In this revised edition of a longtime best selling anthology of Christian mysticism, editors Louis Dupre and James Wiseman bring together selections from the writings of twenty-three of the most important Christian mystics, from Origen of Alexandria in the third century to Thomas Merton in the twentieth. This edition retains most of the authors included in the first addition, but has replaced some authors from that edition with ones that will be of greater interest to readers today, e.g., Francis and Clare of Assisi, Francis de Sales and Jane de Chantal, and Evelyn Underhill. A general introduction discusses the place of mysticism within the Christian life as a whole, while individual chapter introductions place the mystical writers in their historical context and relate their works to others in the anthology. In addition, the editors have completely updated the bibliographies at the end of each chapter. Students and teachers of spirituality, as well as persons interested in their own spiritual growth, will welcome this popular revised resource, because it makes readily available in one volume major works by important Christian mystical writers. Like its predecessor, it is sure to be welcomed in the academic world and spiritual and devotional circles.

James Wiseman introduces spirituality as the "experience of anyone trying to live according to the highest ideals of his or her tradition." At a second level it involves "the formulation of a teaching about that experience" and then scholarly reflection on the first two levels. In "Spirituality and Mysticism", Wiseman explores the biblical origins and patristic development of a distinct Christian spirituality, through the middle ages and into modernity. He ends with reflections on how the new experience of being a world Christian body has brought in the richness of African, Asian, and Latin American experiences.