Abstract: The first and second Christian generations experienced intense charismatic and mystic activity; that is patently obvious even though scholars have paid little attention to it. Ecstatic manifestations were more common among the first Christian communities than speculative theology. Even if his historical heritage made him the emblem of argumentative thought, Paul of Tarsus was a mystic. In this chapter, the author unearths the footprints of religious experience left by Paul in his writings. He clears the way by proceeding to a definition of mysticism. This allows him to see how Paul's religious experience and the interpretation he gives for it fit into the mystic tradition while subverting it. He concludes by noting two particularities of Pauline mysticism, which is a mysticism of Christ and not of God. Keywords:Christ; Christian community; mysticism; Paul; religious experience; speculative theology
Publication Year: 2013
Publication Date: 2013-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 19
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