Mysticism in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: Searching for Oneness / Edition 1

by Ori Z. Soltes

Overview

Throughout the ages and across religious traditions, people have yearned to personally experience God and deeply connect with the Creator. In Mysticism in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Ori Z. Soltes traces the sweep of mysticism-this search for oneness with God-throughout the three Abrahamic traditions. This unique comparative overview begins with a definition of mysticism and a discussion of its place within religion as a whole.

Soltes then explores the history of mysticism from Biblical times through the present day, highlighting the emergence of mysticism within the three traditions and how beliefs and practices converge and diverge over time. The final chapters discuss the growing interest in mysticism today through practices such as Kabbalah and how people publicly express their private encounters with God through art, literature, and other modern media.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742562769
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	08/07/2008
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	3 Months

About the Author

Ori Z. Soltes is Goldman Professorial Lecturer in theology and fine arts at Georgetown University and a regular lecturer at the Smithsonian Institution.

Table of Contents

Introduction: What is Mysticism?
Chapter 1 The Birth and Development of the Abrahamic Faiths
Chapter 2 The Roots of Judaism and Christianity
Chapter 3 The Emergence of Jewish Mystical Thought
Chapter 4 Early Christian Mysticism
Chapter 5 A Third Player on the Stage: Muslim Mysticism from the Qur'an to Ibn 'Arabi
Chapter 6 Medieval Jewish Mysticism form Merkavah to Kabbalah
Chapter 7 Medieval Christian Mysticism from Assisi to Avila
Chapter 8 The Spread of and Variety within Sufism
Chapter 9 Variations within Jewish and Christian Mysticism from the Renaissance through Emancipation
Chapter 10 Still Searching: The Persistence of Mysticism in the Modern Era
Chapter 11 Unfinished Epilogues
Suggestions for Further Reading

Editorial Reviews

This book is brilliant, learned, insightful, and of great importance at this time of religious tension.

Karen Armstrong

Ori Soltes' book represents a breakthrough in the teaching of comparative mysticism. The author transforms the esoteric into the comprehensible and affords the reader a window into a subject which has heretofore been the possession of an eclectic minority. Soltes' writing style is scintillating and captivating.

Rabbi Harold S. White

Ori Soltes writes with deep understanding, broad learning, and a flair for making history and ideas come alive. He shows the common quest for transcendence in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim mysticism from antiquity to the present and brings the three traditions into dialogue with each other, something they could not do themselves. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and contemporary spirituality.

David Ariel

Recommended. Two-star review.

Choice Reviews

Recommended. Two-star review.

March 2009 Choice Reviews

Recommended. Two-star review.

March 2009 CHOICE

Recommended. Two-star review.

Choice

This book is brilliant, learned, insightful, and of great importance at this time of religious tension.--Karen Armstrong, author of A History of God

Ori Soltes writes with deep understanding, broad learning, and a flair for making history and ideas come alive. He shows the common quest for transcendence in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim mysticism from antiquity to the present and brings the three traditions into dialogue with each other, something they could not do themselves. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and contemporary spirituality.--David Ariel, Baltimore Hebrew University, author of Kabbalah

Ori Soltes' book represents a breakthrough in the teaching of comparative mysticism. The author transforms the esoteric into the comprehensible and affords the reader a window into a subject which has heretofore been the possession of an eclectic minority. Soltes' writing style is scintillating and captivating.--Rabbi Harold S. White, Georgetown University

From the Publisher