Great Medieval Mystics

Join medieval literature expert Christopher R. Fee, Ph. D. to examine the foremost mystics from the Middle Ages through the lens of their greatest challenge: expression.

In the medieval period, how did religious women and men put into words their intense—and intensely personal—devotional practices, visions, and experiences? And how did those efforts to articulate mystical experiences comport with church doctrine?

As a profound attempt to enter into personal communion with the divine, mysticism tends to transcend not only the boundaries of human existence but also human language.

And yet efforts to convey the indescribable beauty and intensity of mystical experiences abound.

As you explore these questions with Prof. Fee, you will be amazed at how passionately medieval mystics often wrestled to reconcile the theological implications of their personal faiths with patristic understandings of God.

Recognizing that mysticism is a movement limited to neither Christianity nor the Middle Ages, Prof. Fee offers you glimpses into Jewish and Islamic mystic traditions near the end of the course. You’ll conclude with a discussion about the surprising relevance of medieval mysticism to our own postmodern culture.

You’ll rejoice in this fresh approach to the mystical tradition, grounded in history and letters but elevated by the mystery of the soul. A natural and energetic speaker, Prof. Fee sets every aspect of his subject ablaze. You’ll find his enthusiasm infectious.

This course is part of the Learn25 collection.