This unit engages students in sustained study of mystical theology as a mode of theological reflection concerned with divine presence, experience, and the limits of language. It examines key mystical texts, figures, and traditions within Christianity, alongside forms of embodied and experiential spirituality that challenge or reconfigure doctrinal and institutional frameworks. Attention is given to the relationship between mysticism and broader theological, philosophical, ecclesial, and social contexts, including ethics, politics, and the arts. Through close reading of primary texts and engagement with contemporary scholarship, students consider the significance of mystical theology for understanding Christian belief, practice, and theological method.
Unit code: CT9802Z
Unit status: Approved (New unit)
Points: 18.0
Unit level: Postgraduate Elective
Unit discipline: Systematic Theology
Proposing College: St Francis College
Show when this unit is running| 1. | Evaluate major mystical traditions, texts, and figures within their historical, theological, and philosophical contexts. |
| 2. | Analyse primary mystical writings using appropriate interpretive and conceptual frameworks. |
| 3. | Apply insights from mystical theology to examine its significance for Christian doctrine, spirituality, and practice. |
| 4. | Integrate insights from mystical theology and related disciplines to explain their significance for theological reflection. |
This unit requires at least one Postgraduate Foundation level unit to be completed.
Synchronous and asynchronous lectures and text-based tutorials
Boothby, Richard. Embracing the Void: Rethinking the Origin of the Sacred. Northwestern University Press, 2023.
Crawley, Ashon. Blackpentecostal Breath: The Aesthetics of Possibility. Fordham University Press, 2017.
Critchley, Simon. On Mysticism: The Experience of Ecstasy. Profile, 2024.
Franke, William. On What Cannot Be Said. 2 vols. University of Notre Dame Press, 2007.
Hollywood, Amy. Sensible Ecstasy: Mysticism, Sexual Difference, and the Demands of History. University of Chicago Press, 2002.
McIntosh, Mark. Mystical Theology: The Integrity of Spirituality and Theology. Blackwell, 1998.
Prevot, Andrew. The Mysticism of Ordinary Life: Theology, Philosophy, and Feminism. Oxford University Press, 2023.
Sells, Michael. Mystical Languages of Unsaying. University of Chicago Press, 1994.
Steenbuch, Johannes Aakjær. Negative Theology: A Short Introduction. Cascade Books, 2022.
| Type | Description | Word count | Weight (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 0 | 100.0 |
Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 15 Apr, 2026
Unit record last updated: 2026-04-15 10:10:39 +1000