Luther and Medieval Mysticism in the Context of Recent Historiography
Werner O. Packull
Renaissance and Reformation December 31, 1969 DOI: 10.33137/rr.v18i2.12684 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mysticism |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key findings | Argues that Hoffman's reinterpretation of Luther as a mystical and charismatic figure has merit in tracing Luther's theology to mystical experience and in challenging rationalist historiography, but that Hoffman's claims about Luther's paranormal abilities and his portrait of Luther as a "charismatic heliocentrist" are unclear or unconvincing. |
Abstract
Jvarely satisfied with a mere reinterpretation of "historical facts,*' reflec- tive historical scholarship interacts with past and contemporary points of view.The recent book by Bengt Hoffman' illustrates this point.In his re- examination of Luther and the mystical, Hoffman attempts to revise pre- vailing interpretations in the light of the "contemporary revolt against reason'* and the rediscovery of "human transcendence** in "charismatic renewal.**The effort is not without merit.The majority of German Luther scholars for once escape the charge of rolling their eyeballs and engaging in nonsensical God-talk!Indeed, much of Hoffman*s energy is directed against the influence of rationalism -scholastic and scientific^-on previous historiography.On his part, Hoffman attempts to illustrate that Luther's theological insights were rooted in the mystical experience of the numinous.He concludes that in spite of a different "nomenclature** Luther and his mystical predecessors, John Tauler and the author of the Theologia Deutsch, reckoned with a similar substantive connection between the human and the divine.In the experience of mystical union or reunion the believer is reborn, while God saves "that which is part of him in fundamen- tal structure."In this context, Luther*s crucial understanding of the sinner*s standing before God, simul instus et peccator, becomes explicable as a simultaneous experience of mystical anguish and ecstasy.No less provocative is Hoffman's reappraisal of what in times past were considered Luther's embarrassingly sharp sensitivities for "para-normal ap- pearances.'' However, the relationship of apparitions of evU, in the form of black sows or dogs, to mysticism proper is not entirely clear.In Hoffman's account, Luther emerges as a charismatic faith healer, a sensitive psychic blessed with revelations of a "clairaudical and clairvoyant nature" who, through "the psychic force of faith," had become part of a "supernatural power field" with "access to the integrating center of the cosmos -the power center that makes cosmos one, the sun which is Christ."This reinterpretation of Luther into a charismatic heliocentrist need not distract from the better parts of Hoffman*s work.Certainly Hoffman must
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on mysticism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Are “mystical experiences” essential for antidepressant actions of ketamine and the classic psychedelics? | 2024 | Review | |
| The Beyond Within: The LSD Story | 1965 | Book review | |
| Psilocybin occasioned mystical‐type experiences | 2020 | Narrative review | |
| Ecstasy research in the 20th century – an introduction | 2019 | Review | |
| Predictors and potentiators of psychedelic-occasioned mystical experiences | 2022 | Review |