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.

Judaism

Ashlag, Yehuda L., a rabbi versed in Lurianic Kabbalah.: Ashlag, Yehuda L. A Study of the Ten Luminous Emanations from Rabbi Isaac Luria. Trans. Levi I. Krakovsky. New York: Press of the "Research Centre of Kabbalah" for the Dissemination of the Study of Kabbalah, 1969.
Matt, Daniel C., a contemporary professor at the Center for Jewish Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkley, California.: Matt, Daniel C. The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1995.
ISBN 0062511645.
Scholem, Gershom, The twentieth century's most prominent scholar dedicated to the academic study of Kabbalah.: Scholem, Gershom. Kabbalah. Jerusalem: Keter Publishing House Jerusalem Ltd., 1974.
ISBN 0452010071
Tanakh, the Jewish Holy Scriptures; it consists of the Torah, the Nevi'im, and the Kethuvim.: Tanakh: A New Translation of The Holy Scriptures According to the Traditional Hebrew Text. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1985.
ISBN 0827603665
URL ftp://obi.std.com/obi/Religion/Tanach/ (The Tanakh is available here in compressed form for downloading)

Christianity

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

Thomas � 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

Sufism / Islam

'Abd al-Kader, a mystic who lived from 1807 to 1883; the latter portion of his life was spent in Damascus.: 'Abd al-Kader. The Spiritual Writings of 'Abd al-Kader. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, 1995.
ISBN 0791424464
Burckhardt, Titus, a twentieth century scholar dedicated to the study of Sufism and Islam.: Burckhardt, Titus. Introduction to Sufism. San Francisco: Thorsons (An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers), 1995.
ISBN 1855384582
Ibn `Arabi, a mystic and prominent theologian who lived from 1165 to 1240 C.E. He was born and raised in Spain, but spent much of his adult life in Damascus.: Corbin, Henry. Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn `Arabi. Trans. Ralph Manheim. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1969.
ISBN 0691018286
Ibn `Ata'Allah, a 13th century Sufi master.: Ahmad Ibn `Ata'Allah. The Key To Salvation: A Sufi Manual of Invocation. Trans. Mary Ann Koury Danner. Cambridge: The Islamic Texts Society, 1996.
ISBN 0946621276
Rabi�a al-Adawiyya, an eighth century, female mystic.: Rabi�a al-Adawiyya. Doorkeeper of the heart : versions of Rabia. Trans. Charles Upton. Putney, Vt.: Threshold Books, 1988
ISBN 0939660245
Jalaluddin Rumi, a prominent, thirteenth-century mystic and poet.: Jalaluddin Rumi. The Essential Rumi. Trans. Coleman Barks with John Moyne. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1995
ISBN 0062509586; Jalaluddin Rumi. Signs of the Unseen: The Discourses of Jalaluddin Rumi. Trans. W.M. Thackston, Jr. Putney, Vermont: Threshold Books, 1994
ISBN 0939660342; Jalaluddin Rumi. The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi. Trans. William C. Chittick. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, 1983
ISBN 0873957245
Vaughan-Lee, Llewellyn, a contemporary anthologist of Sufi works.: Vaughan-Lee, Llewellyn. Travelling the Path of Love. Inverness, California: The Golden Sufi Center, 1995
ISBN 096345742X

Hinduism

Abhinavagupta, one of the greatest exponents of non-dual, Kashmir Shaivism. His literary works probably date from 990 to 1014 C.E.: Muller-Ortega, Paul Eduardo. The Triadic Heart of Shiva: Kaula Tantricism of Abhinavagupta in the Non-Dual Shaivism of Kashmir. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, 1989.
ISBN 0887067875.
The Bhagavad Gita, This is one of Hinduism's most sacred literary works.: The Bhagavad Gita. Trans. Eknath Easwaran. Tomales, CA.: Nilgiri Press, 1985.
ISBN 0915132354
Patanjali, author of the work known as Yoga Sutras, which scholars believe was composed sometime between the fourth century B.C. to the fourth century A.D. The book cited below is a translation of the Yoga Sutras, including an extensive commentary.: Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood. How to Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali. New York: New American Library, 1953.
ISBN 0451627598
Ramakrishna, lived in India between 1836 and 1886. According to Mahatma Gandhi, "The story of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa's life is a story of religion in practice. His life enables us to see God face to face.": Mahendranath Gupta. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. Trans. Swami Nikhilananda. New York: Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, 1942, 1948, 1958.
ISBN 0911206027
The Upanishads, among a number of sacred works cherished by Hindus: The Upanishads. Trans. Eknath Easwaran. Tomales, CA.: Nilgiri Press, 1987.
ISBN 0915132397
Vasishtha, a central character in the literary work known as Vasishtha's Yoga, also known as the Maharamayana. In this work, a human (Vasishtha) instructs God (Rama) in the universal truths. The author of this work is unknown.: Vasishtha's Yoga. Trans. Swami Venkatesananda. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, 1993.
ISBN 0791413640
The Vijñâna Bhairava, one of the more important treatises within non-dual Kashmir Shaivism. Presents 112 techniques for bringing Ultimate Reality into view.: The Yoga of delight, wonder, and astonishment. Trans. Jaidava Singh. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, 1991.
ISBN 0791410730 or 0791410749

Buddhism

Theravada Buddhism

The Dhammapada, a collection of the Buddha's sayings which were compiled during the third century BC.

The Dhammapada. Trans. John Richards. Pembrokeshire (UK), 1993.
URL http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/freenet/rootdir/menus/sigs/religion/buddhism/introduction/sutras/dhammapada.html

Zen Buddhism

Bodhidharma, the first patriarch of Zen Buddhism. He is responsible for bringing Zen from India to China during the 5th century AD.: Bodhidharma. The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma. Trans. Red Pine. New York: North Point Press, 1987.
ISBN 0865473994.
Merzel, Dennis Genpo, a contemporay teacher of Zen. In the work listed below he discusses Verses on the Faith Mind, which is the first known poem to expound Zen Buddhism. It was reputedly written by the third patriarch of Zen Buddhism during the latter half of the 6th Century AD.: Merzel, Dennis Genpo. The Eye never sleeps: Striking to the heart of zen. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1991.
ISBN 0877735697
Takuan Soho, abbot of an important Zen monastery in Kyoto, Japan at the beginning of the 17th century AD. This particular work is addressed to a samurai and conveys its teaching through the use martial art metaphors.: Takuan Soho. The Unfettered Mind. Trans. William Scott Wilson. Tokyo: Kodansha International Ltd., 1986.
ISBN 087011851X

Tibetan Buddhism

Sogyal Rinpoche, a contemporary teacher of Tibetan Buddhism. His works are geared to explaining Tibetan Buddhism to the West.: Sogyal Rinpoche. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1993.
ISBN 006250834

Taoism

Note that authors of Taoist books frequently attributed the authorship of their books to Lao Tsu in order to signify that their books were a product of his school of thought.

Chuang Tzu, a Taoist sage who lived sometime before 250 B.C.: Chuang Tzu. The Way of Chuang Tzu. Translator/Editor Thomas Merton. New York: New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1965.
ISBN 0877736766
The Hua Hu Ching, a book that Lao Tsu allegedly wrote sometime after the Tao Te Ching.: Lao Tzu. Hua Hu Ching: The Unknown Teachings of Lao Tzu. Trans. Brian Walker. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992.
ISBN 0060692456
Shui-ch'ing Tzu, a pseudonym for the author of a commentary on the T'ai Shang Ch'ing-ching Ching, a work that's part of the Taoist canon. The date of the commentary hasn't been ascertained.: Lao-tzu. Cultivating Stillness: A Taoist Manual for Transforming Body and Mind. Trans. Eva Wong. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1992.
ISBN 0877736871
The Tao Te Ching, the book on which Taoism is based.: Lao Tsu. Tao Te Ching. Trans. Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English. New York: Vintage Books, 1972.
ISBN 039471833X
URL: Different English translations of the Tao Teh Ching are available at http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/taoism/ttc-list.htm