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Christian Mysticism: Movement On Christianity In The Medieval Period

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Words 1465
Pages 6
Matthew Caldwell
870072854
Dept of Philosophy and Religious Studies – REL 2020
World Religions, Section IA and IB
Instructor: Dr. Lily Vuong
November 30, 2014

What is Christian mysticism?
Discuss the influence of this movement on Christianity in the Medieval Period and consider its attraction especially for Christian women.
Thesis: Christian Mysticism does not exist.

The term ‘Christianity’ (from the Greek word “Christos”) comes from a Hebrew word meaning "the anointed one.” It is the belief system based upon Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection eradicated the need for Judaic Law (a faith system based upon rituals, works, and sacrifices) and offered salvation through simple faith in one ultimate atonement. The word “mysticism” …show more content…
Christian mysticism has continued throughout the ages and still flourishes throughout the world in many variations. Some, like Eastern Christianity, still use mystical prayers that originated in the early stages of Christianity, while others in the West continue to evolve new variations and …show more content…
They could marry and spend their years raising children, which often proved fatal, or they could join a convent or a religious community. Throughout the Middle Ages, typically the only place a woman could utilize a library or even be given the the opportunity to learn read and write was within a religious community. Women in the Middle Ages began to outnumber men for the first time, and with more women joining religious communities, new movements began. While men were typically given more logic based educations, women were taught more creative mediations. All of these forces became responsible for the development of a female powered rise in Christian mysticism that remained until the Protestant Reformation. Then, theologians turned away from the traditions created during the Middle Ages and they went back to the Bible and early church sources for guidance in religious doctrine. With the help of the printing press, and the spread of the Bible, education grew. People grew critical of how Catholicism had downplayed the importance of grace in salvation and how mysticism propagated the belief that one’s works could play a role in

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