James Cutsinger - Not of This World: A Treasury of Christian Mysticism

About the Author and this Book

Increasingly as a composer, I want to hear God, and tend to be wary of yet another book on mysticism in any Tradition. However, James Cutsinger in Not of This World allows the masters of the Christian Tradition to speak on their own terms, thus permitting us to hear God through their unique perspective.

Sir John Tavener , composer and author

There are many anthologies of Christian mysticism, but few that range so widely as this: from the first century to the twentieth, and embracing equally Western Christianityboth Catholic and Protestantand the Christian East, even the Far East.

Andrew Louth , University of Durham, author of Origins of the Christian Mystical Tradition: From Plato to Denys

Not of This World offers proof that genuine spirituality is a common and fundamental aspect of genuine Christianity. The book is complemented by an introduction which is itself worthy of being included within the textual content of the book and an excellent bibliography that provides the reader with deeper wells to fathom. One can only express ones gratitude to the compiler of this collection, which is a powerful antidote to the superficiality of most modern expressions of Christianity.

Rama Coomaraswamy, author of The Invocation of the Name of Jesus: As Practiced in the Western Church

Written in a clear and comprehensive style, this book is an excellent introduction to the saints and sages of the Christian tradition.

Sister Ilia Delio, O.S.F. , Washington Theological Union, author of Simply Bonaventure: An Introduction to His Life, Thought, and Writings

At a time when the Christian tradition is under siege by the profane ideologies of modernity, and when Christian institutions themselves are torn by doubt and division, this anthology serves as an urgent reminder of that quintessential wisdom which cannot be compromised by the vicissitudes of time. From the days when the Master Himself walked the shores of Galilee down to our own time, the Christian mystics have been living exemplars of a transformative and sapiential spirituality wherein both love and knowledge perform their mysterious alchemy on the soul. Professor Cutsinger is to be warmly commended for his judicious selection of mystical writings and for an arrangement which enhances their perennial themes. Here, in a single volume, may be found many Christian refractions of that ever-present Light which irradiates all integral traditions.

Kenneth Oldmeadow , La Trobe University and author of Traditionalism: Religion in the Light of the Perennial Philosophy

Not of This World presents us with keys to discerning the mystery through a unique kaleidoscope of brilliant colorsall of them so delightful and wonderful, yet all of them ultimately symbolical and indicative of a reality beyond this world. This is not a book to be read lightly. The invitation is to approach with a profound sense of respect, with the same veneration with which one is able to recognize the very traces of God in places known and unknown.

John Chryssavgis , former dean of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and author of Ascent to Heaven and In the Heart of the Desert

World Wisdom

The Library of Perennial Philosophy

The Library of Perennial Philosophy is dedicated to the exposition of the timeless Truth underlying the diverse religions. This Truth, often referred to as the Sophia Perennis or Perennial Wisdomfinds its expression in the revealed Scriptures as well as the writings of the great sages and the artistic creations of the traditional worlds.

The Perennial Philosophy provides the intellectual principles capable of explaining both the formal contradictions and the underlying unity of the great religions.

Ranging from the writings of the great sages who have expressed the Sophia Perennis in the past to the perennialist authors of our time, each series of our Library has a different focus. As a whole, they express the inner unanimity, transforming radiance, and irreplaceable values of the great spiritual traditions.

Not of This World appears as one of our selections in Treasures of the World's Religions series.

Treasures of the Worlds Religions Series

This series of anthologies presents scriptures and the writings of the great spiritual authorities of the past on fundamental themes. Some titles are devoted to a single spiritual tradition, while others have a unifying topic that touches upon traditions from both the East and West, such as prayer and virtue. Some titles have a companion volume within The Perennial Philosophy series.

Cover Photograph: Courtyard of the Chapel of the
Burning Bush, St Catherines Monastery, Mt Sinai

Not of This World

A Treasury of Christian Mysticism

Compiled and edited by

James S. Cutsinger

Not of This World
A Treasury of Christian Mysticism
2003 World Wisdom, Inc.

All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced
in any manner without written permission,
except in critical articles and reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Not of this world : a treasury of Christian mysticism / compiled and
edited by James S. Cutsinger.
p. cm. --(Treasures of the world's religions)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-941532-41-0 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1.Mysticism--Christianity. I. Cutsinger, James S., 1953- II. Series.

BV5082.3.N68 2003
248.2'2--dc21
2003000583

Printed on acid-free paper in Canada
For information address World Wisdom, Inc.

P.O.Box 2682, Bloomington, Indiana 47402-2682

www.worldwisdom.com

For Monica, Brigid, Felicity, and Aidan
with prayers for their journey

You are going, not indeed in search of the New World, like Columbus and his adventurers, nor yet an Other World that is to come, but in search of the Other World that now is, and ever has been, though undreamt of by the many, and by the greater part even of the Few.Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Introduction

M y kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). Guided by these words of their Master, Christian mystics have never been at home in this world. Far from being escapists, however, the best of them have always kept a firm hold on the important word this . Gods kingdom is certainly not of this worldthe fallen world of corruption, competition, and death. But beneath the surface of this , the Gospel teaches that there is also a that : a world so loved (John 3:16) by God that He has entered it fully in order to make it one with Himself. The true mystic confirms this teaching, assuring us that we can partake of that oneness even in the midst of our present life. Somewhere on the other side of what seemsright in front of us, if we would only lookthere exists something more: an Other World that now is, infused with Divine presence and power, and shimmering through our most cherished moments of beauty and love.

Beginning in the early years of the Church, the journey of those who were in search of that world, and who were prepared to dedicate themselves fully to this most fruitful of quests, was divided into three major stages: Purification, Illumination, and Union. This treasury of Christian mystical writings has been designed with that same basic pattern in mind.

First of all, the chains which bind us to the world of appearances must be broken. This is the goal of the first part of the journeya goal that is reached by climbing the steps of severity, simplicity, and purity. Our selfish solicitude and fearful desire for control have resulted in a kind of imprisonment, and we are locked inside our own fantasies, indifferent to the God who exists beyond them. We must therefore be strict with ourselves, eliminating what is excessive and wasteful, and cleansing the doors of our perception. Purification is necessary because the Divine is transcendent.

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