The Christian Mysticism Podcast

Feb 19 2025 43 ep. 49 mins 41
The Christian Mysticism Podcast artwork

Explore the fascinating history of Christian mysticism from the early days of the Church until today, featuring Dr. Carlos Eire, T. Lawrason Riggs Professor of History and Religious Studies at Yale University.

New episodes are published twice a month, on the first and third Thursday of every month.

If you have any questions or comments, you can reach us via email at [email protected].

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  Education  History  Religion & Spirituality
RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


Love in Christian Mysticism

Feb 19 2025 46 mins  
Love is an absolutely essential component of Christian mysticism. It is the driving force as well as the ultimate goal: to know God and to love God. But like all other aspects of Christian mysticism, it is deeply wrapped in paradox.If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale Uni

Mysticism and the embrace of pain and suffering

Jan 15 2025 53 mins  
Pain and suffering is part of every mystical journey and throughout history, Christian mystics have embraced it. The classic path to mysticism can be described in three steps: purgation, illumination, and union. But for Christian mystics, the purgation never ends. In this episode, Dr. Carlos Eire delves into the lives of Christian mystics and explains how they considered pain and s

St. Faustyna Kowalska: The Secretary of Divine Mercy

Dec 18 2024 48 mins  
Maria Faustyna Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament, OLM (1905 – 1938) was a Polish Catholic religious sister and mystic. Faustyna had apparitions of Jesus Christ, which inspired the Catholic devotion to the Divine Mercy and earned her the title of the "secretary" of Divine Mercy.Throughout her life, Kowalska reported having visions of Jesus and conversations with Him, which she not

The Bible and Mysticism: Part 2 - The New Testament

Nov 20 2024 48 mins  
The Christian Bible is full of imagery and instruction that Christian mystics have used as inspiration and direction in their mystical journeys. In our last episode, Dr. Carlos Eire shared a sampling of Old Testament scripture that Christian mystics have used and meditated on over the centuries. In this episode, we explore the New Testament and how Christian mystics used it as insp

The Bible and Mysticism Part 1: The Old Testament

Oct 16 2024 45 mins  
The Christian Bible is full of imagery and instruction that Christian mystics have used as inspiration and direction in their mystical journeys. In this episode, Dr Carlos Eire shares a sampling of Old Testament scripture that Christian mystics have used and meditated on over the centuries. In the next episode, we'll explore the New Testament and the inspiration mystics found in th

Mysticism and madness

Sep 18 2024 47 mins  
Is the human brain the source of mystical experience? You may be surprised to learn scientists have been able to map the part of the brain that becomes active when individuals are in prayer, but that doesn't necessarily mean mysticism is just a hallucination or psychosis. In this episode, we discuss how the brain plays a role in mysticism and how modern psychology's penchant to pat

St. Gemma Galgani: The suffering mystic

Aug 14 2024 50 mins  
St. Gemma Galgani (March 12, 1878 -- April 11, 1903) was a “Daughter of the Passion” and lived a short life of intense veneration and imitation of Christ’s passion despite her own physical and emotional pain. She received the gift of the stigmata at the age of 21 and experienced mystical experiences with Christ, the Virgin Mary, and her guardian angel. If you would like

Mysticism and exorcism

Jul 17 2024 49 mins  
In this episode, we discuss the intersection between Christian mysticism and the phenomena of demonic possession and exorcism.If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale University Press) or HERE (Amazon).If you have any questions, you can email us at christianmysticis

St. Padre Pio: The modern-day mystic

Jun 19 2024 54 mins  
St. Padre Pio (1887-1968) was a 20th century ecstatic mystic, much like the mystics from the early age. A healer who was obviously influenced by St. Francis, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and several other mystics, he was best known for the physical and paranormal phenomena that accompanied his ecstasies, especially the stigmata, bilocation, levitation, the ability to

Evelyn Underhill: A pioneer in the modern study of mysticism

May 01 2024 41 mins  
Evelyn Underhill (1875 - 1941) was an Anglican and a pioneer in the modern study of mysticism who brought the teachings and writings of early Church mystics to a largely Protestant audience. She was the first woman to lecture to the clergy in the Church of England, and the first woman officially to conduct spiritual retreats for the Church. She was also the first woman to esta