History of Contemplative and Apophatic Spirituality (CH8740Z)

Content

This unit provides an overview of the history of contemplative and apophatic spirituality from the Desert Mothers and Fathers to the present. An understanding of the apophatic tradition will be developed by introducing key historical exemplars and primary texts. Students will explore the historical contexts while engaging in historical spiritual practices. Topics will include, but not be limited to, the Desert Mothers and Fathers, medieval mystics, various monastic traditions and contemporary contemplative examples. The historical examples will be examined with reference to their relevance to contemporary spiritual seekers.

Learning outcomes

Unit sequence

A foundational unit in program 3 of the Graduate Certificate in Spirituality and the Graduate Diploma in Spiritual Direction.

Pedagogy

The unit engages students through readings, lectures, workshops, group discussions and personal reflection.

Indicative Bibliography

• Armstrong, Karen. The God of the Philosophers”. In A History of God: From Abraham to the Present: The 4000-Year Quest for God. London: Vintage Books, 1999, 203-247.
• Double, Samuel. "St Francis”. In Journey to the Heart: Christian Contemplation through the Centuries. Edited by Kim Nataraja. London: Canterbury Press, 2011, pp.170-191.
• Fox, Matthew. “Emptying: Letting Go of Images and Letting Silence Be Silence”. In Original Blessing: A Primer on Creation Spirituality. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 2000, 132-139.
• Green, Thomas H. The First Blind Guide: John of the Cross and Spiritual Direction. Presence 9.1 (February 2003): 31-37.
• Harmless, William. Mystics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.
• Hide, Kerrie. Dark Loving, Presence 13.3 (September 2007): 12-18.
• Lanzetta, Beverley. The Monk Within: Embracing a Sacred Way of Life. Blue Sapphire Books, 2018.
• Pan Yi Jung, Annie. Transforming Christian Spirituality: Hermeneutical Method and Methodology. Mysterion 12, no. 2 (December 2019): 363-373.
• Swan, Laura. Forgotten Desert Mothers: Sayings, Lives, and Stories of Early Christian Women. Paulist Press, 2022.
• Swan, Laura.* The Wisdom of the Beguines: The Forgotten Story of a Medieval Women’s Movement*. New York: Bluebridge, 2014.
• Wicks, Michaele Barry. Teresa of Jesus: Model and Mentor for Ministry. In Handbook of Spirituality for Ministers, edited by Robert J. Wicks. New York: Paulist Press, 1995, 115-126.
• Wojciechowski, Jennifer Hornyak. Tending the Garden: A History of Christian Mysticism. Fortress Press, 2025.

Assessment