The Origins of the Christian Mystical Tradition
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loginTheorigin of this book was a series of lectures on ‘Mystical Theologyin the Fathers’ given in the Faculty of Theology at the University ofOxford. Shortly afterwards Mother Jane, SLG, very kindly asked me ifI would repeat the course at the Convent of the Incarnation inOxford for the benefit of those Sisters of the Love of God who wishedto hear them. A gratifyingly large number did. Since then the lectureshave been revised and rewritten and later stages of the book havebeen given as talks at the Convent of the Incarnation, and also to theSisters of the Precious Blood, at Burnham Abbey. I owe a very greatdeal to these opportunities of sharing my thoughts with them andresponding to their questions and criticisms. The circle of indebted-ness extends much wider, but there are various particular debts ofwhich I am especially conscious. In the chapter on Philo, I receivedhelp and encouragement from Dr C. T. R. Hayward, now at theUniversity of Durham, and Robin Lane Fox, now at New College;Dr O. M. T. O’Donovan, now at Wycliffe College, Toronto, read anearly version of the chapter on Augustine and made many acute andhelpful observations; Sister Jocelyn Mary, SLG, gave me much help inunderstanding the doctrine of the Dark Night in St. John of theCross. Naturally, none of them is responsible for the use I havemade of their ideas. I was also greatly helped by being able to counton the accurate and intelligent typing of Mrs Anne Borg. But mygreatest debt is to Sister Edme ́e, SLG, who has suffered all the stagesof the fashioning of this book: I owe more than I can tell to herencouragement and criticisms, which have saved me from manyasperities of style and obscurities of thought.
