Mysticism in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: Searching for Oneness - Hardcover

This book is brilliant, learned, insightful, and of great importance at this time of religious tension. -- Karen Armstrong, author of A History of God Ori Soltes' book represents a breakthrough in the teaching of comparative mysticism. The author transforms the esoteric into the comprehensible and affords the reader a window into a subject which has heretofore been the possession of an eclectic minority. Soltes' writing style is scintillating and captivating. -- Rabbi Harold S. White, Georgetown University Recommended. Two-star review. * CHOICE, March 2009 * Ori Soltes writes with deep understanding, broad learning, and a flair for making history and ideas come alive. He shows the common quest for transcendence in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim mysticism from antiquity to the present and brings the three traditions into dialogue with each other, something they could not do themselves. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and contemporary spirituality. -- David Ariel, Baltimore Hebrew University, author of Kabbalah

Throughout the ages and across religious traditions, people have yearned to personally experience God and deeply connect with the Creator. In Mysticism in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Ori Z. Soltes traces the sweep of mysticism-this search for oneness with God-throughout the three Abrahamic traditions. This unique comparative overview begins with a definition of mysticism and a discussion of its place within religion as a whole. Soltes then explores the history of mysticism from Biblical times through the present day, highlighting the emergence of mysticism within the three traditions and how beliefs and practices converge and diverge over time. The final chapters discuss the growing interest in mysticism today through practices such as Kabbalah and how people publicly express their private encounters with God through art, literature, and other modern media.