Roots of Christian Mysticism Reading List

The Gospels

• Brown, Raymond: An Introduction to the New Testament.
• Freeman, Laurence: Jesus: The Teacher Within.

Origen

• Homilies on Genesis and Exodus, Ronald E. Heine, Trans.; The Fathers of the Church #71.Washington DC, Catholic U. of America Press, 1982
• The Song of Songs Commentary and Homilies, R.H. Lawson, Trans.; Ancient Christian Writers #26. N.Y: Newman Paulist Press, 1956
• On First Principles, G.W. Butterworth, Trans.; Gloucester, Mass; Peter Smith, 1973
• Exhortation to Martyrdom, Prayer, and Selected Works, Classics of Western Spirituality; N.Y.:Paulist Press, 1971

The Cappadocian Fathers

• Meredith, Anthony. The Cappadocians, published by St. Vladimir’s Press.
• Barrois, Georges. The Fathers Speak, published by St. Vladimir’s Press.

The Desert Mothers and Fathers

• Merton, Thomas: The Wisdom of the Desert.
• Swan, Laura: The Forgotten Desert Mothers. Sayings, Lives and Stories of Early Christian Women.
• Ward, Benedicta: The Sayings of the Desert Fathers.
• Ward, Benedicta: Desert Fathers: The Sayings of the Early Christian Monks
• Ward, Benedicta: The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers.
• Athanasius: The Life of Anthony.

Evagrius

• Evagrius: The Praktikos and Chapters on Prayer (Cistercian Publications)

John Cassian

• Cassian, John: The Conferences. Boniface Ramsey, Editor

St. Augustine

• Burt, Donald: Let Me Know You. Reflections on Augustine’s Search for God.
• Martin, Thomas: Our Restless Heart. The Augustinian Tradition.
• Wills, Gary: St. Augustine.
• Augustine of Hippo: Confessions.

St. Benedict

• de Waal, Esther: Seeking God.
• Chittister, Joan: The Rule of Benedict (with commentary).
• Chittister, Joan: Wisdom Distilled for the Daily - (Spring Arbor)
• St. Gregory the Great: The Life of St. Benedict

Hildegard of Bingen

• Fiona Bowie and Oliver Davies (eds.), 1990, Hildegard of Bingen: An Anthology, London, SPCK.
• Flanagan, Sabina (ed. and trans.), 1996, Secrets of God: Writings of Hildegard of Bingen, Boston, Shambhala.
• Columba Hart and Jane Bishop (trans.),1990, Hildegard of Bingen:Scivias, New York, Paulist, Classics of Western Spirituality Series.
• Newman, Barbara, 1987, Sister of Wisdom: St. Hildegard’s Theology of the Feminine, Berkeley, University of California Press.

St. Francis

• Cunningham, Lawrence: Francis of Assisi: Performing the Gospel Life (Eerdmans)

Dominican Spirituality/Catherine of Siena

• Simon Tugwell, OP, 1982, Early Dominicans: Selected Writings, New York, Paulist Press, Classics of Western Spirituality Series.
• Suzanne Noffke, OP, 1980, Catherine of Siena: The Dialogue, New York, Paulist, Classics of Western Christiantiy Series.
• ________________ (trans. & ed.), 2nd edition, 2001, The Prayers of Catherine of Siena, San Jose, New York, Authors Choice Press.
• ________________ 1996, Catherine of Siena: Vision Through a Distant Eye, Collegeville, MN, Liturgical Press.
• Mary O’Driscoll, OP 1993, Catherine of Siena :Passion for the Truth, Compassion for Humanity, New Rochelle, NY, New City Press.

Meister Eckhart

• Colledge, Edmund & McGinn, Bernard: Meister Eckhart. The Essential Sermons, Commentaries, Treatises and Defense.
• McGinn, Bernard: Meister Eckhart. Teacher and Preacher.
• McGinn, Bernard: The Mystical Thought of Meister Eckhart.
• Fleming, Ursula (editor): Meister Eckhart: The Man from Whom God Hid Nothing

Julian of Norwich

• Julian of Norwich: Revelations of Divine Love
• ____________ The Cloud of Unknowing
• William Johnston (editor): The Cloud of Unknowing and the Book of Privy Counseling. Foreword by Houston Smith

St. Ignatius of Loyola

• Lonsdale, David: Eyes to See, Ears to Hear: An Introduction to Ignatian Spirituality
• Ignatius of Loyola: Spiritual Exercises and Collected Works, edited by George E. Ganss, SJ

St. Teresa of Avila

• Teresa of Avila: The Interior Castle, Trans. Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D. and Otilio Rodriguez, O.C.D.,with Introduction by Kieran Kavannaugh, O.C.D. and Preface by Raimundo Paniker (Paulist Press: Mahwah, N.J.: 1979)

St. John of the Cross

• St. John of the Cross: Dark Night of the Soul. E. Allison Peers, translator

The French Mystics

• Raymond Deville: The French School of Spirituality: An Introduction and Reader (Duquesne)

The Eastern Orthodox Tradition

• Colliander, Tito: The Way of the Ascetics
• Ware, Timothy: The Orthodox Church

Protestant Mystics

• Jeffrey, David Lyle (editor): English Spirituality in the Age of Wesley, published by Eerdmanns in 1987
• Heitzenrater’s, Richard: Wesley and the People Called Methodists. Abingdon in 1995.

The Spirituality of Evelyn Underhill

• Underhill, Evelyn: Mysticism: The Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness
• ____________: The Spiritual Life: Great Spiritual Truths for Everyday Life
• ____________: The Essentials of Mysticism and other Essays

Simone Weil

• Weil, Simone: Waiting for God
• Springsted, Eric O: Simone Weil Writings. Orbis Books

Thomas Merton

• Merton, Thomas: The Seven Story Mountain, New York: Harcourt, Brace Publisher, 1948.
• ____________: New Seeds of Contemplation, New York: New Directions Press, 1961.
• ____________: Contemplative Prayer, New York: Image Books, 1971.

Jacques Maritain: Contemplation on the Roads of the World

• Maritain, Jacques: Distinguish to Unite, or The Degrees of Knowledge. Trans. Gerald Phelan (Charles Scribner’s Sons, NewYork, 1959).[Second Part only: “The Degrees of Suprarational Knowledge,” pp. 247-383].
• Smith, Brooke Williams: Jacques Maritain: Antimodern or Ultramodern? (Elsevier, New York,1976)

John Main

• Main, John: Christian Meditation: The Gethsemani Talks
• Main, John: Word into Silence
• Main, John: Community of Love

Bede Griffiths

*Griffiths, Bede: The Golden String. An Autobiography
*Griffiths, Bede: The New Creation in Christ
*Griffiths, Bede: A New Vision of Reality

Abhishiktananda

• Swami Abhishiklananda: His Life Told Through His Letters
• Saccidananda: A Christian Approach to Advaitic Experience
• Abhishiktananda: The Further Shore