Soundings in the Christian Mystical Tradition

Egan's style is open and positive as he engages the serious reader. A true son of St. Ignatius of Loyola, he will first attract and then guide the reader to Jesus Christ, the mystic paradigm, but in a way that draws along the full potential of the reader. The book has no conclusion-which perhaps suggests we will have to supply one from our own experience walking the mystical way.

In a vibrant and inspiring Preface, Eagan begins with the all-important question of human identity, 'who are you?'-a question that drives the mystics towards the divine Mystery. Then, after a chapter on the Hebrew Scriptures and a chapter on the New Testament, he introduces about eighty mystical figures, usually devoting between two and six pages to each. Fifty years of intense conversation with Christian mystics allows him to present us, in a concise manner, with such a large group. These "soundings" are so good and helpful that they deserve meditation, one per day, by readers asking themselves how they can imitate at least one facet of each mystic.

. . . a fine read and an excellent addition to Christian studies and mythology collections.

Soundings in the Christian Mystical Tradition provides strong nourishment for those who are just beginning or have long journeys to take. Based on fifty years of classroom experience in teaching mysticism, Egan casts a wider net-more than seventy entries-than is usual in surveys of this kind. His effort is an important contribution to the burgeoning interest in mysticism.

This book is a fitting culmination to Harvey Egan's fifty years of reading, writing, and lecturing about the Christian mystics. A particular value of the work is his inclusion of not only the best-known mystics but also those whom he has found to be undeservedly neglected. Readers of these Soundings will surely be drawn to read the full texts of many of these mystics and so let themselves be `sounded` in return.

'Soundings' comes together here to offer an overview of Christian spiritualities ranging from the Old Testament to Mother Teresa. Several dozen well known and less known theologians of mystical communion take the reader on a journey through approaches to Christian life and prayer. Locating them concretely in their own times and cultures, Harvey Egan presents these men and women with vitality and insight.

This is one of the finest books I have ever read on Christian mysticism. Harvey Egan, SJ, with his usual careful scholarship and clear writing style, leads us through the lives of the great Christian mystics in a way that makes mysticism and prayer accessible and inviting even to the most non-saintly among us. Father Egan, a master of the spiritual masters, brings to bear a lifetime of experience and erudition to a topic that can seem far removed from our daily lives, but is in fact at its heart: the way we relate to God. I can think of no better introduction to the Christian mystic tradition than Soundings.

Harvey Egan is an eminent scholar of Christian mysticism. This present volume reflects fifty years of engagement with those major figures who have experienced, in the words of Saint John of the Cross, that 'hidden wisdom which comes through love.' This eminently readable book would be of enormous value both for the individual reader and for use in a classroom setting. I highly recommend it to both audiences.