Book visions of god: four medieval mystics and their writings ISBN 1417715596

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Thud! from Terry Pratchett
KoomValley? That was where the trolls ambushed the dwarfs, or the dwarfs ambushed the trolls. It was far away. It was a long time ago.

But if he doesn’t solve the murder of just one dwarf, Commander Sam Vimes of Ankh-Morpork City Watch is going to see it fought again, right outside his office.
With his beloved Watch crumbling around him and war-drums sounding, he must unravel every clue, outwit every assassin and brave any darkness to find the solution.And darkness is following him....

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From the Inside Flap of the Audio Cassette edition

Title: Visions of God: Four Medieval Mystics and Their Writings
Author: Karen Armstrong
ISBN: 1417715596
EAN: 9781417715596
Publisher: Topeka Bindery
Binding: Unknown Binding
Publication date: 1994-11

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2004-05-08 Four medieval mystics

The four medieval mystics discussed here bear witness to the depth and intelligence of English spirituality in the 14th century, and their work may show the way forward for a religion that seems to have become sterile, especially in its Protestant version. Armstrong discusses each of the four mystics in an introduction to selections from their major works that are reproduced here:

(a) The eccentric Richard Rolle of Hampole and his work The Fire Of Love
(b) The author of The Cloud Of Unknowing followed by this deeply moving text
(c) The sober Walter Hilton and his Ladder Of Perfection
(d) Julian of Norwich and her work Revelations Of Divine Love.

My favourite text is The Cloud Of Unknowing, which is mentioned in Leonard Cohen's song The Window on his album Recent Songs (1979). It is very accessible in its gentle humour and its emphasis on the heart-felt spiritual experience but I can also relate to the more serious work of Julian of Norwich. Richard Rolle is a bit extreme and one-dimensional for my taste, while I found Walter Hilton to be not "mystical" enough. But all of them journeyed inward to the depths of the self and each in their own way created a personal faith that offers a more intimate experience of the divine.

Armstrong's insightful introduction demonstrates how the mystical experience is similar in all religions and her interpretations of these texts are guaranteed to encourage modern seekers of spirituality and transcendence in the Christian tradition. Above all, in this book Armstrong has done much to restore the greatest voices of the long-lost Western mystical tradition to their rightful place. In this 21st century, many adherents of mainstream Christianity may rediscover the mystical experience and find it to be a more meaningful form of religious practice than the conventional and dogmatic expressions of faith.