Down Town / Down Soul
Early Modern Mysticism, the Self & the Political
Edited by M. De Kesel Edited by I. Bocken
It is just as possible to live deep down in the innermost of the soul in the heart of ‘down town’ as it is in the quiet of a monastery cell. ‘Town’ and ‘soul’ are not in contradiction to each other. The mystics who agree on this are not the minor ones. And yet, as we read in the works of the same mystics, ‘town’ and ‘soul’-the inner path and social engagement-do not go together easily. Of course, the mystic embraces the commandment of neighborly love, but is his charity not merely an ‘instrument’ helping him-and only him-to come in closer contact with God? This and similar questions are central to Down Town / Down Soul. Part One presents studies on the typically ‘mystical’ character of the inner life. Part Two reflects upon the relationship between the mystical and the political, while Part Three returns to the soul and its abysmal-‘mystical’-condition.
It is just as possible to live deep down in the innermost of the soul in the heart of ‘down town’ as it is in the quiet of a monastery cell. ‘Town’ and ‘soul’ are not in contradiction to each other. The mystics who agree on this are not the minor ones. And yet, as we read in the works of the same mystics, ‘town’ and ‘soul’ – the inner path and social engagement – do not go together easily. Of course, the mystic embraces the commandment of neighbourly love, but is his charity not merely an ‘instrument’ helping him – and only him – to come in closer contact with God? This and similar questions are central to Down Town / Down Soul. Part One (‘Mysticism’) presents studies on the typically ‘mystical’ character of the inner life. Part Two (‘Down Town’) reflects upon the relationship between the mystical and the political, while Part Three (‘Down Soul’) returns to the soul and its abysmal – ‘mystical’ – condition.
- Edited by M. De Kesel
- Edited by I. Bocken
Other Titles in this Series
Modernity, Melancholy and Predestination
Cultural Historical, Philosophical and Psychoanalytical Perspectives on the Modern Religious Subject
Volume 33
The Spiritual Tradition in Eastern Christianity
Ascetic Psychology, Mystical Experience, and Physical Practices
Volume 26
Seeing Marguerite in the Mirror
A Linguistic Analysis of Porete's «Mirror of Simple Souls»
Volume 21
Being Seen in God
(Human Hiddenness and) Kierkegaard’s Call to Gaze in the Mirror of the Word
Volume 29
Jacob Frank’s ‘Book of the Words of the Lord’
Mystical Automythography, Religious Nihilism and the Messianic Vision of Freedom as a Realizationof Myth and Metaphor
Volume 31
Spiritual Awakening
The Hidden Key to Peace and Security, Just and Sustainable Economics, A Responsible European Union
Volume 16
Seeing the Seeker. Explorations in the Discipline of Spirituality
A Festschrift for Kees Waaijman on the Occasion of his 65th Birthday
Volume 19
Dialogical Transformation
Exploring Avenues of Interreligious Dialogue as a Practice Promoting Spiritual Growth
Volume 25
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