Original scientific paper
Mysticism in Protestantism
Milan Špehar
; Catholic Faculty of Theology in Rijeka, University of Zagreb,
Abstract
Mysticism has been a negative idea for Protestantism for centuries. A major contribution to it has surely been the wrongly understood mysticism. No matter how much Protestantism has been against mysticism, which also testify the new theologians headed by Barth, mysticism and mystical experience has never disappeared from it.
In the article I also present the main theses of reproaching to mysticism so that one can see what it is and what it is not. Therefore I do not approach to the reproaches apologetically neither am I confronted with them but my aim is to put forward the distorted perceptions of that idea.
If we consider the attitude of Protestantism toward mysticism today, then we come across a considerable number of advocates of mysticism who want to prove, analyzing to Christianity well known Protestant names, that mysticism has always accompanied Protestantism. It is evident from Luther’s attitude toward mysticism, which goes from accepting to rejecting and seeking for a “milder” mystical experience, i.e. the mysticism in which it is evident that it is first of all a gift of grace.
At the end it is to conclude that the criticism of mysticism by Protestantism is welcome to the entire Christian mysticism even today, not that it should disappear but become purified.
Keywords
mysticism; Protestantism; unio mystica; communion mystica; Deus absconditus; Deus revelatus; Luther
Hrčak ID:
45392
URI
Publication date:
21.12.2009.
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