The Cell of Self-Knowledge - Seven Early English Mystical TreatisesFrom the end of the thirteenth to the beginning of the fifteenth century may be called the golden age of mystical literature in the vernacular. In Germany, we find Mechthild of Magdeburg (d. 1277), Meister Eckhart (d. 1327), Johannes Tauler (d. 1361), and Heinrich Suso (d. 1365); in Flanders, Jan Ruysbroek (d. 1381); in Italy, Dante Alighieri himself (d. 1321), Jacopone da Todi (d. 1306), St. Catherine of Siena (d. 1380), and many lesser writers who strove, in prose or in poetry, to express the hidden things of the spirit, the secret intercourse of the human soul with the Divine, no longer in the official Latin of the Church, but in the language of their own people, "a man's own vernacular," which "is nearest to him, inasmuch as it is most closely united to him."
Contents:I. A very Devout Treatise, named Benjamin, of the Mights and Virtues of Man's Soul, and of the Way to True Contemplation, compiled by a Noble and Famous Doctor, a man of great holiness and devotion, named Richard of Saint Victor
The Prologue
Cap. I. How the Virtue of Dread riseth in the Affection
Cap. II. How Sorrow riseth in the Affection
Cap. III. How Hope riseth in the Affection
Cap. IV. How Love riseth in the Affection
Cap. V. How the Double Sight of Pain and Joy riseth in the Imagination
Cap. VI. How the Virtues of Abstinence and Patience rise in the Sensuality
Cap. VII. How Joy of Inward Sweetness riseth in the Affection
Cap. VIII. How Perfect Hatred of Sin riseth in the Affection
Cap. IX. How Ordained Shame riseth and groweth in the Affection
Cap. X. How Discretion and Contemplation rise in the Reason
II. Divers Doctrines Devout and Fruitful, taken out of the Life of that Glorious Virgin and Spouse of Our Lord, Saint Katherin of Seenes
III. A Short Treatise of Contemplation taught by Our Lord Jesu Christ, or taken out of the Book of Margery Kempe, Ancress of Lynn
IV. A Devout Treatise compiled by Master Walter Hylton of the Song of Angels
V. A Devout Treatise called the Epistle of Prayer
VI. A very necessary Epistle of Discretion in Stirrings of the Soul
VII. A Devout Treatise of Discerning of Spirits, very necessary for Ghostly Livers
174 pages, 6.23 MB, PDF. Scan.
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Alan Watts - Myth and Ritual in ChristianityRe-examines Christianity as a vital and illuminating myth, a complex of stories which human beings regard as demonstrations of the inner meaning of the Universe and of human life.
"Not only do we see how the complicated pattern of Christian ritual has evolved from events recorded in the Old and New Testaments, but much of the symbolism of other religions, much of the thought of philosophers and poets down the ages seems to fall miraculously into place within the overall scheme of things."
CONTENTSPREFACE
PROLOGUE
I. In the Beginning
II. God and Satan
III. Advent
IV. Christmas and Epiphany
V. The Passion
VI. From Easter to Pentecost
VII. The Four Last Things
GLOSSARY
INDEX
286 pages, 20.6 MB, PDF. Scan.
Kod:
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Evelyn Underhill - The Golden Sequence, a Fourfold Study of the Spiritual Life"This is a personal little book. Its aim is not the establishment of some new thesis. It merely represents the precipitation of my own thoughts, as they have moved to and fro during the last few years, along a line which has the spiritual doctrine of St. John of the Cross at one end, and the philosophy of Professor Whitehead at the other: though I fear that few traces of the influence of these august god-parents appear in the finished result. The book, then, does not pretend to completeness; and is not to be regarded as a treatise, still less as a manual of the spiritual life. It consists of what ancient writers on these themes were accustomed to call 'considerations'; offered to those who share the writer's passion for the exploration of the realities, and interpretation of the experiences, which are signified by the familiar words and symbols of dogmatic religion.
CONTENTSSPIRIT
I WHAT IS SPIRIT?
II GOD IS SPIRIT
III SPIRIT AS POWER
IV SPIRIT AS PERSON
V THE REVELATION OF SPIRIT
SPIRITUAL LIFE
I CREATED SPIRIT
II MAN NATURAL AND SUPERNATURAL
III CREATIVE SPIRIT
IV LIFE FINITE AND INFINITE
V THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT
VI THE TWOFOLD LIFE
PURIFICATION
I THE ESSENCE OF PURGATION
II THE CLEANSING OF THE SENSES
III THE CLEANSING OF THE INTELLECT
IV MEMORY AND IMAGINATION
V WILL AND LOVE
PRAYER
I THE SPAN OF PRAYER
II ADORATION
III COMMUNION
IV ACTION
V CONCLUSION
213 pages, 3.79 MB, PDF. Scan.
Kod:
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E. Herman - The Meaning and Value of MysticismOriginally published in 1915, this is a detailed investigation into mysticism and its place in the world at the time of publication. The author raises some interesting and thought-provoking questions, such as the relationship between mysticism and Christianity. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive.
Contents: The Nature of Mystic Apprehension - The Psychic Phenomena of Mysticism - The Contemplative Ideal - Some Elements of the Contemplative Life - A Typical Mystic: Blessed Angela De Foligno - Mysticism and Nature: Asceticism - Mysticism and nature: Symbolism - Mysticism and Philosophy - Mysticism and Theology - Mysticism and Eschatology
420 pages, 16.5 MB, PDF. Scan.
Kod:
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E. Hershey Sneath - At One with the Invisible; Studies in MysticismThis book is the outgrowth of a seminar in mysticism recently conducted at Yale University. There is an element of mysticism in all religion, and the aim of the seminar was to study its various aspects in the religious experience and teachings of those in whom it was conspicuous.
Contents:
Mysticism of: Hebrew Prophets, Jesus, Augustine, Dante, Meister Eckhart, St. Theresa, George Fox, Wordsworth; Mysticism in India and in Islam; Mystical Experience of St. Paul.
314 pages, 24.6 MB, PDF. Scan.
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Anna Wierzbicka - What Did Jesus Mean, Explaining the Sermon on the Mount and the Parables in Simple and Universal Human ConceptsIn this highly interdisciplinary work, linguist Anna Wierzbicka casts new light on the words of Jesus by taking her well-known semantic theory of "universal human concepts"- concepts which are intuitively understandable and self-explanatory across languages-and bringing it to bear on Jesus' parables and the Sermon on the Mount. Her approach results in strikingly novel interpretations of the Gospels. Written in dialogue with other biblical commentators, What Did Jesus Mean? is both scholarly rigorous yet accessible.
Contents: 1. Introduction
1. "What did Jesus mean"—Is it worth asking?
2. Different questions about Jesus
3. Conceptual primes and universal human concepts—new tools for the study of Jesus' sayings
4. An illustration
5. Is it possible to separate the universal aspect of Jesus' teaching from its cultural context?
6. Paradoxes of inculturation
7. Universal words: Unfamiliar but not unintelligible
8. The importance of Jesus' Jewish context for the understanding of his teaching
9. Jesus, the teacher of timeless truths?
10. An illustration: The "kingdom of God" explained in universal human concepts
11. The meaning of the word God
12. The search for a coherent picture
PART I: THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
2. The Beatitudes
1. Introduction: The importance of the Beatitudes
2. Basic facts about the Beatitudes
3. Who are the "weeping" ones?
4. Who are the "hungry"?
5. Who are the "poor"?
6. Who are the "meek" (Matthew's praeis)?
7. Exploring the image of the lamb and some related New Testament images
8. Who are the "persecuted"?
9. What does it mean to be "blessed"?
10. Conclusion
3. You Have Heard . . . But I Say to You . . .
1. Jesus fulfils the Law
2. Whoever is angry with his brother . . .
3. Whoever divorces his wife . . .
4. Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her . . .
5. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out
6. Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No', 'No'
7. Turn die other cheek
8. Love your enemies
9. "The righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees"
4. Other Key Sayings
1. You are the salt of the earth
2. When you do a charitable deed do not sound a trumpet
3. Do not let your left hand know . . .
4- When you pray, go into your room
5. When you fast, anoint your head
6. Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven
7. The eye is the lamp of the body
8. You cannot serve God and mammon
9. Consider the lilies of the field
10. Do not judge
11. Ask, and it will be given to you
12. The golden rule
13. Enter by the narrow gate
14. Do people gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
15. The will of my Father
16. Building on the rock
5. The Lord's Prayer
1. Introduction
2. The meaning and significance of the word abba
3. "Father" as a metaphor
4. God as someone
5 What does God's fatherhood mean (in Jesus' teaching)?
6. Hallowed be thy name
7. Thy kingdom come
8. Give us this day our daily bread
9. And forgive us our sins
10. For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us
11. And do not lead us into temptation
12. Conclusion
PART II: THE PARABLES
6. The Sower
7. The Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price
8. The Leaven and The Mustard Seed
9. The Lost Sheep and The Lost Coin
10. The Prodigal Son
11. The Unforgiving Servant
12. The Laborers in the Vineyard
13. The Servant's Reward
14. The Great Feast
15. The Last Judgment
16. The Good Samaritan
17. The Rich Man and Lazarus
18. The Rich Fool
19. The Doorkeeper
20. The Talents
21. The Dishonest Steward
22. The Unjust Judge and the Friend at Midnight
23. The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
PART III: CONCLUSIONS AND FURTHER PERSPECTIVES
24. An Overall Picture of Jesus' Teaching
25. Implications for Theology; Christianity in a Nutshell
26. Language: A Key Issue in Understanding Jesus and Christianity
Notes
References
Index
524 pages, 8.93 MB, PDF. Scan.
Kod:
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Robin R. Meyers - Saving Jesus from the Church; How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following JesusCountless thoughtful people are now so disgusted with the marriage of bad theology and hypocritical behavior by the church that a new Reformation is required in which the purpose of religion itself is reimagined.
Meyers takes the best of biblical scholarship and recasts these core Christian concepts to exhort the church to pursue an alternative vision of the Christian life:
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE A Preacher’s Nightmare: Am I a Christian?
ONE Jesus the Teacher, Not the Savior
TWO Faith as Being, Not Belief
THREE The Cross as Futility, Not Forgiveness
FOUR Easter as Presence, Not Proof
FIVE Original Blessing, Not Original Sin
SIX Christianity as Compassion, Not Condemnation
SEVEN Discipleship as Obedience, Not Observance
EIGHT Justice as Covenant, Not Control
NINE Prosperity as Dangerous, Not Divine
TEN Religion as Relationship, Not Righteousness
EPILOGUE A Preacher’s Dream: Faith as Following Jesus
This is not a call to the church to move to the far left or to try something brand new. Rather, it is the recovery of something very old. Saving Jesus from the Church shows us what it means to be a Christian and how to follow Jesus' teachings today.
252 pages, 1.13 MB, PDF.
Kod:
http://www.4shared.com/document/EU-ewS7-/Robin_R_Meyers_-_Saving_Jesus_.html
Samuel Willard Crompton - Emanuel Swedenborg (Spiritual Leaders and Thinkers)CONTENTS
Foreword by Martin E.Marty
Dreams and Visions
Young Swedenborg and Old Sweden
Adventures Abroad
The Mature Man of Science
The Great Change
Heavenly Secrets
Heaven and Hell
The Last Years
Swedenborg’s Legacy
Appendix
Chronology and Timeline
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
Further Reading
Index
124 pages, 566 KB, PDF.
Kod:
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Watchman Nee - Spiritual ManThis is a complete presentation on the workings of the human spirit and soul and body. The book aims at delivering people from the tyranny of self life with its carnality and from the domination of the passions and lusts of the flesh. It attempts to lead them to the full salvation of Christ. It is not to be taken as a manual but as a guide to true spirituality. It is recommended that this three volume work be read quickly through once. Then, lay it aside and wait until the Holy Spirit leads one into a certain stage of spiritual life when knowledge and understanding are needed. Turn, then to the special section of the book dealing with that particular experience for enlightenment. Thus, it will be realized that in Thy light, shall we see light (Ps. 36.9 ). May God use this book to help people in their journeying towards the spiritual.
CONTENTSPart ONE: INTRODUCTION ON SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY
1 Spirit, Soul and Body
2 Spirit and Soul
3 The Fall of Man
4 Salvation
Part TWO:THE FLESH
1 The Flesh and Salvation
2 The Fleshly or Carnal Believer
3 The Cross and the Holy Spirit
4 The Boastings of the Flesh
5 The Believer’s Ultimate Attitude towards the Flesh
Part THREE:THE SOUL
1 Deliverance from Sin and the Soul Life
2 The Experience of Soulish Believers
3 The Dangers of Soulish Life
4 The Cross and the Soul
5 Spiritual Believers and the Soul
Part FOUR:THE SPIRIT
1 The Holy Spirit and the Believer’s Spirit
2 A Spiritual Man
3 Spiritual Work
4 Prayer and Warfare
Part FIVE:THE ANALYSIS OF THE SPIRIT
1 Intuition
2 Communion
3 Conscience
Part SIX:WALKING AFTER THE SPIRIT
1 The Dangers of Spiritual Life
2 The Laws of the Spirit
3 The Principle of Mind Aiding the Spirit
4 The Normalcy of the Spirit
Part SEVEN:THE ANALYSIS OF THE SOUL—EMOTION
1 The Believer and Emotion
2 Affection
3 Desire
4 A Life of Feeling
5 The Life of Faith
Part EIGHT:THE ANALYSIS OF THE SOUL—THE MIND
1 The Mind a Battlefield
2 The Phenomena of a Passive Mind
3 The Way of Deliverance
4 The Laws of the Mind
Part NINE:THE ANALYSIS OF THE SOUL—THE WILL
1 A Believer’s Will
2 Passivity and Its Dangers
3 The Believer’s Mistake
4 The Path to Freedom
Part TEN:THE BODY
1 The Believer and His Body
2 Sickness
3 God as the Life of the Body
4 Overcoming Death
738 pages, 2.86 MB, PDF.
Kod:
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Thomas C. Upham - A Treatise on Divine UnionCONTENTSPART FIRST - OF GOD, AND THE RELATIONS HE SUSTAINS TO HIS CREATURES
I. On the Nature of Divine Union,
II. On the Eternity of God,
III. On the Onmipresence of God,
IV. On the Greatness and Supremacy of God,
V. On the Rehxtion of the Uncreated to the Created,
VI. Summary of some Leading Principles,
PART SECOND - ON FAITH, AND THE UNION OF GOD AND MAN IN FAITH
I. On Faith as an Element of the Divine Nature,
II. On Faith as the Constitutive Element of Human and Divine Union,
III. On the relation of the Work of Christ to the Restoration of Union,
IV. The Life of Faith in Distinction from the Life of Desire,
V. Of the Union of God and Man in Faith,
PART THIRD - ON THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD, AND THE UNION OF GOD AND MAN IN KNOWLEDGE
I. All Knowledge necessarily in God,
II. Human Knowledge based upon the Divine,
III. Characteristics of the Knowledge which is from God,
IV. On the Gradual Development of Divine Knowledge,
V. On the Union of God and Man in Knowledge,
PART FOURTH - ON THE LOVE OF GOD, AND THE UNION OF GOD AND MAN IN LOVE
I. On the Nature of Pure or Holy Love,
II. On the Scripture Declaration, that God is Love,
III. On the Love of Existence in Distinction from the Love of Character,
IV. Thoughts on the Creation of Holy Existences,
V. On the Three Forms of Love; namely, of Benevolence, of Complacency, and of Union,
VI. On the Union of God and Man in Love,
VII. On the Manifestations of Love in the Form of Sympathy,
VIII. On the Religion of Love as compared with the Religion of Obligation,
IX. The Union of God with Man in Love excludes all Idolatrous Love of the Creatures,
PART FIFTH - ON THE WILL OF GOD, AND THE UNION OF THE DIVINE AND HUMAN WILL
I. On the Relation of the Will of God with other parts of the Divine Nature,
II. On the Perpetual Identity of the Divine Will,
III. On the Natural and Moral Supremacy of the Divine Will,
IV. On the Union of the Human and Divine Will,
V. On the Different Degrees of Union with the Will of God,
VI. On Training the Will to Habits of Subjection,
VII. On the Relation of Suffering to Union,
VIII. Illustrations of the Relation between God and Man, by the Relative Position of Man and Child,
PART SIXTH - ON THE UNION OF MAN WITH GOD IN HIS PROVIDENCES
I. On the True Idea of Providence, and its Extent,
II. On the Law of Providence in Distinction from the General Nature or Fact of Providence,
III. On the Strictness of the Retributions of the Law of Providence,
IV. Of Providence in Connection with Man's Situation in Life,
V. On the Wisdom and Goodness of God, as displayed in his Providential Arrangements,
VI. On the Relation of Providence to Spiritual Growth,
VII. On the Law of Providence in Relation to Simplicity of Spirit,
VIII. Of the Union of God and Man in Providence,
IX. Relation of Harmony with Providence to the Order and Disorder which exist in the World,
X. Illustrations of Interior or Spiritual Solitude,
XI. Of the Spirit or Life which is the basis of this Union,
PART SEVENTH - UNION WITH GOD IN THE WORK OF MAN'S REDEMPTION
I. On the Successive Developments of the Plan of Redemption,
II. Of the Three Forms of Redemption—Physical, Mental and Social,
III. Of Union with God in the Work of Mental or Personal Redemption,
IV. Of Union with God in the Work of Redemption in relation to others,
V. Of Union with God in the Observance and the Duties of the Sabbath,
VI. Of Union with God in the Redemption and Sanctification of the Family,
VII. Of Union with God in the Work of Civil and National Redemption,
VIII. On Union with God in the Redemption of the Arts and Literature,
IX. On the Nature and Practical Extent of the Power of Love,
X. Principles and Explanations on the Subject of Practical Holiness,
XI. On the Union of Man with God in the Spirit of Prayer,
XII. On the Relation of the Character of Man to the Happiness of God
PART EIGHTH - OF THE PEACE OR REST OF THE SOUL IN A STATE OF UNION
I. On the True Idea of a Soul at Rest,
II. The Soul in Union rests from Reasonings,
III. The Soul in Union rests from Desires,
IV. The Soul in Union rests from the Reproofs of Conscience,
V. The Soul in Union rests from Disquieting Fears,
VI. The Soul in Union rests from Conflicts with Providence,
VII. The Soul in Union rests from the Anxieties of Labor,
VIII. The holy Soul has Peace, because - what it wants in itself it finds in God,
IX. The holy Soul has Peace, because its action is natural and without effort,
X. The Soul in Union with God has Rest, because it has passed from the Meditative to the Contemplative State,
XI. Of the Spirit and Practical Course of the Man who is at rest in God,
XII. The Soul in Peace is the true Kingdom of God.
458 pages, 24.1 MB, PDF. Scan.
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Thomas C. Upham - Principles of the Interior or Hidden Life524 pages, 11.5 MB, PDF. Scan.
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