Term Paper on "Mystical Experiential Dimensions of Christianity"

Term Paper 8 pages (2223 words) Sources: 7 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

mystical/Experiential dimensions of Christianity

Christian mysticism during Early Christianity

Christian mysticism has progressed much in the recent decades, especially considering that most Christians were previously unenthusiastic about this conception. Part of the Christian community has come to accept the fact that one of the most important aspects of the religion relates to an individual's connection with the divine. Even with that, one does not necessarily have to connect with God in order for the respective person to experience the mystical characteristic of Christianity, as he or she only has to be aware of God's presence in order for this to happen.

People who experience Christian mysticism practically acknowledge God's involvement in most of the actions that they undertake. Mystical experiences are very likely to reflect in an individual's transformation, with the person being most probably to see life differently and to influence other people as a result of his or her transformation. One takes on a unconventional approach in trying to undergo experiential Christianity, given that he or she needs to abandon previous conceptions in favor of embracing controversial beliefs. While Christian mystic movements that emerged in the Middle Ages and during Modernity generated a great deal of concepts related to mysticism, it was during the Early Church when mysticism experienced much progress.

The term mysticism has been used is a series of contexts over the years, considering that "sometimes it is used as an equivalent for symbolism or allegorism, sometimes for theosophy or occult science; and sometimes it merely suggests the mental state of a dreamer, or vague and fantastic opinions about God and the world" (Inge 3). Because they are one of the most conservative Christian communities, Roman Catholics have often expressed their concern about the word's diverse connotations. All things considered, mysticism refers to the hidden world, a place where people can get to only by focusing for long periods of time and only through performing great efforts.

There have been many debates over the years in regard to Christian mysticism and most of them have been related to mainstream Christians preferring to stick to traditional principles in dealing with the matter. Mystical and experiential experiences have to be seen differently in comparison to conservative Christian practices. It is difficult to determine whether one should employ a subjective or an impartial approach at trying to understand Christian mysticism. People can attribute diverse types of meaning to particular matters, but this does not mean that they have to be objective in regard to mysticism. If they preserve some of their conceptions concerning the subject, they are more likely to associate it with ideas that they actually understand, thus making it easier for them to refrain from being superficial. Even though many Christians consider that it is irrelevant whether or not one undergoes an experience that involves the divinity, most are likely to agree that it is essential for a bona fide Christian to have a strong understanding of his or her relationship with God. As a consequence, Christianity promotes the belief that one needs to focus on connecting with God through being faithful and through praying.

People had little understanding about Christian mysticism before Jesus Christ, as it was him who taught individuals concerning God and regarding how it is very important for them to accept Him in order to achieve positive results in their spiritual lives. Philosophy is a very important part of mysticism, as it assists individuals in opening their minds to concepts that might seem revolutionary at first. This is one of the reasons for which many dedicated Christians consider mysticism to be in disagreement with some of their most treasured values.

Christians faced great persecutions during the Early Church, this being principally caused by the fact that society had trouble understanding and accepting a new religion. The roots of Christian mysticism mainly originate in Clement of Alexandria and in Origen. Both of these men lived during the late first century and the early second century, in an environment that prevented most Christians from expressing their opinions freely. Clement was experienced in philosophy and saw the opportunity to combine Christian principles with some of the most important philosophical concepts in trying to present the world with the benefits of Christianity.

Clement was well aware of the fact that a community would have better success in understanding particular concepts if it were to be taught in regard to those respective principles in accordance with its culture. Clement thus used Greek philosophy as a means to provide Greeks with their own version of Christ, one that put across experiential understanding regarding God's love. In spite of his endeavors, he encountered serious resistance and was forced to leave Alexandria because Christians were persecuted. In spite of his lack of success in promoting Christian mysticism in Alexandria, Clement managed to lay the basis of Christian experiential concepts and can (to a certain degree) be considered responsible for much of the spirituality in the contemporary society. One of his most important beliefs was related to the fact that knowledge and love did not necessarily had to be diverging concepts, as they could actually be combined in producing spiritual philosophy (Osborn 158).

The emergence of Gnosticism is largely considered to have been fueled by spiritual beliefs that emerged during Early Christianity. Individuals who supported Gnostic concepts considered that Gnosis is the primary method of attaining salvation. They believed that one's ideal in life had to be related to the salvation of the respective individual's soul. From their point-of-view, the material world prevented people from understanding values that really mattered. Even with the fact that Christians during the early first millennium preferred to considered that they were responsible for inventing Gnostic conceptions, most of these beliefs were actually borrowed from older sources, most of them related to Judaism and to teachings in the Old Testament.

Given that there were a series of individuals promoting Gnosticism concomitantly to Clement, he insisted that the general public gained a thorough understanding of the relationship between Gnostic concepts and Christianity. One of the main reasons for which he chose to do this was the fact that he feared that people would amass immoral convictions as a result of being confused by the information that they were provided with. Moreover, "he called his perfect Christian 'the gnostic' and denied the heretics the right to use the name" (Osborn 14). He believed that Christians were superior to Gnostics praising other religions because they were baptized and because they had enough faith for them to be saved. Clement is constantly in a position where he acts as a child blindly trusting that his father will assist him regardless of the circumstances. He does not necessarily consider that those unwilling to take on Gnosticism are not Christian in their hearts, as he apparently believes that Gnosticism improves a Christian's condition in his connection with God.

Experienced Christians are more likely to search for a more profound understanding of religious principles and the only way for them to do this is to appeal to their spiritual side. Clement was concerned about having people understand that they were not supposed to take his writings literally, as they had to employ a Gnostic concepts in interpreting them. One could not consider ration as a means to understanding God because He had to be understood through spirituality (Osborn 32).

Christian belief is similar to a ladder and one needs to be determined to climb it in order to achieve positive results in trying to connect with the divine. By taking on Gnostic principles, a person goes deeper into Christianity and comes across intriguing thoughts likely to shape his or her personality from that point on. Praying no longer concentrates on verbal prayer at this moment, as it is focused on an act that is entirely mental and where material values are left aside in order for the individual to learn the importance of spiritual matter. "The 'true gnostic' is able to give a coherent and reasoned account of what is known in faith only in summary and general form. 118 His intellectual grasp, however, is morally conditioned. Insight is given to the pure in heart. It is a gift of grace as the Father draws to himself the one who lives a pure life" (Chadwick 54).

Similar to Clement, Origen was one of the most distinguished scholars of the Early Christian Church. He is widely regarded as being among those responsible for starting Christianity. In spite of his contributions to the church, however, he is also condemned for expressing opinions that directly oppose conservative Christian principles. Origen's upbringing is rather similar to Clement's, particularly considering that he was raised in Alexandria and became familiar with concepts belonging to Greek culture and to Christianity.

It is difficult to determine whether Origen continued Clement's work in Alexandria, as the latter had little success in starting an educational institute because of his divergences with Severus. Origen nonetheless proved to be more successful in promoting Christian… READ MORE

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