Switch to Jewish, Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, or Taoist mystics, theologians and scriptures.

Christian mystics, theologians and scriptures

Select the hyperlinked name of a mystic, theologian, or scripture in order to view quotations drawn from that particular source. Citations for that source appear below.

Patristic Sources

The Bible, the Holy Scriptures of Christianity.: The Bible. King James Version, unless otherwise noted. Hyperlinked citations lead off-site to The WWW Bible Gateway where alternative translations of the cited passage are available.
St. Cyril of Alexandria, lived in the Egyptian city of Alexandria from 378 to 444. As a theologian, he played a pivotal role in shaping the Church's understanding of the Incarnation.: Burghardt, Walter J., S.J. The Image of God in Man according to Cyril of Alexandria. Washington: Catholic University of America Press, 1957.
OCLC 755128; Cyril of Alexandria. Commentary on the Gospel of St. Luke. Trans. Robert Payne Smith. United States: Studion Publishers, 1983.
ISBN 0943670012; Cyril of Alexandria. Cyril of Alexandria: Select Letters. Trans. Lionel R. Wickham. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1983.
ISBN 0198268106; Cyril of Alexandria. On the Unity of Christ. Trans. John Anthony McGuckin. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1995.
ISBN 0881411337
The Desert Fathers, individuals who retreated to the deserts of North Africa during the fourth century to lead ascetical, contemplative lives.: The sayings of the Desert Fathers : the alphabetical collection. Trans. Benedicta Ward, SLG. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Cistercian Publications Inc., 1984, 1975.
ISBN 087909592
OCLC 12010493
St. Gregory of Nazianzus, also known as St. Gregory the Theologian. He lived from 329 to 390 CE in what's now known as Turkey. He played an important role in expounding and defending the Church's doctrines which pertain to the mystery of the Holy Trinity.: Gregory of Nazianzus. Orations. Trans. under the editorial supervision of Philip Schaff and Henry Wace.
URL http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/NPNF2-07/TOC.htm#TopOfPage (Located half-way down this page)
St. John Climacus, also known as John Scholasticus, John of the Ladder and John of Sinai. He lived during the latter half of the sixth century and the beginning of the seventh, possibly from 579-649 AD. His book, The Ladder of Divine Ascent has been one of the most well-read books on spiritual life in Eastern Christendom.: John Climacus. The Ladder of Divine Ascent. Trans. Colm Luibheid and Norman Russell. Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1982.
ISBN 0809123304
OCLC 8904149

Eastern Orthodox Sources

Anonymous, an individual familiar with the literature of Orthodox Christianity who graciously supplied the quotations appearing at this web site.: Anonymous. Selected Readings from Orthodox Christianity. Published here.
The Lenten Triodion, liturgical prayers recited by the Eastern Orthodox Church during the season of Lent. I've drawn quotation from two different English translations of The Lenten Triodion; if a page number is cited, the quotation was drawn from a translation by Mother Mary and Archimandrite Kallistos Ware. Otherwise the citation will include the keyword, online, meaning that the quotation was drawn from an edition that was translated by The Community of the Holy Myrrbearers and which has subsequently been published online.: The Lenten Triodion. Trans. The Community of the Holy Myrrbearers.
URL http://www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPag/prayers/triodion/triodion.html; The Lenten Triodion. Trans. Mother Mary and Archimandrite Kallistos Ware. London: Faber and Faber, 1977.
ISBN 0571112536
The Philokalia, an 18th century anthology of Orthodox spirituality that was compiled from texts which had been written between the fourth and fifteenth centruies.: St. Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarios of Corinth. The Philokalia, The Complete Text. Trans. G.E.H. Palmer; Philip Sherrard; and Kallistos Ware. London: Faber and Faber Limited, (Vol. 1) 1979, (Vol. 2) 1981
ISBN (Vol. 1) 0571130135
ISBN (Vol. 2) 0571154662
St. Symeon the New Theologian, a mystic who lived from 949 to 1022 A.D. in the Byzantine Empire. His writings stress that mystical experience is accessible to all Christians who prepare themselves to receive it.: Symeon the New Theologian. Symeon the New Theologian: The Discourses. Trans. C.J. de Catanzaro. Ramsey, N.J.: Paulist Press, 1980.
ISBN 0809102927; Symeon the New Theologian. On the Mystical Life: The Ethical Discourses. Trans. Alexander Golitzin. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1996.
ISBN (Vol. 2) 0881411434

Roman Catholic Sources

Bl. Angela of Foligno, a professed member of Third Order of St. Francis, she lived from 1248 through 1309 in Italy.

Angela of Foligno. Angela of Foligno: Complete Works. Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1993.
ISBN 0809133660

Anonymous author of "The Cloud of Unknowing", an English monk from the late 14th century.

Anonymous. The Cloud of Unknowing and Other Works. Trans. Clifton Wolters. New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc., 1961, 1978.
ISBN 0140443851
URL http://www.ccel.org/ccel/anonymous2/cloud.html

St. Catherine of Siena, one of the few women who have been granted the title of Doctor of the Roman Catholic Church. She lived from 1347 through 1380 in Italy.

Catherine of Siena. Catherine of Siena: The Dialogue.Trans. Suzanne Noffke, O.P. Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1980.
ISBN 0809122332
URL http://www.ccel.org/c/catherine/dialog/ (Public domain version)

St. John of the Cross, a Spanish Mystic, who lived from 1542 to 1591.

John of the Cross. Ascent of Mount Carmel. Trans. E. Allison Peers.
URL: http://www.ccel.org/j/john_cross/ascent/

Julian of Norwich, an English mystic who lived from 1342 to 1413.

Julian of Norwich. Revelations of Divine Love. Ed. Grace Warrack
URL: http://www.ccel.org/j/julian/revelations/

Brother Lawrence, a French monk who lived from 1611 to 1691.

Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection. The Practice of the Presence of God. Mount Vernon, NY: Peter Pauper Press, Inc., 1963.
ISBN 08808880511
OCLC 4538985
URL http://www.ccel.org/l/lawrence/practice/

Thomas Merton, an American, Trappist monk who lived from 1915 to 1968.

Thomas Merton. Thoughts in solitude. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1956, 1958.
ISBN 087773920X

Nicholas of Cusa, lived from 1401 to 1464 CE. Among other things, he was a papal adviser, vicar-general, and cameraius in Rome.

Nicholas of Cusa. Nicholas of Cusa: Selected Spiritual Writings. Trans. Hugh Lawrence Bond. Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1997.
ISBN 0809133988

St. Teresa of Avila, a Spanish mystic who lived in Spain from 1515 to 1582. She has been honored with the title of Doctor of the Roman Catholic Church.

Teresa of Avila. Interior Castle. Trans. E. Allison Peers. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1990.
ISBN 0385036434
URL http://www.catholicfirst.com/TheFaith/CatholicClassics/StTeresa/castle/interiorcastle.htm

Thomas à Kempis, a 15th century, German priest who belonged to the monastic order known as "The Brothers of the Common Life."

Thomas à Kempis. The Imitation of Christ. Trans. Richard Whitford, moderenized by Harold C. Gardiner. New York: Doubleday, 1955. (Source of quotations at this web site)
ISBN 038502861X

Trans. Aloysius Croft and Harold Bolton
URL http://www.catholicfirst.com/TheFaith/CatholicClassics/TKempis/IofChrist.htm

The same translation is available at CCEL, but the last time I looked, there was some technical glitch, and the book, which downloads as a single file, was being truncated about two-thirds the way through. I reported the problem, and hopefully it will be fixed. Here's the URL: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/kempis/imitation.all.html

Protestant Sources

Jacob Boehme, a German mystic who lived from 1575 to 1624. He sprung from the Lutheran church, but Luntheran authorities rejected his teaching and threatened him with imprisonment.: Jacob Boehme. The Supersensual Life. Trans. William Law.
URL http://www.ccel.org/b/boehme/way/
Aiden Wilson Tozer, a mainstream, 20th century Protestant pastor from Chicago. He lived from 1897 to 1963.: A. W. Tozer. The Pursuit of God. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 1982.

Heretical or Proscribed Sources

The Roman Catholic Church has deemed that the writings of the following individuals contain material which does not accord with church doctrine. In some cases the author has also been condemned as being a heretic (as in the case of Marguerite Porete), while in other cases the author is not regarded as a heretic even though his or her writings have been proscribed (as in the case of Meister Eckhart).

Meister Eckhart, lived between 1260 and 1326 AD. A member of the Dominican Order, he held senior ecclesistical and teaching posts all over Europe. Following his death, a number of his teachings were repudiated by the Roman Catholic Church.: Meister Eckhart. Meister Eckhart: Selected Writings. Trans. Oliver Davies. New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc., 1994.
ISBN 0140433430
Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de la Motte-Guyon, a French, Catholic mystic who lived from 1648 to 1717. Her doctrine was repudiated by the pope and the bishops of France, and the Catholic church imprisoned her for a number of years. Although she recanted before her death, her teachings have been embraced by Protestants in Germany, Switzerland, and England, and among Methodists in America.: Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de la Motte-Guyon. Autobiography of Madame Guyon.
URL http://www.ccel.org/g/guyon/
Marguerite Porete, a mystic whose writings were condemned by the French Inquisition, and who was subsequently burned at the stake June 1st, 1310.: Marguerite Porete. Marguerite Porete: The Mirror of Simple Souls. Trans. Ellen L. Babinsky. Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1993.
ISBN 0809134276