Foundations of Mysticism Origins to the Fifth Century

In this first volume of the highly-acclaimed Presence of God series Bernard McGinn explores the origins of Christian mysticism from early Jewish apocalyptic writings to pre-Christian Greek contemplative thought; the New Testament witnesses; early Greek Patristic thought; and the contribution of early monastic practice. In Part 2 McGinn discusses Western Christian mysticism proper with special attention to Augustine of Hippo. Of special interest is the now-influential appendix which reviews various theoretical approaches to mysticism.