The Role of Reason in the Cloud of Unknowing: A Philosophy of Christian Mysticism

Two extremes exist in much of the Christian church: 1) those who embrace the Word, intellection and reason often shun, distrust, and are threatened by deep spirituality and unpredictable interaction with the Holy Spirit; and 2) the deeply spiritual often shun, distrust, and are threatened by lofty thinking and intellectual engagement with the Word. - Which side, if either, is right? - Should the reason of the Word trump the dynamism of the Spirit? - Is there a legitimate interplay between reason and mysticism? - Is Christian mysticism even a viable notion? - What, if anything, does Scripture say of the mystical realm and the mystical task? The Role of Reason in the Cloud of Unknowing explores the complex relation between deep spirituality and intellection, mysticism and reason, Spirit and Word. Using the fourteenth century Christian spiritual classic, The Cloud of Unknowing, as a launching pad and test bed, DCTopp unwinds his arguments and draws his compelling conclusions by subjecting both Christian mysticism and rationality to the scrutinizing mechanisms of biblical exegesis, existential evaluation, comparative religions, historical inputs, and philosophical and theological analyses.