Christian Mysticism

by William Ralph Inge

——"I give and bequeath my Lands and Estates to the Chancellor, Masters, and Scholars of the University of Oxford for ever, to have and to hold all and singular the said Lands and Estates upon trust, and to the intents and purposes hereinafter mentioned; that is to say, I will and appoint that the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford for the time being shall take and receive all the rents, issues, and profits thereof, and (after all taxes, reparations, and necessary deductions made) that he pay all the remainder to the endowment of eight Divinity Lecture Sermons, to be established for ever in the said University, and to be performed in the manner "I direct and appoint that upon the first Tuesday in Easter Term, a Lecturer be yearly chosen by the Heads of Colleges only, and by no others, in the room adjoining to the Printing-House, between the hours of ten in the morning and two in the afternoon, to preach eight Divinity Lecture Sermons, the year following, at St. Mary's in Oxford, between the commencement of the last month in Lent Term, and the end of the third week in Act Term.

Genres: Religion, Christianity

310 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1899

About the author

Sir William Ralph Inge was educated at Eton and King's College, Cambridge. After taking a double first in Classics, he became a tutor at Hertford College, Oxford, and was made a deacon in the Church of England in 1888. After a time as Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at Cambridge, Inge was elected Dean of St. Paul's cathedral in 1911 by Asquith, a position he held until 1934.

During his life, Inge was President of the Aristotelian society, a columnist for the Evening Standard, a fellow of the British Academy, and a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery. He received honorary doctorates from Oxford, Aberdeen, Durham, Sheffield, Edinburgh, and St. Andrews. Inge received honorary fellowships from King's and Jesus Colleges, Cambridge, and Hertford College, Oxford.

Reviews

[Jade Aldrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable read. I’d rate it up there with “The Imitation of Christ” if you’re into that sort of thing. IMO, it’s a nice companion to the Bible as it seems to be consistent with Biblical teachings. There’s a quite poignant quote towards the end where he says. “..The human spirit beats against the bars of space and time themselves, and could never be satisfied with any earthly utopia. Our true home must be in some higher sphere of existence, above the contradictions which make it impossible for us to believe that time and space are ultimate realities, and out of reach of the inevitable catastrophe which the next glacial age must bring upon the human race. This world of space and time is to resemble heaven as far as it can; but a fixed limit is set to the amount of the divine plan which can be realized under these conditions. Our hearts tell us of a higher form of existence, in which the doom of death is not merely deferred but abolished. This eternal world we see here through a glass darkly: at best we can apprehend but the outskirts of God’s ways, and hear a small whisper of his voice; but our conviction is that, though our earthly house be dissolved (as dissolved it must be), we have a home not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” And that’s just ONE of the many stellar excerpts you can expect. Not too heavy a read but still manages to go “deep”.

[Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was an enlightening book (really a group of lectures). I appreciated the history of Christian Mysticism that the book discussed. Although this book was somewhat useful to me, I doubt some people would appreciate it.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Instructive introduction

Inge presents a very helpful overview of Christian Mysticism from a historical development perspective. I especially appreciated the careful explanation of the dangers of specific branches of mysticism. This is an excellent introduction to Christian Mysticism thought.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very deep.