Divine Nothingness, Ecstasy and Self-transcendence in the Evangelical Pearl

Van Nieuwenhove, Rik

Abstract

This article considers a key topic from medieval theological anthropology by examining how ecstasy and self-transcendence relate to divine nothingness. It discusses this topic by examining a spiritual classic written by a female author and published in 1538 but largely forgotten, namely, The Evangelical Pearl, which encapsulates central themes from Jan van Ruusbroec and Meister Eckhart and passes them on to the modern age. This contribution argues that divine nothingness elicits a theological-anthropological response of ecstasy and self-transcendence, which is best understood as a disposition of radical recollection, dispossessiveness and gratuitousness of one’s memory, intellect and will. The final part of this paper considers the question whether our author’s negative theology of nothingness is vulnerable to Luther’s criticism of apophaticism and its alleged lack of Christocentric grounding.

Citation

Van Nieuwenhove, R. (2022). Divine Nothingness, Ecstasy and Self-transcendence in the Evangelical Pearl. Medieval Mystical Theology, 31(1), 33 - 40. https://doi.org/10.1080/20465726.2022.2084840

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Jun 23, 2022
• Publication Date: 2022
• Deposit Date: Jul 21, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 22, 2022
• Journal: Medieval Mystical Theology
• Print ISSN: 2046-5726
• Electronic ISSN: 2046-5734
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 31
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 33 - 40
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/20465726.2022.2084840
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1199668