Mysticism and the Interpretation of Sacred Scripture

Abstract

This chapter begins with a review of extant scholarly literature on mysticism, ranging from William James's classic, pioneering work at the beginning of the 20th century, through the studies of Evelyn Underhill, Rufus Jones, Baron Von Hugel, and Rufus Jones, to the near-contemporary and contemporary investigations of Walter T. Stace, R. C. Zaehner, Frits Staal, Ninian Smart, Nelson Pike, William Wainwright, Huston Smith, and Wayne Proudfoot. Such a review would reveal a nearly uniform neglect of the significance of sacred scriptures in the descriptive studies and the analytic discussions of these works. The chapter then analyzes, in more detail, some of the concrete forms and methods of interpretation that are employed by various mystics and mystical schools across esoteric traditions.

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