Spirituality as Insight: Mystical Texts and Theological Reflection

This book is concerned with mystical texts and theological reflection with reference to spiritual insight. in the first place the author shows, with reference to two great figures in the Christian mystical tradition - Meister Eckhart and John of the Cross - how coming to insight involves a three-fold rhythm: being touched, losing one’s sight and the finding of insight as this relates to the quality of life. The author discusses in the next chapters three other authors: Therese of Lisieux, Etty Hillesum and Dag Hammarskjold. They were themselves readers of mystical literature and stand closer to us in time. Current questions of meaning, especially as it relates to suffering, influence the framework in which they viewed quality of life. In their writings one can see an unmistakable growth to an extraordinaryly intensive experience of God which enables them to face life with a more than ordinary power and inspiration.