Jewish & Christian mysticism : an introduction /

The Sherboks have written a helpful introduction to the Jewish and Christian mystical traditions. Beginning with the early rabbinic and patristic periods, they review, in chronological order, the major figures and schools in the history of these two traditions. Thus, on the Jewish side they summarize the contributions of Philo and the Heichalot and Merkavah schools of the rabbinic era, the medieval Hasidei Ashkenaz, the Zohar, the 16th-century school of Safed, the 17th-century Sabbatian movement, and 18th-century Hasidism. On the Christian side they begin with Origen, the Desert Fathers, Augustine, Gregory of Nyssa, and Pseudo Dionysius. They then move on to discuss such major medieval figures as Bernard of Clairvaux, Richard of St. Victor, and what they classify separately as the Franciscan, English, German, and Flemish traditions. They next consider such individuals as Thomas `a Kempis, Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, and John of the Cross, finishing up with a wide array of individuals stretching from the 17th to the 20th century. The last chapter deals with several basic methodological issues connected with the study of mysticism. This is, as one can immediately see, a very broad survey. It will introduce beginning students to many things but, given its design, it will serve only as an introduction. Undergraduate; general. S. T. Katz; Cornell University