The Roots of Christian Mysticism

382 Pages·2013·2.51 MB·English

by  Olivier Clement

Byl inkitnogg ethesre raio efsb rilliacnhtolsyet ne xtfsr oltlhle
earlcye nturoifet sh eC hurcht,h ea utholra ybsa rteh er ootosf
thed eeplmyy sticsapli ritualihtaysfl otuhraits haemdo ng
Christitahnrso ughotuhtea gesT.h isi sa b ookt hawti lalp peal
toa nyonweh oi si nteresitnte hdefi elodf s pirituailtii sat y;
master.cl oyntributtoiC ohnr istsicahno larship.
"Theraer es omeb ooksso g oodt haaltl o new anttso s ayi sg:o
outb,u yi ta ndr eaidt - iti sm arvelloAunsd!s oi ti sw itht his
finet ranslation."
AndrewL outhF,a iracCrherso nicle
"TheR ootosfC hristMiyasnt iciwsimt hi tcsa refuslellye cted
textfsr omC hristtiraand iteiaosnat,n dw estd,e monstratthees
constatnhti rosftt heh umanb einfgo rt he transcendent.
Clemensth owst haotu rl ifiese vearm ysticwaoln der."
JohnE .R otelOl.eS,. A.,
Director AugusHteirniitaaIngn es titVuitlel, anoPv aA,
"Ab ooko fu ncommoni nteraensdti mportance."
A.M.A llchiCnh,u rch Times
"Withoaunty f orcionfgt hes ensteh,e b ookm akest heF athers
seemo urc ontemporaries."
JohnL awrencTeh,eT ablet
OliviCelre menitso neo ft hef oremoOsrtt hodotxh eologioafn s
thed ayH.e teachaetst heI nstitoufSt teS. e rgiautsP ariasn di s
am embero ft heE cumenicIanls titute fboyuL n'dlends titut
CatholiqHuiesm. a nyw orks, publiinvs ahreido luasn guages,
covearw ider angoef s ubjects.
THER OOTOSF C HRISTMIYASNT ICISM

OliviCelre ment
TheR oots
of
ChristMiyasnt icism
Texta ndc ommentary
K-P
NewC itPyr ess
New York
Publisihnet dh Uen itSetda tbeysN ewC itPyr ess
202C ardinRda.lH, y deP arkN,Y 12538
©1995N ewC itLyo,n don
TranslabtyTe hde odoBreer kelOe.yC,. Sa.nOdJ. e remy
Hummerstfornoetm h oer igiFnraeln ecdhi tiSoonu rces
© 1982E ditiSotnosc Pka,r is
Covepri ctuLraer :e surrecbtyiA oRnC ABAS
EglidseeS ainHtu guedseC hartreFursaen,c e
LibraorfCy o ngreCsast aloging-in-PDuabtlai:c ation
ClemenOtl,i vier.
[SourcEensg.l ish]
Ther oootfsC hristmiyasnt icistme xatn dc ommentaIr Oyl ivier
Clement.
Inclubdiebsl iograrpehfiecraelan ncdie nsd ex.
ISBN1 -56548-0:2$ 91-95. 95
l.M ysticism-Historcyh-uEraccrhal,3.y 0 -6002..F atheorfs
thceh urchI..T itle.
BV5075.C571139 95
248.2'2'09015-dc20 94-32957
Prinatneddb ounidnG reaBtr itain
hyT heC romwePlrle sMse,l kshWaiml,t shire
CONTENTS
Prfeace 7
Introduction 9
Abberviations 12
PARTO NE:U nderstantdhienM gy stery
1. QueEsntc,o uanntDdee rc ision 15
2.G odH,i ddaenUndn iversal 26
3.T hGeo d-Man 35
4. GodU:n iatdnyD ifference 58
5. ThHeu maVno cation 76
PARTT WO: InitiaftoirWoa nr fare
1. EcclAeP sliafaco:Rer e birth
1.B riadneMd o ther 95
2. ScriptthuFeri erS,saa tcm rent 97
3.B aptEinstmr:y N eiwLn fiteo 103
4. TheE uchaProiwsetrm, a tkDoei vine 107
5. ThEe uchaFroiusntd,ao tfi Cothnhu er ch 115
6.E uchaPrriascttiicc es 121
7. StoannePdse ople 125
2.T hIen teCroimobra t 130
3. ConfidaennHdcu eml iity 149
4. PassTiroannss fiTghuorueTgdrh,at n scended1 66
6 Contents
PART THREE:A pproacthoeC so ntemplation
1. OnP rayer
1.W hatP riarsy? e 181
2. Trials 187
3.T mieasn Pdo stfuorrP ersa yer 191
4.H owt oP r?ay 199
5. Tob ecoPmrea yer 209
2. ThGel oorfGy o d HiidnC dreena tures 213
3. Enst-Eacssytasy
1.I ntoU ntkhneo wn 230
2. Lovaen Idn ebriation 241
3. DarkLniegsGhsot d,aH' nosdu sIen,w aBridr th 246
4.T hEem braceI nofifnt ithtBheeie ;r o tfth h e
GlorBiooduys 252
5.M ardtoyrmD:e ath-and-Resurrect2i5o7n
6.D eification 263
4. ThDei ffiLcouvlet
1.T hFeo undnasot fi oLove 27 0
2. ThDee manodfLs o ve 276
3.A ParadloM xoircaality 280
4. Int hWeo rld buitt not of 286
5.H elalnt dh Ceo mmunoifSo ainn ts 296
BoigrhaipcNaolt es 309
TheoloNgoitceasl:
ArianMiosnmop,h yEsairMtloiyns ams,t icism 373
PREFACE
Christiis anifiinrt psytlt ha aecn Oe r iernetolanila,g ni idt a is
mystrieclailTg hieoasnse.s erstoiusontndrs a tnogdeia ny ,a agne
wheinit gs e nearsaslultmyhe tadotb ea C hristitaoln e amde ans
ag ooldi Afsef .op rr aywehra,t does ttobh uaatts eatm ooufn t
exerwchiisacerhse pbooitnhat nltdeei sdosuN se?v ertwhheillessts ,
oucro nssuomcehirae lsto ys fte eaflloimlrny gs tiocnti hfserm i,n ges
thearrteeh ousoapfne dotsph lier fsoitrWti h.ne gwn e tsheseeh allow
syncrtehtseie snmt,i fmacesinntaawtlii taohnn y tEhaisntgae nrdn ,
thbeo gus c'rgouwrdruiosnu'fgn o dtr h pei ckiitinse g ass,y to
sneeri.n sBtoueflta a du gthhien gC houurgtchohbt eee s x amgi nin
theciorn sciWehnocsfeea sui.lis ttt h saotm anhya vteor estoor t
Taoo rZ einno rdteorr e distcrouwvthehirswc ehra ec tupaalrlty
oft hCeh ristiarni gfhhretotr mhbi eet nganigieWn hgoh? a s hidden
frotmh etmhf ea tchtoa ft Oarliler netlailCg hiroinssit tsih aen ity
beasntmd o st cotmhpmalytes tteii;cs in seamcs e tsosh amuraytn yi
ass cieinnfco emt,o rseo I?n telrleescetmauaraybcl ehe xciting,
buittw inlollt e audst o stehceor fel tif e.w itlNhlote rr uth
bef ound tchornosuugmtheh roiuosgmfch, o urwseme u seta t.
Norw iilbtle f outnhdr ougha latchtaoicuotginihi,so n ne vitable
iwfe a rteor estoruatrie nn dteone cxyp looniaetn otThheer .
reseatrhcceho enrs,ut mhpeeor l,i atrimece iratenlh ayev atoafr s
am ucdhe ehpuerm anna tuIrnet.e lklneocwtlupeaodlsg see,s sion,
actiaolenlx, p raed sess wihrietc rha nstcheenTmdh.seh uman
beiinascg r aftfsabme-arann rda tisoanpai-leq nuisa tlwiheisc h
- -
wes hawriett hh e haiingmha(eltrsdh ifeef rebnectewu esbe eni ng
onoefd egarnendeo otfk i)nb,du mto riem portthanattnhl ayt ,
wea re cmayIlsno.t t iher owuroror odatsris enf a rcetl iagnido us
artiasnttdhi ecor,rne eof n-raotrri aotsnhuaeplrr, a -Arsas toioonn al.
aso umra tenreieaadlrss e a tidsefieenpdee,er ad sss tehretm selves.
Iitns o wt wencteyn tsuirnJiceeessd u esc ltahr'aemtda d no enso t
8 Praecfe
libvyeb reaaldo annewd'e , ktnoodwta hya te vnetonhtm e o st
effepcstyicvheo atnraelaytctmaicencun aurtles aod efe spe nosfe
disquieutsT .hw eiirtnseho atis nu peromrra env oluwthioo nary
isno bte sbeyut n appdeeassieTrdhe Fesa .t hoeftr hsCe h ristian
Churfcowhrh, o pmr awyaeasrsn atuarsba rle atdhiisncgo,v ered
thtirsu btehf woerd ei sda,y i'inBrgfld,ys fi, s hsewsia mn mda n
praIyssl'as.mp iicrw irtiutwaeolru lsla dte exrpr tehsseas m ied ea,
saytihntaghtfi e r csrtoy ft hnee w-bboarbanent dh lea bsrte ath of
thdey ing tpoegremstaohkuneep ra npdr octlhadeii mvn ianmee .
Thiasn tlhoogoyft hfier st Cmhyrsittsihtceisra menef eoatrnse
urgneenettdh o,arf te disctohmveye srtsiioncugaro lcCf eh sr istianity.
Iti sn osto m ucahna ntghyoa lsao s eleocftp iaosns ages with
ane xteanndldei dvc eolmym enTthaaeru yt.hr oerpsr ehseernet ed
don oatp pienac hrr onoolrao lgpihcaaoblre dtTeihrcee.ax lt racts
araer rangedt oaat chceoorldpoilgnasignic ,nat clhbe eo odke als
speciwfiict'ahCl hlryim sytsittaihnco'wss h,eo sspei ribteuaarlsi ty
thdee empa rokfts h ree velraetciefoirnvoG emod dM .o sotft hese
texatrshe a rtdofi nda,n mda nhya vbee eonu otfp rifnoatr
lontgi me.o fS otmwheie slmel e ams tonimsohdienorgtnlh,ye rs
moroeb scbuuratels ,lh opurlodiv net erFeosmrty isntgii.cas in s m
existaetnttiaitw aualdoy ef l, i vaitang gr eateIrit ns do ettph teh .
posseosafsn oiyno rene liogroi afon onyn Ceh urecvhae;tn h eciasnt s
bem ystBiupctes r.h Cahprsi swtiiitatfhnsr i evtsiyht w aalasib ttlyoe
reconnecgialatenia dof nfi rmiaantn iewowan y . Piewtra ahslba ep s
tou nittoeg etthdheie vra inntdeh e humnaeni cwtohhniefrlu ssti ng
nosre partahteTimhn.avg ti tiasslt ipitolysl st iobdliaeny d;te heed
vefruyt oufr eht uhmera andc eep eunpdoisntI .itm s y h ope that
OliCvlieemre nwto'rswk ic filonlne v tihnrece eao dfte hrti rsu th.
JeaCnal-udBea rreau