Medieval Mysticism

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IST 2103   MEDIEVAL MYSTICISM

(4 credit hours)

Course Schedule : March 27, 2017 – June 2, 2017

Course Location : Hybrid: Online and April 28 (1:00-5:00 pm) & April 29 (8:00 am – 12:00 pm), The Iliff School of Theology

Required Texts :

Richard Woods. Christian Spirituality: God's Presence through the Ages (new expanded edition). Orbis Books. 2006. ISBN: 1-57075-644-9

Bernard McGinn. The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism. The Modern Library. 2006. ISBN: 0-8129-7421-2

Emilie Griffin, ed. Bernard of Clairvaux: Selected Works. (Harper Collins Spiritual Classics). HarperOne. 1987, 2005. ISBN: 978-0-06-075067-1

Edmund Colledge & James Walsh, eds. Julian of Norwich's Showings . (The Classics of Western Spirituality). Paulist Press. 1978. ISBN-10: 0-8091-2091-7

Edmund Colledge & Bernard McGinn, eds. Meister Eckhart: The Essential Sermons, Commentaries, Treatises, and Defense . (The Classics of Western Spirituality). Paulist Press. 1981. ISBN: 0-8091-2370-3

Instructor : Tim Bryan, M.S., M.A., Th.D., The John Wesley Iliff Senior Instructor in Church History

Availability : Telephone : 303-466-4828 (Please call after 9:00 AM and before 9:00 PM)

Personal email : bryan147@msn.com

I will return messages within 24-48 hours.

Course Description

In the European Middle Ages a number of clergy and lay believers—female and male—were convinced that the divine realities of the faith could be intimately experienced. They were the practitioners of long-cultivated mystical traditions that took on new directions and forms in their experiences and writings. Representative figures like Hildegard of Bingen, Bernard of Clairvaux, John Bonaventure, Marguerite Porete, Meister Eckhart, Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, and others sometimes claimed to have visions, often emphasized mystical union with Christ or Being itself, were frequently strong supporters of the Church or, at other times, seen as threats to the faith, and usually promoted the ideals of simplicity, poverty, and compassion.

In this course we will read the writings of some of the medieval mystics; discuss their key ideas in the context of their social, political, and religious world; describe the prominent types of mysticism in the period; and draw some connections to the contemporary world.

Course Overview

Course Objectives

Degree Learning Goals: Please take some time to look over the Professional Degree Learning Goals (MDiv, MASC, MAPSC) and the Academic Degree Learning Goals (MTS, MA).

Incompletes:  If incompletes are allowed in this course, see the Master's Student Handbook for Policies and Procedures.

Pass/Fail:  Masters students wishing to take the class pass/fail should discuss this with the instructor by the second class session.

Academic Integrity and Community Covenant:  All students are expected to abide by Iliff’s statement on Academic Integrity, as published in the Masters Student Handbook, or the Joint PhD Statement on Academic Honesty, as published in the Joint PhD Student Handbook, as appropriate.  All participants in this class are expected to be familiar with Iliff’s Community Covenant.

Accommodations:  Iliff engages in a collaborative effort with students with disabilities to reasonably accommodate student needs.   Students are encouraged to contact their assigned advisor to initiate the process of requesting accommodations.  The advising center can be contacted at advising@iliff.edu or by phone at 303-765-1146. 

Writing Lab:  Grammar and organization are important for all written assignments.  Additional help is available from the Iliff Writing Lab, which is available for students of any level who need help beginning an assignment, organizing thoughts, or reviewing a final draft. 

Inclusive Language:  It is expected that all course participants will use inclusive language in speaking and writing, and will use terms that do not create barriers to classroom community.