An Introduction from the Editor of Medieval Mystical Theology

While the articles in this issue ofMedieval Mystical Theology share the common theme of all drawing from Christian mysticism, they also demonstrate what a diverse range of topics there are in this area to explore. While examining the mystics, Teresa of Avila, Bernard of Clairvaux, Meister Eckhart, Jan van Leeuwen, Richard Rolle, Jan van Ruusbroec, and Godfried Wevel, topics include, penitential spirituality, wisdom, art, heresy, the devil, feminism, and even belching. Whether you are reading these articles from general interest or pursuing academic research, I am confident you will find them as rich and rewarding as I have. Each article is as ground-breaking as it is learned. Before I introduce the articles, I would first like to say a HUGE ‘thank you’ to the associate editors of Medieval Mystical Theology, namely, Joseph Milne and Rebecca Stephens. They have each offered so much help with this issue, and I am extremely grateful. I would also like to thank the trustees of The Eckhart Society for their support, and also say thank you to the journal’s book reviews editor, Georgina Burrows, for her good work. The first article by Joshua Easterling is titled, ‘Immoderate Investigations: Heresy, Knowledge, and the Culture of Suspicion in Richard Rolle’s Latin Texts.’ Easterly tells us that for Rolle intellectual investigation as a mode of acquiring knowledge of God involved a suspicion of the mystic and their experiences on the one hand, while academic inquiry imperilled the Christian’s salvation on the other. By opposing it to intellectual investigation, Rolle confirms mysticism’s loyalty to orthodox truth. Easterling writes: