Abstract This essay considers the apophatic elements in the writings of some of the major exponents of the Flemish or Dutch school of vernacular theology in the high and late-medieval period. First the spirituality of the beguine Hadewijch is discussed, in whose oeuvre the topic of divine longing takes central stage. Secondly, the mystical theology of Jan van Ruusbroec and his ideal of the...
This chapter considers mystical theology as a resource for theology of the Trinity today. It consists of two parts. The first part draws mainly on the Trinitarian theology of St Bonaventure to demonstrate that participation in the life of the Trinity is essential to begin to engage in theology of the Trinity: vision implies participation. The second part provides an example of how the writings...
Denys Turner's excellent study The Darkness of God has focused the attention of scholars of Western spirituality on the Neoplatonic discourse of medieval mystical theologians.' Turner argues that their descriptions of the union between God and man should not be read in experiential terms but in the light of a Neoplatonic discourse that contains the resources for an implicit critique of an...