘structure’ of the human person is central to many mystical authors in the Christian tradition. This book focuses on the specific anthropology of a series of key authors in the mystical tradition in the medieval and early modern Low Countries. Their view is fundamentally different from the anthropology that has commonly been accepted since the rise of Modernity. This book explores the most important mystical authors and texts from the Low Countries including: William of Saint-Thierry, Hadewijch, Pseudo-Hadewijch, John of Ruusbroec, Jan van Leeuwen, Hendrik Herp, and the Arnhem Mystical Sermons. The most important aspects of mystical anthropology are discussed: the spiritual nature of the soul, the inner-most being of the soul, the faculties, the senses, and crucial metaphors which were used to explain the relationship of God and the human person. Two contributions explicitly connect the anthropology of the mystics to contemporary thought. This book offers a solid and yet accessible overview for those interested in theology, philosophy, history, and medieval literature.

The question of the ‘structure’ of the human person is central to many mystical authors in the Christian tradition. This book focuses on the specific anthropology of a series of key authors in the mystical tradition in the medieval and early modern Low Countries. Their view is fundamentally different from the anthropology that has commonly been accepted since the rise of Modernity. This book explores the most important mystical authors and texts from the Low Countries including: William of Saint-Thierry, Hadewijch, Pseudo-Hadewijch, John of Ruusbroec, Jan van Leeuwen, Hendrik Herp, and the Arnhem Mystical Sermons. The most important aspects of mystical anthropology are discussed: the spiritual nature of the soul, the inner-most being of the soul, the faculties, the senses, and crucial metaphors which were used to explain the relationship of God and the human person. Two contributions explicitly connect the anthropology of the mystics to contemporary thought. This book offers a solid and yet accessible overview for those interested in theology, philosophy, history, and medieval literature.

The aim of the volume is to engage in an interdisciplinary discussion about the establishment and debates on anthropological concepts and their changes in the age of Reformation: How do anthropological concepts touch theological questions such as the freedom of will or the human likeness to God? In which ways is there a reflection on emotions? How is scientific knowledge received by theologians? How is contemporary thought on the conditio humana presented in literature and poetry? The volume combines selected papers of relevant experts with the research work of young graduate or postgraduate scholars. It tries to encourage a transdisciplinary, international discussion focused on exemplary case studies as well as systematic points of view. Thanks to the outstanding commitment of all participants of the conference we are able to present the results of this discussion, a rich and comprehensive spectrum of research work, which will encourage further research.

This book presents detailed discussions from leading intercultural philosophers, arguing for and against the priority of immanence in Chinese thought and the validity of Western interpretations that attempt to import conceptions of transcendence. The authors pay close attention to contemporary debates generated from critical analysis of transcendence and immanence, including discussions of apophasis, critical theory, post-secular conceptions of society, phenomenological approaches to transcendence, possible-world models, and questions of practice and application. This book aims to explore alternative conceptions of transcendence that either call the tradition in the West into question, or discover from within Western metaphysics a thoroughly dialectical way of thinking about immanence and transcendence.

This book contains translations and introductions to some of the major representatives of the spiritual tradition of the Low Countries from ca. 1350 onwards.