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Definition 1. Definition: Mysticism is an umbrella concept for (1) experiences in which boundaries are dissolved—those of the subject, such as in a vacuum of thought, or in ecstasy; those of the object, so that dualities are removed; those of space, to experience the infinite in the finite; those of time, when the ‘timeless, everlasting now’ replaces successive time. ‘Mysticism’ also denotes (2) the concepts, teachings, and literary genres that contemplate, recount, or describe this immanent trans…

1. In 1326, a complaint was lodged against a nearly seventy-year-old Dominican, by a long respected superior of his order, who was twice the occupant of the famous chair in Paris. When he died shortly thereafter, the judgment was made public. Declared a heretic, he was soon all but unknown. Only five hundred years later was the situation reversed: Eckhart was now the exemplar and martyr of modern piety, which posited ‘God in me’ in place of the prescribed God. This assessment confirmed the judgm…