Mystic Union: An Essay in the Phenomenology of Mysticism (Cornell Studies in the Philosophy of Religion)

Mystic Union: An Essay in the Phenomenology of Mysticism (Cornell Studies in the Philosophy of Religion) by Pike, Nelson. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780801426841.

What is it to experience union with God? In this highly original and accessible book, one of our leading philosophers of religion seeks to answer this question by analyzing the several states of mystic union as they are described and explained in the classical primary literature of the Christian mystical tradition. In Mystic Union, Nelson Pike is concerned with the Prayer of Quiet, the Prayer of Union, and Rapture--the three distinct states of infused contemplation in which the mystic is said to experience union with God. In his first four chapters Pike focuses on the metaphorical descriptions of these states found in the writings of such great Christian mystics as Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Bernard of Clairvaux, and Angela of Foligno. In the balance of the book he assumes a more critical posture in order to develop a phenomenological account that fits the verbal pictures of union provided in the primary mystical texts. Along the way the author engages several of the more important theses that have been advanced in the contemporary philosophical literature on mystic union. Pikes book deepens our understanding of the powerful message of the classical Christian mystics and makes a major contribution to current debates on the nature of religious experience. It will be welcomed by both scholars and general readers interested in the philosophy of religion, comparative religion, the psychology of religion, and Christian spirituality.