Another good one. It builds on the themes of St. Gregory of Nyssa and Dionysius regarding the "bright darkness of God" being beyond human capacity - but still a delight to the soul.
Another great read. If you care about Christian mysticism, you can’t skip the Book of Ezekiel either.
He literally sees God (chariot, fire, wheels within wheels, and creatures that defy imagination). That vision isn’t just wild and chaotic. It’s the blueprint for how mystics understand encountering God, since it shows how the divine actually shows up in the world. It shows how to see the cosmic structure that everything participates in.
And then there’s the temple vision, where Ezekiel sees the measures of every wall, courtyard, and altar. Without any background in Christian mysticism, it's just numbers and plans. But really it's a symbol for restoring divine order (in the world and in the soul).
Lovely piece! I’ve read Dante’s Inferno but I haven’t read The Divine Comedy its entirety. Thankfully, I have a beautiful edition on hand from Barnes & Noble, so I might begin reading it soon. I haven’t read anything else on here but they seem like excellent recommendations.
The Boulding translation was my first reading of Augustine’s “Confessions” and I agree with Studio007 that it is a beautiful translation. I also liked reading the Sheed translation.
I recommend Anthony Esolen’s book on the Prologue of John, which is a great resource for meditation.
I also recommend 100 Days of Dante, an online resource and reading group for Dante’s “Divine Comedy” and the Durling translation for all three volumes which have copious footnotes if you really want to dive deep.
As for the other seven must-reads, I have a lot of work to do. Shall I read the “Symposium” now or wait until next year (I am following Ascend: The Great Books Podcast) or maybe “The Ladder of Divine Ascent”?
Reading them in chronological order is always good, as one text often builds upon the other. The Symposium is beautiful, but can be difficult to understand, as it is very different than other dialogues - it is a collection of speeches.
When I saw John's being selected among Gospels, only one Gospel in the list, and that "this is the mystic one", I knew the list wasn't by a mystic, someone aware of mysticism, or someone with an interest and awareness of Jesus going beyond the brainy and cultural.
What about The Cloud of Unknowing?
Important too. Perhaps not included above as The Life of Moses deals with similar issues: Divine Darkness.
Another good one. It builds on the themes of St. Gregory of Nyssa and Dionysius regarding the "bright darkness of God" being beyond human capacity - but still a delight to the soul.
Not sure if this one is relevant, but Boethius's The Consolation of Philosophy is a great read!
Yes, a phenomenal text that easily could have been on this list.
The Works of St. Augustine, A translation fort the 21st Century
"The Confessions" introduction, translation and notes - Maria Boulding, O.S.B.
(New City Press) This is a beautiful, lyrical translation. Highly recommend.
Thank you.
Heard good things about that translation. Sheed is also very good.
Another great read. If you care about Christian mysticism, you can’t skip the Book of Ezekiel either.
He literally sees God (chariot, fire, wheels within wheels, and creatures that defy imagination). That vision isn’t just wild and chaotic. It’s the blueprint for how mystics understand encountering God, since it shows how the divine actually shows up in the world. It shows how to see the cosmic structure that everything participates in.
And then there’s the temple vision, where Ezekiel sees the measures of every wall, courtyard, and altar. Without any background in Christian mysticism, it's just numbers and plans. But really it's a symbol for restoring divine order (in the world and in the soul).
That is a fascinating description of Ezekiel!
Any books exploring these ideas on Ezekiel? Ezekiel is full of fascinating imagery.
Not a classical work but Matthieu Pageau's 'The Language of Creation'.
Here's a quote: "the dichotomy of the lion and the bull
symbolizes the interactions between meaning and matter. More specifically,
the lion eats the flesh of the bull which in turn becomes the
body that hosts the lion’s spirit. Therefore, this pattern is a miniature
re-presentation of the basic interactions between heaven/spirit and
earth/body as described throughout this section."
Thank you!
Great list. Thank you for sharing. One that I would put at the absolute top of my own list is The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac of Ninevah.
Lovely piece! I’ve read Dante’s Inferno but I haven’t read The Divine Comedy its entirety. Thankfully, I have a beautiful edition on hand from Barnes & Noble, so I might begin reading it soon. I haven’t read anything else on here but they seem like excellent recommendations.
They are all worth your time - and Dante's Comedy is beautiful. Purgatorio is very good, especially the Esolen or Musa translations.
The Boulding translation was my first reading of Augustine’s “Confessions” and I agree with Studio007 that it is a beautiful translation. I also liked reading the Sheed translation.
I recommend Anthony Esolen’s book on the Prologue of John, which is a great resource for meditation.
I also recommend 100 Days of Dante, an online resource and reading group for Dante’s “Divine Comedy” and the Durling translation for all three volumes which have copious footnotes if you really want to dive deep.
As for the other seven must-reads, I have a lot of work to do. Shall I read the “Symposium” now or wait until next year (I am following Ascend: The Great Books Podcast) or maybe “The Ladder of Divine Ascent”?
Reading them in chronological order is always good, as one text often builds upon the other. The Symposium is beautiful, but can be difficult to understand, as it is very different than other dialogues - it is a collection of speeches.
I read the first, second, fourth, and ninth writings. This means six new sources of knowledge to peruse and to learn from. Most grateful.
They are all excellent reads - especially when you start to note the major shared themes amongst them. A lot of wisdom.
Ever noticed that all existing metaphysics (that I am aware of) are either teleological and deterministic or else cyclical and futile?
Certainly applies to Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Platonism, Stoicism, Buddhism, Marxism, Hinduism, Taoism Gnosticism etc etc
Contingent Agonism (Agonicism) offers a spiritual third way.
What if the fate of all things, both material and insensible, is as yet undetermined?
What if we are all unwitting conscripts in an unresolved metaphysical war?
What if agency is real and reality is contingent?
Wouldn’t that be something?
And why has nobody suggested such a thing before?
When I saw John's being selected among Gospels, only one Gospel in the list, and that "this is the mystic one", I knew the list wasn't by a mystic, someone aware of mysticism, or someone with an interest and awareness of Jesus going beyond the brainy and cultural.